A perfectly organized program that suffered from things out of its control. August 27, 2025
By Mara S (Philosophy, Wellesley College) - abroad from 01/10/2025 to 05/10/2025 with
DIS Copenhagen: Semester
Because of its size, I had a lot of freedom to do what I wanted. No one was checking in on me. No one was making sure I ate, nor telling me I couldn't go to a different country on a Tuesday. If you take advantage of that, you can learn a lot about yourself and put yourself in new positions. It was definitely worthwhile.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 1 month - 6 months |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
-DIS classes are not particularly hard, but my professors were very good. Seems to vary highly since the program is so big. - I could take classes at KU which were significantly harder/ "higher quality" |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Well organized. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Varied a lot, but I had a dorm/apartment in a great location with great facilities. |
| * Food: |
You're on your own for food- they give a stipend, which can go surprisingly far because cph groceries aren't that expensive. I don't love cooking, and takeout is super expensive, hence the 3 stars. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
DIS is a big presence is CPH, and danes are kind but not necessarily open. DIS definitely felt like its own island, with bars and restaurants that only DIS students went to. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
Amazing- a little bit putsy but price and quality of care was great. |
| * Safety: |
I could walk home alone at 3am across the city as a woman and feel 100% confident nothing would happen to me. Safest place i've ever lived. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
No
I would choose a smaller program/ one integrated into a local university. I had a great time still, but I think something else would have been a better fit for me. |
Finances
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* Money: How easily were you able to live on a student's budget?
(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost) |
Varies greatly. You're on your own for food, but you can stretch the stipend very far if you're careful. I know people who did the entire semester on the stipend. I know other people who blew it in the first few weeks. If you eat out at all, or buy coffee, you will spend a lot of money. Cph food/coffee is super pricey. DIS also covers transit if you live far enough ( most people get the card covered). Museums and nightlife are both costly, but obviously optional. You can have a good time on very little money, or spend thousands of dollars. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | $100 |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | No |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
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* Who did you live with?
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* Who did you take classes with?
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| About how many local friends did you make that you will likely keep in touch with? | 0 |
A Look Back
| * What did you like most about the program? |
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| * What could be improved? |
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| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | I really struggled to find friends in this program. Lots of people came in large groups from their home university, and didn't go out of their way to make friends with other students or locals. It felt quite clique-y and rich often. People in my classes were traveling to a different country every weekend with large groups of close friends. Everyone seemed to go to the same bar for "american night" every week, and it felt kind of like a frat party. DIS tries to control this via Core Courses, but those groups still seemed to separate into stark social groups. None of these things are inherently bad, and the program itself did not control any of these factors. The program was super well organized, and tried to host social events, etc. Just no one went. If this doesn't sound like your cup of tea, consider a) a smaller program or b) a program integrated into a local university. |
Reasons For Studying Abroad
| To help future students find programs attended by like-minded individuals, please choose the profile that most closely represents you. |
The Outright UrbaniteA social butterfly, you're happiest in bustling cities with hip people, and took advantage of all it had to offer. You enjoyed the nightlife, and had fun going out dancing, and socializing with friends. Fun-loving and dressed to the nines, you enjoyed discovering new restaurants, shops, cafes, and bars in your host country. |
