Past Review
By Dean P (Asian American Studies, The University of Texas at Austin) for
DIS Summer in Scandinavia
I have an interest in international comparative medical education so seeing how Danish medicine differed from American medicine was great, from the actual practice of medicine all the way to governmental political structures and policy in place. Not only have I become more aware globally but even within the US because American students came from all over, though typically from the Northeast and Midwest. Different students have different perspectives and definitely varying linguistic preferences. If I could do it again, I would because it reinforced my initial desire to become a medical professional.
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. |
Lots of reading but instructors told us from the beginning to not memorize every detail - it's impossible and unnecessary. Grading scale is letter grade A-F. Used Power Point Presentations, very interactive, much more so than classes at UT. Lots of group work and collaboration. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Very friendly, helpful, efficient staff, both in Copenhagen and the North American Office in Minnesota. Mary Malone is AMAZING. Both she and Sara Spiegler at UT Study Abroad Office guided me through each step of the process and alleviated any concerns I had. I couldn't have done this program without them!! |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
DIS Shared Housing - Tasingegade. <br /><br /> Loved my housing. My room happened to be very clean. The other American students on the floor made the housing great. We all socialized in the common room and became fast friends, cooking dinners together, hanging out in various units, watching TV and movies. Very safe place but far from inner city. You had to be mentally prepared to party because waiting for a bus took about 20 min., the ride took another 10-20 min. and you had to walk another 10 min. And going back home was even trickier! Tasingegade was probably the furthest housing away from the inner city. Since my first class was in a hospital, we had to walk 10 min to get to the train station at Svanemollen, take it to Norreport which took 10 min, switch trains to go from Norreport to Amager Strand which took another 10-15 min and then we had to walk about 10 min to get to Amager Hospital. |
| * Food: |
Can't be too picky with food if you're the one cooking it. Nice restaurants in the inner city and we had an Indian-Italian restaurant (Campini's?) right by our housing so we could order fries, nuggets, pizza, etc. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Scavenger Hunt at the beginning of the summer was where I probably took the most pictures. The Round Tower was great because it offered a new sight on the city. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
Denmark is very safe and extremely clean. Just know where your belongings are at all times, especially bus passes. If they conduct a search on the train and you don't have it, you get fined and if you don't pay it, the fine gets attached to your passport number, follows you back to the US and it doubles. RAs in housing should be able to drive you to a hospital in cases of emergency. You're reimbursed for everything since insurance is included in the fees. Several people were sick for various reasons but were able to see a physician and receive medication without any problems. |
| 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? | I brought my own shampoo, body wash, loofah, toothpaste, toothbrush and towels. They only give you one which is certainly not enough for me so I'm glad I was able to bring three of my own. Costs of movie tickets are based on how long the movie is - I paid $20 to watch Sex & the City 2. Try to minimize eating out and drinking alcohol even though $1 USD = ~$6 DKK... it adds up very quickly. |
Language
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | None |
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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A Look Back
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | Be prepared to be independent. Don't freak out if things don't go as planned - run with it. Use common sense. You're in a different country where you most likely do not understand Danish so be aware of your surroundings even if it is a very safe city. |
Individual Course Reviews
| Course Name/Rating: |
Human Health & Disease: A Clinical Approach |
| Course Department: | BIO 329S |
| Instructor: | Jens Rasmussen, Johannes Rasmussen |
| Instruction Language: | English |
| Comments: | Class very fast-paced because it's jam-packed into three weeks. Very organized class, location at Amager Hospital. Variable class times: some days you meet 9-1, some days you meet 2-5. Very hands on: you get to see patients and interview them and write up clinical case reviews; you have theoretical case reviews in which you work with other students to figure out potential differential diagnoses and possible treatments to administer and present it to the class; two tests and a final. Not multiple choice, all short answer but straightforward - they do not have any trick questions. Class taught by two medical doctors and one med students - they alternate based on who is on-call since they're also working. Class has 20 students so it's small enough to build relationships with others. Instructors very patient, humorous, laid-back and interested in well-being and progress of students and are available to assist in any way. Study your in Stockholm, Sweden was a nice a change from Danish weather. We were able to see orthopedic and gastroenterological procedures in a sports clinic and hospital, respectively. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: |
| Course Name/Rating: |
Healthcare in Northern Europe |
| Course Department: | HED 352K |
| Instructor: | Jeppe Sørensen, Andreas Daugaard Jørgensen, Jakob Hansen |
| Instruction Language: | English |
| Comments: | Course has lots of reading and students are expected to remember the details in during lecture. Again, lots of group work which can be bad and good. Three instructors alternate teaching the course. Some instructors explain difficulty concepts in more coherent fashion so it's easier to understand while others lecture in a circuitous way. There are BlackBoard assignments that you have to post the day before class based on readings assigned for the night. There is one final, all essay questions. Study tour in London was a nice change of pace because it's much more crowded and tourist-y... and in ENGLISH. |
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