A semester of traveling and learning with Copenhagen as a base Past Review
By A student (Wellesley College) - abroad from 08/18/2018 to 12/14/2018 with
DIS Copenhagen: Semester
My experience abroad was very worthwhile I was able to travel and travel with the class. I have learned a lot about myself and I have become more open and adventurous.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 2 weeks - 1 month |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
The field trips were a great benefit to the program. As was the Practicum class that I took. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
DIS Administration was not sensitive to important religious holidays. The administration of the program scheduled mandatory multi-day study trips away from home on important religious holidays not giving students the opportunity to observe their holidays. Many students were annoyed and displeased with this issue. Individual professors were more accommodating to religious observances. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
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| * Food: |
The food stipend was ok, many people ran out before the end of the program. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
I managed to integrate very well into the local culture however I feel that not all students on DIS did because you had to search outside of the program and put a lot of effort into integrating into the Danish community. DIS is very American and unless you work at it on your own, you will not easily meet locals. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
We were given CPR cards to use the Danish Healthcare system, otherwise this question is not applicable to me. |
| * Safety: |
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| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
I might choose the same program. I made really good friends and had a great experience. However it was very American and hard to get a Danish view. |
Finances
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* 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) |
They give you a food stipend, but it does not cover everything. Depending on how much you chose to travel and tour then that changes how much you spend. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | 0-$30 |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Check and compare different websites for tickets and hostels, you can find fantastic hostels and tickets relatively cheap. Netto is a great grocery store, it is very cheap. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
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How much did the program encourage you to use the language?
0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language |
The program offered Danish Language and Culture classes however not everyone took this course and you do not need to use the language all the time. The class was very fun and educational, I highly recommend. |
| 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 |
| How many hours per day did you use the language? |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
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* Who did you live with?
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* Who did you take classes with?
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| 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? |
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| * What could be improved? |
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| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | That it would be a challenge to make local friends, you need to put in a lot of effort to go out and meet people. |
