If you want to spend a semester frolicking around Europe... DO IT! Past Review

By (Political Science and Government., Middlebury College) - abroad from 08/16/2014 to 12/13/2014 with

DIS Copenhagen: Semester

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
How to live on your own, without "Club Midd." Worthwhile for the traveling outside of Denmark alone. Of course, Denmark was pretty great too. It was very easy and enjoyable to live there.

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.

Not Middlebury, but not a total waste of time

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

Exceedingly well organized!

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

* Food:

Expensive, but so yummy! Cooked a lot on my own, but CPH has great restaurants

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

The Danish healthcare system has it's issues, being socialized. Again though, not a total disaster

* Safety:

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? I didn't keep track, but probably around $150
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? Buy food as you need it

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

Middlebury made me do it, so I'm not sure what the program had to say about it.

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? In Danish? None. In French, a few years
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? Not really. It's really hard, since everyone speaks perfect English and doesn't want to listen to you struggle. Plus, struggling through it is embarrassing.

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Apartment
* 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?
  • Travel time
  • Living in CPH
* What could be improved?
  • Expenses?
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? It's big! There are about 1500 American students at the school!

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 Outright Urbanite
A social butterfly, you're happiest in bustling cities with hip people, and took advantage of all it had to offer. You enjoyed the nightlife, and had fun going out dancing, and socializing with friends. Fun-loving and dressed to the nines, you enjoyed discovering new restaurants, shops, cafes, and bars in your host country.

Individual Course Reviews

Course Name/Rating:

History of Sexuality in Europe

Course Department: Gender Studies
Instructor: Shield
Instruction Language: English
Comments: Not hard, not very interesting, not very informative. The professor was too young to know what he was doing and often said things that were blatantly false.
Credit Transfer Issues:
Course Name/Rating:

Economics of Crime

Course Department: Economics
Instructor: Sorensen
Instruction Language: English
Comments: Not that hard, but very informative. Excellent, truly excellent, professor.
Credit Transfer Issues:
Course Name/Rating:

Global Economics

Course Department: Economics
Instructor: Sorensen
Instruction Language: English
Comments: Not that hard, or that interesting. Not bad though, and the trip to Moscow was great and full of good opportunities
Credit Transfer Issues:
Course Name/Rating:

Danish

Course Department: Danish
Instructor: Jungersen
Instruction Language: English
Comments: Hard, but so worthwhile!
Credit Transfer Issues:
Course Name/Rating:

International Law

Course Department: Politics
Instructor: Martin
Instruction Language: English
Comments: Very interesting, but co-taught. One professor was great and quite important in the international whaling circles (this is not a joke). The other was hard to understand since her English wasn't great, so it really depended on the day whether we learned anything
Credit Transfer Issues: