Copenhagen is great! Past Review
By A student (Wellesley College) - abroad from 08/25/2018 to 12/15/2018 with
DIS Copenhagen: Semester
I gained a lot of personal experience being on my own and traveling and exploring a new city. It was extremely worthwhile.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 6 months+ |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
DIS has lots of resources for its students and I felt very well supported by staff and teachers. What makes DIS really cool is that so many of the teachers are working professionals in their respective fields, and teach one or two classes at DIS part-time. This made for the learning experience to be really unique and is very well complemented by all the field studies and school trips. The academics were less rigorous than what I am used to at my college, but this was nice because it allowed me to focus on exploring and taking in all Copenhagen had to offer and not spend all of my time studying. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The administration is very organized and DIS is a very efficient study abroad program. They really knew what they were doing and had solutions to any situation. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I lived in a kollegium which I cannot recommend enough! It was really nice to live with both Americans and Danes and it was a fabulous community. It felt independent enough to not feel like a dorm, but I still had access to DIS' resources. |
| * Food: |
Copenhagen is expensive! The stipend that DIS offers definitely helps but it goes fast. The quality of the food is great, but budgeting is key. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
I was really lucky that I lived with Danes and made a lot of friendships that way, which really helped me immerse in the local culture. That being said, it was an experience that I had to seek out on my own. If you stick to your comfort zone and don't go out of your way to integrate, then you will not. You get as much out of it as you put in. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
The Danish healthcare system is amazing. I actually got sick while I was abroad and all of my expenses were covered. DIS really makes sure that students understand the system and how they can go about getting care. |
| * Safety: |
I never encountered any safety incidents. I always felt very safe in the city. The only things I heard of was theft, so just be smart about where you keep your belongings and locking your bike! |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
No
I absolutely loved being in Copenhagen, and the DIS program is very well run. However, if I had to go again I would chose a program with direct enrollment, rather than being in a program with only Americans. I would have liked my experience to feel less Americanized and not be surrounded by them all the time. That's what going abroad is for - being in a completely new environment. That being said I still had an excellent time. |
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) |
Copenhagen is pretty expensive. It's a hard balance between living on a student budget vs. wanting to go out and explore as much as you can. Very much depends on personal priorities / traveling plans, etc. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | If you know you are going abroad, save save save. You'll thank yourself later. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | No |
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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 |
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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? | I wish I knew more about the other types of students that would be attracted / would attend this program. Just like you select your college / university, you take time to consider the social climate of the environment you choose to be in. Obviously you can't have a campus tour of a study abroad program but I wish I had done more investigating on my end of what the social life would be like at DIS. |
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 Outright UrbaniteA social butterfly, you're happiest in bustling cities with hip people, and took advantage of all it had to offer. You enjoyed the nightlife, and had fun going out dancing, and socializing with friends. Fun-loving and dressed to the nines, you enjoyed discovering new restaurants, shops, cafes, and bars in your host country. |
