Study Abroad in Denmark: The Only Sustainable Option! Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

The teaching at the Technical University of Denmark is very different than the education at RPI. It is more model based than theory based. RPI's ultimate goal is produce students who will be able to use the fundamentals and the theory to solve solutions with innovative designs and never before seen technology. DTU focuses much of their energy on teaching their students how to use the computer programs (such as ICAS, MATLAB, etc)and computer modeling programs already used being used in industry. In order to do this, much of the theory has to be skipped over. This doesn't allow students to understand the material fundamentally, but it sure makes them more prepared for the industry. DTU likes their students to spend time analyzing results and coming up with explanations for phenomena whereas RPI likes their students to spend time getting correct results already knowing the explanation for many phenomena. While over their, I came to one conclusion that many of my American friends came to agree with. We all agreed that is it very hard to fail there, however, it is just as hard to do well. DTU grades on a scale from -3 to 12 (-3, 0, 2, 4, 7, 10, and 12). A 2 is passing and that is equivalent roughly a 54%. Also, there is no such thing as scaling over there. If you got a 57 and the highest grades is a 78, then you still get a 4 and the person who got a 78 still gets a 7. So in that respect, school over at DTU is harder. I was overall satisfied with my education.

On-site administration of your program

They were extremely helpful. There is a week of orientation before hand which I thought was going to be a bust. But it was actually a highlight of my semester.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

DTU provided RPI students with housing in their student dorm called Kampsax Kollegium. This was a fantastic experience. I got to live with 12 other Danes and it really helped me their their culture and life as a true Dane!

Denmark, as well as Europe, has very fresh fruits and vegetables. Europe, unlike America, grows fruits and vegetables that is only in season and therefore not all fruits and vegetables are available all year round like in America. One has to get used to that. DTU does not offer any sort of meal plan so one has to cook for themselves. This was an amazing learning experience. I learnt not only how to cook, but also to cook with the seasons. Therefore my cooking was more ecofriendly and sustainable.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

Danish people love to party and they are great people to party with. Their English is amazing so you can socialize just like you are home.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost)

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• Dorm

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• Local Students