Your experience is what you make it, and mine was incredible Past Review

By (The College of Wooster) - abroad from 01/16/2016 to 05/17/2016 with

DIS Copenhagen: Semester

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
You learn how to be alone. You learn how to embrace being uncomfortable. You learn how to enjoy life, and see that there is so much more to the world than what you are accustomed to. It was definitely worth while. If a student can go abroad, there is no reason besides fear itself why they shouldn't go.

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.

I wasn't the fondest of how classes were paced at DIS. They went to are you kidding me? This is a college course? To oh my god this is way too much work all at once. There was a lot of overlapping in assignments, and a lot more assignments that had longer term due dates.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

DIS does not give students enough notice when they are about to travel or go anywhere. We were given emails often times 1 or 2 days before were were traveling internationally.

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

I have no complaints about my family, I loved them dearly. I just did not like being so far away from Copenhagen and having such a long commute. And there were students who had longer commutes than me. That just is not right, or fare. Sure we get a Danish experience, but we did not experience Copenhagen the same way.

* Food:

Danish food is pretty bland. I enjoyed my host mother's cooking. But Denmark just did not no how to season its food. Good freshness though with every product I received.

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

Danes don't engage much with foreigners. And when they do, they are often very closed off. it was incredibly difficult to make Danish friends, which we were repeated told that we needed to do. I liked living in a different country, and I feel that I was able to get a little more of a cultural experience out of it than if I had gone to London, but emersion, in 4 months, is very difficult.

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

I had no health issues. But I also was never given a CPR card because DIS messed up at immigration, which was extremely unprofessional.

* Safety:

Im from New York. This place is very VERY safe..

If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? Yes

The program is fantastic. I would have never ever gone to Scandinavia if I hadn't chose DIS. I wish there was a little less Americanness though. it seemed at times too polished.

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)

I was able to budget myself easier because I had dinner at night with my host family. But copenhagen is very expensive.

Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? maybe $50-60
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? Limit the amount of times that you go out for lunch/dinner. Learn to cook and take lunch. Realize that kroner are based on the pound. 10 kroner is 1 pound, which when I was there was $1.50.

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

The program, like the class I took, encouraged me a lot to use Danish. No where else in the country did. I didn't need to, pretty much every Dane speaks better english than you will 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? College requirement of Spanish
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? Just do it. Find a danish friend that is willing to work with you on the language itself and not conversation. Meaning, they won't try and just speak to you in english. my advice to any new DIS student is that unless you like language courses do not take Danish. It is a real pain. the language section was like pulling teeth.

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Host Family
* Who did you live with?

Select all that apply

  • Host Family
* 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 trips
  • The professors
* What could be improved?
  • Communication with the students from the organization itself
  • Pacing of classes and course loads
  • distances from the city
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? Denmark is very cold during the winter. Denmark does not heat up as fast as the US does You will not make as many friends if you live in a homestay You are going to have a bad vacation, and you are going to have bad days There are going to be times were you genuinely feel and are alone, they pass Some people are just going to suck on your program, don't feel bad for not talking to them, so it goes

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 Avid Adventurer
The wardrobe you packed was better suited for a semester of camping than club hopping. Outdoorsy, you might forgo a crazy night out for an early all-day adventure. You'd rather take in the rich culture of an old town than the metropolis of a modern city, but for you getting off the grid is ideal.

Individual Course Reviews

Course Name/Rating:

Applied Psychotherapy

Course Department: Psychology
Instructor: Terry
Instruction Language:
Comments: Terry was incredibly knowledgable but very disorganized. I extremely disliked that I had to write him 2 final papers due on the same day. I felt as though I was getting punished for selecting a therapy to present on because the way he chose to pace the class. I had to present last, and then my final paper had to be written at the same time that my summary of my therapy topic was due
Credit Transfer Issues: