WONDERFUL for hands-on learning of architecture and urbanism Past Review

By (Architecture, Tulane University) for

DIS Copenhagen: Semester

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
Yes, definitely worthwhile - good life experience.

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? 2 weeks - 1 month

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

Studio classes were set up differently - several smaller projects rather than one large project, so that was a little strange to adapt to. The academic study trips (to western Denmark and other Scandinavia/Northern European countries) were WONDERFUL for hands-on learning of architecture and urbanism.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

I think I would have given a 4.5/5 if I could ... DIS is very well-organized and definitely has the academic and social well-being of its students in mind during all parts of the program. The classes and trips work well together, and I definitely learned a lot about architecture, Denmark and myself by completing the program.

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

Danish people are kind of hard to get to know ... so it was interesting living with them, but I didn't become very good friends with the people who I was living with.

* Food:

Denmark is very expensive, so I almost never ate out. Grocery shopping and cooking for myself was the only feasible option. My friends and I would get together to cook, and that was fun.

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

Travel/field trips were wonderful, living in a foreign country was exciting, everything was great. HIGHLY recommended - especially since Denmark is not very touristy, unlike many places that Americans study abroad.

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

* Safety:

Denmark is very safe and DIS always backed this up.

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)

Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? Denmark is expensive; I purposely didn't add up my expenses abroad because I didn't want to know what I eventually ended up spending. The expensive lifestyle was definitely one of the worse parts of being abroad.
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? Grocery shop and pack a lunch every day; buy beer from the grocery store and enjoy it outside in a park rather than going to a bar.

Language

* Did your program have a foreign language component? Yes
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?

Language acquisition improvement?

I took a Danish class for one out of two semesters abroad - since English is spoken fluently by almost everyone in Denmark, there wasn't much motivation to learn Danish.

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Host Family
  • Dorm
* Who did you live with?

Select all that apply

  • Local Students
  • Host Family
* Who did you take classes with?

Select all that apply

  • Americans

A Look Back

* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? Most all students, except ones that need to always be surrounded by people who they know already - I was the only Tulane student who attended in the year I was there (which I think was a very good thing, but some people wouldn't like that).

Individual Course Reviews

Course Name/Rating:

Women, Art & Identity

Course Department: European Politics and Society
Instructor: Andrea Homann
Instruction Language: English
Comments: A wonderful class!! Great instructor, interesting material, appropriate workload.
Credit Transfer Issues: I'm not sure yet if I had issues with transfer credit.