A well-rounded, independently-focused exploration of Copenhagen! September 05, 2024

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

I found that the DIS program was more focused on providing students with experiential learning opportunities rather than in-class assignments and paper projects or exams. I much preferred this model as it allowed a flexibility to learn whilst exploring Copenhagen and surrounding cities and towns in Denmark. I think this also encouraged me to apply the lessons I learned in class (such as those in my course on the social welfare system in Denmark) to real-world experiences and observations of day-to-day life. The only time that the semester picked up in academic intensity was towards the end when I had a couple papers due all around the same time in addition to having to study for my Danish language exam.

On-site administration of your program

I appreciated that DIS put on lots of events for students to take part in. However, I think the "advertising" for these events could have been made a little more accessible as there would be times when I would only hear about something happening at the DIS student hub through another friend. Overall, I felt that the DIS staff was incredibly helpful and attuned to students concerns/questions/curiosities.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

I really enjoyed the apartment-style living I was assigned this spring. I was living with three Danish students and four American DIS students. While we all tended to coexist instead of make active plans to hangout, I enjoyed that we carved out time after meals to check-in with one another and have lighthearted conversations. Everyone was interested in what each person was getting up to so having a shared space to talk about our experiences during the semester felt like a great communal aspect of my living situation. In addition, there was a grocery store right across the street and a metro station just a short walk away so everything felt very accessible!

Cooking for myself became a learning curve over the semester and I quickly got used to budgeting my grocery funds for meals and other essentials. I would tell other friends that the food in Denmark seems a lot more fresh and less processed than the food products we have in the U.S. The only adjustment process was having to learn to read labels and product information in Danish.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

While I felt like I learned a lot about Danish culture, there was a part of me that felt that I had to seek it out for myself in unexpected ways such as simply sitting in a cafe and doing work amongst Danish students or go to a flea market and engage in bartering conversation with those selling clothes at market stalls. Trying to practice speaking Danish with Danes is difficult because they will instantly know if you are a non-Danish speaking student and will switch to speaking English to make things easier. I think being apart of Danish culture is to explore a city such as Copenhagen without feeling limited or constrained by the cold weather. As the Danes say, there is no such thing as bad weather, only unsuitable clothing!

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

I did not have any immediate health concerns whilst on the program that needed the attention of a healthcare provider.

Copenhagen is by far one of the safest cities I have ever been to, in comparison with both U.S. cities and other European cities. I found myself able and comfortable to walk outside at night while alone and feel safe. When going out with friends on the weekends, coming back home from a bar or club still felt safe as there are a lot of young people taking public transportation.

I really enjoyed the program. The only thing I might change would be the time of year I went. Every time we as DIS students spoke with Danes about the time frame of our program (coming in January, leaving in May), they would always say "you're leaving just when things start to get beautiful!" I've heard that Danish summers are gorgeous as well as the fall so I might've chosen to do a fall semester instead.

(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost)

Copenhagen, I believe, is one of the most expensive European cities. While we as DIS students were given the equivalent of $600 as part of our program tuition for food and other groceries, there was definitely a need to budget and plan out expenses accordingly. Travel and other personal expenses were quite expensive and I was really grateful to have received a couple need-based scholarships to support some of that spending. I highly recommend applying to need-based and merit-based study abroad scholarships as they are an immense help.

0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language

I think our Danish instructors sort of knew that Danes do not typically entertain non-Danish speakers since they are also fluent in English. It was difficult to put Danish speaking into practice.

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• Apartment

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• Local Students
• Americans

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• Americans

• Accessibility of Copenhagen
• Experiential classes
• Tons of time and opportunity to travel

• Integration into Danish life
• Danish language requirement could be a little less stressful in terms of workload

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