Safe city to explore new things Past Review

By (Environmental Studies., Wellesley College) - abroad from 08/17/2014 to 12/14/2014 with

DIS Copenhagen: Semester

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
1) I learned that my personal well being should be a high priority in my life. 2) Enforcing top-down policies is effective for city strategies. 3) Big isn't always better. Study abroad was super worthwhile! I respect the city and the people so much. I am trying so hard to go back

Review Photos

DIS - Danish Institute for Study Abroad: Copenhagen - Various Programs Photo DIS - Danish Institute for Study Abroad: Copenhagen - Various Programs Photo DIS - Danish Institute for Study Abroad: Copenhagen - Various Programs Photo DIS - Danish Institute for Study Abroad: Copenhagen - Various Programs Photo DIS - Danish Institute for Study Abroad: Copenhagen - Various Programs Photo

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? 6 months+

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

I loved what I learned. The content and professors were amazing. Not only were they professionals but also practitioners, so they knew the Urban Design working world. The average courses were not as intense as Wellesley College, but the studio courses definitely challenged me.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

DIS has existed since the 60s, so it was very well-established. The administration is very organized and truly care about the students. I was babied during orientation, and they are always there to help during the semester. Everything ran smoothly.

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

I selected a kollegium, which I loved! I lived in a hall with 2 DIS students, 10 Danes, and 1 Norwegian. We had a great time chatting with one another during dinner time, and even held a few events. I was a 15 min bike ride from DIS, so it was a great way to get to school. The kitchen was beautiful and well-stocked, so learning to cook for myself was a breeze. My only complaint is that they had no wifi initially.

* Food:

I had to cook for myself, but I enjoyed it very much. It was alright, but good enough for 5 stars.

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

I had a visiting family, buddy network, lived with Danes, and took Danish Language and Culture. I had abundant resources if I ever had questions about the language or culture. I met with my visiting family 5 times, and was even invited to a birthday party. I had many great conversations with my visiting mom, and played games with my visiting brother. The Buddy Network was also extremely awesome. It was a great way to meet Danes who were excited to meet Americans, so it provided a nice building block for friendships. We would go bowling, have parties, and Christmas dinners. The Danes in my hallway were also very friendly and willing to hang out. In my Danish course, we would conduct deeper analysis and comparisons between Danish and American culture. I read interesting articles that shed light to the Danish way of life, such as the campfire mentality and Janteloven.

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

I never had the need to go in for a check-up, but DIS did a great job at organizing our CPR number to receive health check-ups.

* Safety:

SO safe! I never felt in danger. In most cities at night, I try to avoid eye contact with males, but in Copenhagen, I felt completely safe and was not afraid to walk along; however, this is usually in the city centre. Motor traffic was also controlled, so biking was super easy.

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)

Copenhagen is an expensive city, but it is not hard to find cheaper things to do.

Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? Less than $60
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? I budgeted pretty smartly. DIS provided at $600 grocery card, and I used that till the very end. I rarely went out to eat, around 5-6 times, and never got coffee. I also did not drink a lot, but I did go out a lot. That saves a lot of money. If I wanted to travel, I had a 2 zone transportation pass and used my bike. I bought clothes and shoes at awesome flea markets. Copenhagen also has a lot of free events, which were the main ones I attended. DIS also hosts a lot of free events, which are really fun.

Language

* Did your program have a foreign language component? Yes
How much did the program encourage you to use the language?

0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language

Apart from Danish class, it was clear the program did not expect us to speak Danish.

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? None
How many hours per day did you use the language?
Do you have any tips/advice on the best ways to practice the language for future study abroad participants? Meet Danes and ask them to help you! Download apps to help you. Try reading the newspaper. Listen and watch Danish TV. Practice when shopping.

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Other
* Who did you live with?

Select all that apply

  • Local Students
  • Americans
  • International Students
* 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?
  • The level of organization within DIS
  • The academic set-up that provided students plenty of time to travel
  • My professor who spent time to talk with me about my career
* What could be improved?
  • The academic rigor
  • Suggesting non-touristy things to do
  • The printers
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? If making Danish friends was my priority, then a folkehojskole may have been better.

Reasons For Studying Abroad

To help future students find programs attended by like-minded individuals, please choose the profile that most closely represents you.
The Academic or Linguist
You went abroad with specific academic goals in mind; the program credentials and rigor of your coursework abroad were very important to you. You had a great time abroad, but never lost sight of your studies and (if applicable) were diligent with your foreign language study. Good for you!

Individual Course Reviews

Course Name/Rating:

Strategies of Urban Livability

Course Department: Architecture and Design
Instructor: Biance Hermansen and Kate DeSantis
Instruction Language: English
Comments: I loved the field studies! Almost every other class we had a field study to different parts of the city. We explored the potato row housing, bike infrastructure, public buildings in Amager, H.C. Anderson and Stroget street, city exercise and parkour, and the Bo01 housing complexes in Malmo. The class was fantastic. The teachers were also phenomenal. Bianca was energetic and engaging for every class. She knew her content. Kate was interactive and organized. She was very helpful with questions. The flow of the course of slowed down around the end, but overall it was well-paced. The challenging part of the course was figuring out which data to collect and organize when writing up an analysis. I always recieved a feedback with external comments about what I could improve and what I did well on. I appreciated the feedback and could apply it to my next paper. I think I participated about the same in my home university, perhaps a bit more here.
Credit Transfer Issues: I had issue because at Wellesley 1 class = 4 credits, whereas at DIS, 1 class = 3 credits. I would suggest taking another course related to sustainable urban design, and you may be able to combine them to count as 1 course.