Abroad101: Study Abroad Reviews

Expensive, Fun, Non-Immersive Past Review

By (Middlebury College) - abroad from 01/12/2018 to 05/12/2018 with

DIS Copenhagen: Semester

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
I gained a break from my school. I got to travel around Europe and be completely selfish.

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? 1 month - 6 months

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

* Food:

We were not supplied food and our stipend did not cover the expensive costs of Copenhagen.

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

There was no exposure and even the students that stayed with families felt they had very little exposure.

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

* Safety:

If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? No

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 easy at all. Copenhagen is ridiculously expensive and no one advertises how absurd it is for a student to even try and live in that city. I would skip meals because I couldn't afford it. $100/week is considered okay? A student budget for someone like me is $50 a week. Even by this evaluation standards though Copenhagen and DIS was off-the charts expensive.

Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? $100 and upwards

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

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? None
What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? 0
How many hours per day did you use the language? 0

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?
  • Support System
  • Teachers
  • Flexibility
* What could be improved?
  • For what it is, nothing. They are good at what they do.
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? I wish someone had truly told me how non-immersive it is. They advertise themselves as getting to know culture. You do NOT get to know the culture through the program. Everything I learned came from my own confidence.

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 Nearly Native or Trail Blazer
Craving the most authentic experience possible, perhaps you lived with a host family or really got in good with the locals. You may have felt confined by your program requirements and group excursions. Instead, you'd have preferred to plan your own trips, even skipping class to conduct your own 'field work.'

Individual Course Reviews

Course Name/Rating:

20th and 21st Century Danish Architecture,

Course Department: Architecture
Instructor: Jesper Morris
Instruction Language: English
Comments: Jesper was a hysterical teacher but he was obviously very new to it. He made the subject interesting but I definitely am not sure what I learned during the time.
Credit Transfer Issues:
Course Name/Rating:

Danish Politics and Society
Course Department: Political Science
Instructor: Martin Rasmussen
Instruction Language: English
Comments: All assessments were papers. Martin was very enganged and made sure we were as well.
Credit Transfer Issues: No issues yet.
Course Name/Rating:

Danish Language
Course Department: Danish Laguage
Instructor: Jens Monrad
Instruction Language: English/Danish
Comments: Jens was a horrific teacher and his guidelines for the course were not clear. He expected us to learn the entire Danish language yet he never taught us the Danish Alphabet. I had friends' whose teachers expected less and they still learned significantly more than me.
Credit Transfer Issues: No as of yet
Course Name/Rating:

Global Economics

Course Department: Economics
Instructor: Mikkel Godt
Instruction Language: English
Comments: Challenging. But very enjoyable. Mikkel is a legend.
Credit Transfer Issues:
Course Name/Rating:

Creative Industies
Course Department: Arts
Instructor: Peter Rantzeau
Instruction Language: English
Comments: Challenging and Fun. Learned something that I would never have at Middlebury. Several presentations.
Credit Transfer Issues: