DIS: Full-Time Experiential Learning January 03, 2025

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

DIS classes are mostly focused on experiential learning and are significantly less rigorous than any Wellesley class. Most teachers are not full-time with the program and have another job, so the teaching quality might be lower than you are used to. However, this is compensated for with great field trips and fun activities, including a full week of travel to another country with your core course. Don't expect to be incredibly challenged, but do expect to be enriched.

On-site administration of your program

DIS is incredibly supportive and helpful in every single part of the process. They help with getting your visa, registering with the Danish health system, and more! There is a wide student support network and it is possible to be connected with local mental health resources, schedule support meetings, and more. DIS knows what it is doing with administration, and I found that everything ran smoothly.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

I loved where I lived! I was in Nimbus Kollegium, which is owned by DIS. My apartment was four bedrooms/five people, and I had my own room. We shared a kitchen and bathrooms, which were in great shape. The facilities were very nice and the kollegium would throw social events to meet people, including local full-time students living there.

DIS does not provide any meals while you're in Copenhagen, but they do provide a grocery stipend of ~$600 to cover a significant chunk of groceries for the semester. The stipend was great and lasted me until late November, which was awesome. On class trips, DIS provides 2 meals a day (breakfast and one other), and we ate at pretty nice restaurants!

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

DIS is all students from american universities. In order to feel culturally integrated, you have to make those choices yourself and seek it out specifically. For me, this looked like working at Studenterhuset, an amazing student cafe that you can volunteer with. Through Studenterhuset, I was able to meet and get to know non-americans, but many DIS students don't really leave the bubble. DIS also offers homestays and a local host program, which I did not participate in, but heard good things about! Integration is possible, but might be challenging if you don't go out of your way to do it.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

Denmark has a welfare/universal healthcare system and we were all issued a public health ID number by the second month of the program. While I never had to go to the doctor, it was generally very easy to access and my friends were able to get medications for UTIs and other similar short-term health conditions. No extra vaccines, and DIS is super helpful with any health things that you encounter.

Copenhagen is safe, clean, and efficient. There is a robust public transit system that DIS will provide you with a commuter pass for and I always felt in control and safe anywhere in the city.

DIS was the perfect program for me. I am a biochemistry major who wanted to take a break from the intensive Wellesley STEM environment and spend time learning about the world and myself. DIS provided great opportunities for me to learn in Copenhagen and had enough academic wiggle room to travel multiple times a month. I had so many great experiences in and out of the program and had tons of fun! It was a perfect pause/side project, and now I'm ready to return to Wellesley and get back into intense classes.

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

Eating and going out in Copenhagen is expensive and traveling elsewhere is expensive. If you aren't traveling frequently and make the most of affordable groceries and your grocery stipend, it is absolutely possible to be on a student budget. However, if you are spending weekends traveling, eating out frequently, or going out frequently, it adds up very quickly.

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