I lived in Europe February 13, 2024
By A student (Economics, Wellesley College) - abroad from 08/19/2023 to 12/16/2023 with
DIS Copenhagen: Semester
I learned how to live independently abroad and visited a ton of Europe, so that was great!
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 6 months+ |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
The classes are super easy. You don't need to do much work at all. If you want to learn a lot, this is not the program for you. But if you want to take a chill semester off to explore Europe, this program is great! |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
They hold your hand through the entire program. You couldn't mess up your immigration process if you tried. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I lived in an apartment with Danes, which was great, but if you're LGBTQ+, I would mention it in your housing application so you don't end up in an apartment of straight people like I did. |
| * Food: |
Stipend is enough to cover a few months but doesn't totally pay for all your food. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
I lived in an apartment with Danes, but if I hadn't I would not have met many Danes. Sign up for a volunteer host family if you want to meet Danish people! |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
I got COVID and DIS was like "damn. that sucks. good luck!" I didn't need medical attention, but the medical care system is not super fast from what I heard. |
| * Safety: |
I went on long walks at night by myself as a single woman and I felt completely safe. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
No
I'd have liked an experience that was a bit more academically rigorous, and also there were SO MANY sorority girls in this program, it was such a weird vibe. |
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) |
If you're careful with your budget, you can get by with relatively little spending. I think I spent about twice what I normally spend at my home uni, which is not that much. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | 100 |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Cook your own meals! |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
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How much did the program encourage you to use the language?
0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language |
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| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | None |
| How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? | Beginner |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | 300 |
| How many hours per day did you use the language? | 0 |
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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| About how many local friends did you make that you will likely keep in touch with? | 0 |
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? | There are a lot of girls who come with their group of sorority friends from their home universities, which is fine (good for them!) but it makes it a bit harder if you're coming without friends from your university. |
