Abroad101: Study Abroad Reviews

Wonderful Semester of Growth and Exploration! Past Review

By (Wellesley College) - abroad from 01/13/2019 to 05/17/2019 with

DIS Copenhagen: Semester

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
I learned so much from this experience, from how to navigate public transportation to gaining a new perspective through a European lens.

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.

The rigor of the class depended on the teacher. For me, my Waste Management class was more thorough than my core class (Urban Design Foundations Studio) since my teacher for the former class gave us more assignments. Therefore, the rigor varies from class to class especially since DIS is not affiliated with a local university.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

The administration was helpful in sending out weekly newsletters to inform students about events and important information (like bringing your CPR card with you when travelling abroad!) However, I did lose my rejsekort(the Danish transportation pass, akin to a Charlie Card) for the first month and the DIS staff told me that I could get a new personal rejsekort with my passport which the DSB later told me was not true. I ended up finding my rejsekort, but I would suggest for the DIS staff to tell students who lose their rejsekorts about anonymous rejsekorts (which don't need a CPR card ID) instead of personal rejsekorts which need a CPR card.

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

I really enjoyed living in the Performative City LLC(Living Learning Community) with 12 other American students. The events were always well-organized and interesting, and it was awesome to live right in the middle of the city, between Gammeltorv and Tivoli Gardens.

* Food:

All students who didn't live in homestays were given a grocery card with around $500 I believe. This card was enough to cover me the entire semester, so I think it was an fair amount, especially if you shop at cheap grocery stores like Netto every week.

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

Although my RA was Danish, the rest of my flatmates were American, so I wasn't as integrated as students who lived in a host family or kollegium. By taking hip hop classes at the local community center and CBS I was able to meet some Danes, which I wish I did more of.

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

I had no health problems while abroad that needed to be taken care of, but DIS clearly communicated to us how to handle any situations if they came up.

* Safety:

Copenhagen is known as being one of the safest cities, and I certainly felt that, as I saw many schoolchildren using public transportation in the city. And except for the occasional motorcycle, I always felt safe biking on the right biking lane.

If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? Yes

This semester was incredible, as I not only got to learn about sustainability in a European context from professionals, but also made amazing friends and got to travel and grow personally!

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)

Copenhagen is an expensive city, especially for food so I usually bought groceries.

Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? 100
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? Cook with others and split the cost! Also, look for free events and deals. Ex: SMK is free on Fridays and Glyptoteket is free on Tuesdays.

Language

* Did your program have a foreign language component? No

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Dorm
* 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?
  • Experiential and Diverse Classes
  • Integrated Travel Tours
  • Internships for Students
* What could be improved?
  • Transportation advice
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? Once you start travelling outside of Denmark, the semester will fly by, so take time to explore Copenhagen, instead of booking too many trips outside the country.

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 Academic or Linguist
You went abroad with specific academic goals in mind; the program credentials and rigor of your coursework abroad were very important to you. You had a great time abroad, but never lost sight of your studies and (if applicable) were diligent with your foreign language study. Good for you!