Past Review
By Danielle D (Neurobiology and Neurosciences., The College of William and Mary) for
DIS Summer in Scandinavia
Being a part of DIS has fortified my decision to pursue medicine, but with a different twist. Rather than continue straight to medical school, I would like to gain more international experience in the field of health sciences and pursue a Masters degree at the University of Copenhagen. My cultural awareness has definitely increased as well, as it would for any observant student, and I have made social connections that I will benefit from for a lifetime.
Personal Information
| If you took classes at multiple universities, list those universities here: | University of Copenhagen |
| 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. |
very hands-on practical workload; grading system very fair; teaching is very open and friendly - they care less about GPA and more about actual learning. Easy to be interested and do really well. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The administration was very organized, available and helpful. They were a mixture of Danes and Americans familiar with each education system and who offered many support services. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
DIS has many housing options, and I chose the DIS apartments due to location. No Danish integration really occurs here, but I was able to get that in daily activities. All housing items were provided by DIS, including textbooks for classes. Copenhagen is an extremely safe city, and the apartment where I lived was quaint. |
| * Food: |
The housing option that I chose forced me to become better at preparing my own food, a nice tool for the real world. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
The administration was very much in tune with helping students through health issues. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
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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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| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Copenhagen is currently one of the most expensive countries in Europe, and coming from a low-income family, I had to rely on scholarships. Plan out certain items of interest that you want to buy, including gifts for friends and family back home, and give yourself an allowance each week. I took out cash from an ATM twice a month (to reduce foreign transaction fees) and budgeted myself accordingly. If I ran out of money before my next withdrawal.... well, I forced myself to make more conservative financial choices. |
Language
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | None |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | none |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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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 do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | Don't feel obligated to go to the most popular study abroad destinations. Choose a program based off of your academic and travel interests and remember that your experiences are what you make of it. Denmark is an amazing country, full of history, wonderful people, up and coming technology, and exciting culture. Especially for pre-meds, the Medical Practice and Policy program can really cement or change your decision to pursure a career in medicine - want to draw blood from real patients? Want to witness surgeries firsthand? Not interested in medicine? Check out all the other programs DIS has to offer! DIS has some of the most exciting and colorful study abroad programs that I've researched yet. |
