A Copenhagen Immersion Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

The neuroscience program at DIS provided me with many different perspectives on how to apply what was learned inside the classroom. I traveled to Sweden and Germany with my study program to gain insight on the research, clinical, and pharmaceutical aspects of neuroscience. The instructors were always very approachable and passionate about the subject.

On-site administration of your program

There is no "campus" per se; the program is housed in a couple of buildings, and, consequently, Copenhagen becomes your campus. The facilities consist of several lounges, computer labs, a library, classrooms, and offices. You could always find a place to hang out with friends or buckle down and study. And you could always take a break to walk around "campus" :)

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

I stayed with a host family in a suburb approximately 40 minutes from Copenhagen by train. I cannot emphasize enough how much I LOVED IT! Although my commute was approximately an hour (sometimes longer due to problems with the train, grr), it was wonderful to get to see another part of Denmark and to have a family unit to talk about my experiences everyday. I was reluctant at first to choose the homestay living option because I thought that staying with a host family would restrain my independence. However, that turned out to be a false fear. The long transportation time did limit when I could get into the city, but I never once felt restrained with regards to going out. There were always places to hang out in my homestay community. One of the only cons was that it was more difficult to meet other DIS students because of the location. I found that the way to overcome this was to make an effort to get to know the people living in your homestay community and to branch off from there.

One of the wonderful perks of living in a homestay is that you have a family unit with which you can eat dinner! It was nice to have home-cooked meals to come home to after a long day of classes :)

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

One of my goals while abroad was to immerse myself in the Danish culture, and staying in a homestay helped with that tremendously. As a part of a family unit, I was able to have conversations about culture over dinner and even meet my host family's friends and family!

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

Since Denmark has universal healthcare, after about a month into the program you are provided with those benefits. Thankfully, I never had to use them. But it's wonderful to have.

Very safe.

(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost)

Copenhagen is a very expensive city. That being said, living with a host family allows you to save money on most meals because you can eat with your host family, and on transportation because you are provided with a train pass to get in and out of the city if your host family doesn't live in Copenhagen.

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

Language use was mostly encouraged in the classroom. The course didn't really prepare me to use the language in an outside setting.

Select all that apply

• Host Family

Select all that apply

• Host Family

Select all that apply

• Local Students
• Americans

• Staying with a host family
• The Neuroscience study tours to Sweden and Germany
• Going to Venice(!!!) with one of my classes

• The structure of the Danish language class - to allow for more chances to practice outside of the classroom
• Meeting other students in the homestay network
• This might be difficult to change because of how the academic system is structured in Denmark, but increasing professor availability. None of my professors had office hours.

The Nearly Native or Trail Blazer