Abroad101: Study Abroad Reviews

amazing Past Review

By (Economics., Middlebury College) - abroad from 08/19/2013 to 12/14/2013 with

DIS Copenhagen: Semester

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
A larger cultural perspective and independence. It was definitely worthwhile.

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? 1 month - 6 months

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

Really good location, I was less than a 10-minute bike ride to school and lived very close to Nørreport. My personal room was very spacious but the common rooms were lacking.

* Food:

Most of the food I cooked myself. I was able to make my stipend last for the entire semester but there was a period where I would just buy my groceries at the local market (Torvehallerne) instead of at the markets listed on my card.

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

Integration and cultural awareness came mostly from having a visiting family (which I loved), taking the Danish language and culture course, and having a bike.

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

I didn't really have any experience with the healthcare while at DIS

* Safety:

Except for hearing about people getting their wallets or phones stolen (usually because they weren't thinking and just left their stuff on the table), I thought Copenhagen was a very safe city. Personally, I didn't have any problems. You just have to remember that you're in the city and to use common sense.

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 in general is a very expensive city but most of my money was spent on food and traveling.

Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? $50
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? Be smart and track your payments

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

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? 0
Do you have any tips/advice on the best ways to practice the language for future study abroad participants? practice with friends and classmates because most people in the city know English and don't really have the patience to wait for a student struggling through a Danish sentence

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Dorm
* Who did you live with?

Select all that apply

  • Americans
* 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?
  • ability to travel
  • field studies
  • visiting family
* What could be improved?
  • tour around copenhagen
  • list of some of activities to do
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? make sure I have a lot of the basic necessities because it was expensive buying it there.

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:

Positive Psychology
Course Department: Psychology
Instructor: Gitte Vonsild
Instruction Language: English
Comments: This was my core course, so I got to spend a lot of time with my classmates on field trips and during the long study break, which was great. Gitte was a good teacher and tried to vary the ways in which we were taught. We were assessed mainly though papers and presentations.
Credit Transfer Issues:
Course Name/Rating:

Behavioral Economics: A European Case Study
Course Department: Economics
Instructor: Toke Fosgaard and Jimmy Martinez-Correa
Instruction Language: English
Comments: I thought the concepts that we were learning were very interesting but lectures were pretty dry and the class was 3 hours long, so it was difficult to stay awake and be focused. We did several experiments in class which I thought were helpful. We were mainly assessed through exams and projects.
Credit Transfer Issues:
Course Name/Rating:

European Storytelling: From Homer to Harry Potter
Course Department: Literature
Instructor: Bettina Sejbjerg Sommer
Instruction Language: English
Comments: The class was interesting and Bettina was very passionate about the subjects. There were several quizzes on the readings but were fairly easy.
Credit Transfer Issues:
Course Name/Rating:

Environmental Economics and Policy Analysis
Course Department: Economics
Instructor: Piret Liv Stern Dahl
Instruction Language: English
Comments: I thought the teacher was not very effective at communicating the material and the class lectures were fairly dry and based off of powerpoints that would be given to you. We were assessed through exams and homework that were fairly challenging.
Credit Transfer Issues:
Course Name/Rating:

Danish Language and Culture
Course Department: Danish
Instructor: Christina Knudsen
Instruction Language: English/Danish
Comments: Christina was very friendly and helpful. The class trips were also all very interesting and I thought all of the material was relevant and useful. We had an oral exam and a written exam as well as a presentation but we were pretty prepared for all of them.
Credit Transfer Issues: