Experience of a lifetime Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

I found the classes to be extremely easy. I did not have to work super hard to do well in class, and I felt as though the expectations of us were very low.

On-site administration of your program

The administration is very well run and smooth.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

I absolutely loved my housing conditions. I lived in a kollegium, one of the choices for housing by DIS. A kollegium is a dorm for danish students, so I got to live with a lot of other Danes near my age. It was probably my favorite part of study abroad because I made my DIS friends there, and also made friends with Danish people that I hope will last for a lifetime. The building itself left something to be desired, but the people in it were what made it great. I also got my own bathroom and a room to myself, which I loved, and shared a kitchen so had to meet people while I cooked. My dorm was known for its parties, which also helped. From what I've hard, not all kollegiums are created equal, and thus not all are as social. I also think living in homestays and other options have its charms, but definitely living in either a kollegium or a homestay make you interact more with Danish culture than those that didn't. I, for example, had a very easy time learning Danish for the class, but students at residential communities (all American dorms) had a hard time due to their low exposure.

Danish typical food is not great, to be honest. You do need to try smørrebrød because it is the staple food in Denmark, but personally did not enjoy the locals food. I cooked for myself most times and the options were a bit limited but I made do. Pastries and desserts were amazing, bread in general in Denmark was very good.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

DIS tries very hard to integrate students with the culture. Because very student has a different housing assignment, the amount you integrate may be more or less. Homestay students and kollegium (and potentially rented rooms) have more integration simply because you live and surrounds yourself with Danes. DIS has wednesdays reserved for field studies, where you go and apply what you've learned into an actual setting. For example, I visited the ministry of education, and a school for autistic children, as well as other field studies. There is also an entire week devoted to travelling around Denmark beyond Copenhagen where the point is to learn about Danish culture related to your program. All of this as a whole make for a program that truly does engages one with Danish culture.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

Although health care is free, it takes a month and a half or so to actually receive the insurance card that allows you to get assigned and visit a doctor for free. Once you get it, it's actually a bit complicated to get an appointment. Not only is it hard to understand the language, but it's generally a slow system. If you have an emergency call the emergency number instead of your assigned doctor. To be fair, DIS has a health services counselor that I never visited because I did not feel necessary, if I had, maybe navigating the health care system would have been easier.

Copenhagen is an extremely safe city. I never once felt at danger, even alone in the middle of the night. I did hear from a few people about pick pocketing or hold ups, but I never felt a threat.

I loved the program. I loved how it makes practicality important, and thus forces us to engage beyond the theory in class. I love that it included field studies and field trips to other countries for our main course. The teachers also aren't in academia, so they usually have experience working in whatever field they teach, which was refreshing.

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

It was easy, but I did run out of money by November. This was because I travelled and use money for the flights and eating out where I went. If I had stayed in Denmark the full time (which is what the budget is meant for) it would have easily covered all my costs. Denmark is very expensive in general, but Wellesley's budget for my food was pretty on point, plus we get a food stipend by DIS.

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

The program doesn't encourage us to speak in Danish, but it is encouraged to take the Danish language course. I personally loved the course and learned basic Danish.

Select all that apply

• Dorm

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• Local Students
• Americans
• International Students

Select all that apply

• Americans

• field studies
• teachers
• kollegium

• academic rigor
• low expectations of students

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