50 years from now I'll still be happy I came Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

On-site administration of your program

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

I ended up being placed in a residential community with other American students. It wasn't my first pick and considering I asked for a single as close to the city center as possibly it's ironic that I was put into a quad about 20 minutes from DIS. I wasn't thrilled to say the least, but within a week of arrival I realized it was a blessing in disguise. Yes, I had to make more of an effort to meet Danes, but living with other American students instantly gave me a group of people to go out with and people that knew exactly what I was going through. As far as the living arrangements themselves, the building I lived in had been acquired by DIS relatively recently so it was pretty modern feeling and nothing had been run down by years of use. Despite living in a room with three other girls, the space was big enough that we didn't feel like we were on top of each other. We shared a common room, kitchen, and two bathrooms with 6 other people and never had an issue about space. I have no regrets about living in a residential community and even the commute was enjoyable (I highly advise biking to class!).

DIS gives you a $600 food stipend for the semester that can be used at the majority of Copenhagen's grocery stores. It's possible to make the money last the whole semester (I somehow managed), but assume you won't. I didn't cook for myself every meal and often ate out for lunch. A word of advice: Google translate will become your best friend in grocery stores! Danes are generally happy to translate an item or two for you as well.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

Danes are a reserved bunch and living with other American students wasn't making meeting people any easier. You'll grow closest with your classmates, especially those in your core program, but don't let yourself fall into the trap of only hanging out with American students. Making that extra effort to meet people is necessary and well worth it though. Between my SRAs, my teachers, the Danish language and culture class Wellesley made me take, and going out and talking to people I was able to get a pretty good grasp on the culture.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

The only issue I had with healthcare in Denmark is how long the CPR number and residence card process is. Denmark has free health care for residents but as study abroad students we had to pay for our health care until we had a CPR number (which takes at least half the semester to get). DIS reimburses students if they have to pay, but that in itself is annoying to deal with.

Don't be dumb about things and always be aware, but there was never a moment in Copenhagen that I felt unsafe. Even when walking back to my residential community after staying out (extremely) late. With that being said, I did speak to some students at DIS who did not feel comfortable in the areas around their buildings at night so don't let your guard down. All those students lived in a particular neighborhood but I never experienced or hear of issues in Amager.

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

Copenhagen is expensive. Accept that before you go and overestimate everything, especially if you plan to go out often.

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

Wellesley College required me to take a Danish Language and Culture course. I hated the language side (I tend to struggle in language courses) but enjoyed learning about Denmark's culture. There is little to no incentive to speak in Danish outside of class as a result of everyone in the city (or at least all the Danes I talked to), being able to speak English. However, I was able to use what I learned to read menus, signs, explain where I lived, and understand snippets of conversations. The course was organized in such a way that we were taught foods, greetings, and other basic phrases.

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• Dorm

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• Americans

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• Americans

• Travel Breaks
• Living in Copenhagen
• The Danes

• Better accessibility to teachers outside of class
• Interaction between DIS students and Danes of the same ages
• More social events in general

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