A great semester in Denmark! Past Review
By A student (Economics, Brandeis University) - abroad from 01/12/2019 to 05/12/2019 with
DIS Copenhagen: Semester
How to be more independent, how to balance friends from all over the world, how to save money and live off not a lot, and all the culture from the countries I visited. Definitely was worthwhile
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 0-2 weeks |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
The academic rigor was not as strenuous as my home university, but it still taught me and allowed me to have more time to culturally explore which I appreciated. The school trips were wonderful and allowed you to learn out in the field. I would also recommend taking Danish (even though its required at our school) because the Danish language is fun to learn and taught me a lot of culture. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
DIS is extremely organised and on top of everything. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
My kollegium was very new, clean, and beautiful and I had amazing Danish flatmates. |
| * Food: |
I cooked for myself - groceries weren't too expensive |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Living in a Kollegium was key to meeting Danish friends - I met some great Danes through my living. Also I would recommend signing up for a visiting host family - they taught me a lot about Danish culture too that I wouldn't have been able to get and they were wonderful and caring. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
I never experience the healthcare system. |
| * Safety: |
Copenhagen is probably the safest city I've ever been to. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
Denmark was a wonderful place to live and learn. It was super safe, friendly, and cozy. |
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 was very expensive. I got a 500 dollar food stipend and was very good with it and lastest until the last week and I never ate out because it was so obscenely expensive. I spent a lot of money traveling because I didn't spend so much in Copenhagen due to how expensive it was. |
| 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? | Save up in Copenhagen and cook your own food - Danish restaurants are nothing special! Save your money for Italian pasta or countries with distinct foods when you go out and travel. However, you should still occasionally treat yourself in Copenhagen - you're only abroad once! |
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 |
Everyone speaks English, but knowing a little Danish is fun. You'll be able to read some billboards and signs at the end. |
| 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 |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | None |
| How many hours per day did you use the language? | 0 |
| Do you have any tips/advice on the best ways to practice the language for future study abroad participants? | Take the class |
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 don't think there's anything that my school didn't tell me about there weren't many surprises. |
