Denmark Wasn't Really For Me Past Review
By Balyssa B (Biological Chemistry, Grinnell College) for
DIS Copenhagen: Semester
I'm glad I went, but I wouldn't want to go back, at least not for an extended period of time.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 0-2 weeks |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
The program thought it was academically competitive but it was not. They put a lot more emphasis on memorization than concept knowledge, which I found very frustrating. The workload was perfectly managable, it was just a lot of busy work and time spent memorizing facts. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The program wasn't that well organized and was overall underwhelming. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I was living with a young, unmarried couple and it was kind of uncomfortable because I felt like the "third wheel" in my own home. It wasn't as close as I would have liked it to be, but such is the nature of a big city. I was treated well, just not like I belonged. |
| * Food: |
The food was fine, everything is pretty expensive and I hated the bread, but I survived. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Trips were really fun, I liked that the program incorporated travel into the curriculum. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
No issues. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
No
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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) |
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Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| Language acquisition improvement? |
Everyone was capable of speaking English, so if I had more than a 2 sentence exchange with another person we just spoke English, so I knew only enough Danish to order food and make minimal small talk. |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you live with?
Select all that apply |
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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? | Maybe it's because I'm a small town girl and being in a big city full of people speaking another language freaked me out, but I wasn't a huge fan. It can be lonely unless you are very extroverted. |
