Denmark--A Home Away From Home Past Review

By A student (Communications Studies-Human Relations, The University of Texas at Austin) - abroad from 05/23/2012 to 07/06/2012 with

DIS Summer in Scandinavia

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?

I learned a lot about the Danish culture and gained so many amazing friendships from other DIS students. It was more than worthwhile, and I will definitely miss Denmark more than I ever could imagine.

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program?	0-2 weeks

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.	It truly varies on what classes you take. My first class had a lot of work, but we did not get much out of it. My second class had an insane amount of work that I did everything asked of me, yet I got a grade I did not deserve since it was all based on the teacher's feelings at the time (which made it feel more intense).
* Host Country Program Administration On-site administration of your program
* Housing: How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?	Housing was great, but it was not the most convenient thing to be located 20 minutes of a bus ride away. However, there is housing that is right beside DIS, so the rating should not suffer because of my particular location. Yet, we probably did not have internet on a sporadic basis equally to ~3 weeks; this was a major inconvenience.
* Food:
* Social & Cultural Integration: How integrated did you feel with the local culture?	You truly are thrown into the culture. Thus, you definitely adapt easily. This rating is not to reflect the acceptance of the Danes though; we met a lot that were very rude to us. We found that they are introverted and have different style of doing things, you will learn this and adjust accordingly quick.
* Health Care: How well were health issues addressed during the program?	I found that DIS does not give you a health insurance card (even though we pay for it). Yet they do give you a list of doctors, but without this card you have to pay ~$40-50 fee. So, even though I ruptured my eardrum, I chose to not go to a doctor and have no first hand experience with the health staff there.
* Safety:	They are based on a trust system, so it is an extremely safe environment.
If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program?	Yes

Finances

* 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)	Given the high value of their currency, it was very expensive for daily things.
* Was housing included in your program cost?	Yes
* Was food included in your program cost?	No
Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week?	$100-$150
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants?	Learn to love their tap water--sodas were around $4. Also, learn to cook things that can be made from the same grocery basics (i.e. grilled cheese, quesadillas, noodles, mac-n-cheese, etc.). Most importantly, when you go out only bring a set amount of money with you so you do not go crazy with the currency that feels like "monopoly" money.

Language

* Did your program have a foreign language component?	No

Other Program Information

* Where did you live? Select all that apply	Dorm
* Who did you live with? Select all that apply	Americans
* Who did you take classes with? Select all that apply	Americans
About how many local friends did you make that you will likely keep in touch with?

A Look Back

* What did you like most about the program?	Being in the city (to where we could get firsthand experience with the culture. Being with/meeting a lot of other Americans.
* What could be improved?	More fairness among classes My specific study tour More organization from DIS
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program?	Not anything that I can think of. I'm sure I initially had some things in mind, but you learn things along the way on your own.

Individual Course Reviews

Course Name/Rating:	Positive Psychology
Course Department:	Psychology
Instructor:	Gitte Vonsild
Instruction Language:	English (but she has a Danish accent)
Comments:	This course was not challenging. There was a very high amount of readings that seemed unreasonable, but we soon learned they were not mandatory. We made use of the location as far as observations go, but the true field trip was not really relevant (we toured parliament). The teacher was extremely knowledgeable and prepared. She focused on the students doing group work and discussing things as a class; this encouraged me to participate even more than I normally do at UT. It was an interesting class, but do not expect to get too much out of it besides theories and life-coaching materials.
Credit Transfer Issues:	Had no issues thus far.

Course Name/Rating:	Psychology of Human Sexuality
Course Department:
Instructor:	Marie Larsen-Helwig
Instruction Language:	English
Comments:	This course consisted of a high amount of work (as stated by nearly all the students). Yet, the subject matter was interesting, and the teacher was very knowledgeable. She was prepared, yet we had a few instances where we were held over in class at least 15-30minutes. The field trips were relevant, but the study tour definitely has room for improvement. Since I typically participate in class, I feel as if I participated the same.
Credit Transfer Issues: