Abroad101: Study Abroad Reviews

Great Life Experience. January 07, 2024

By (Middlebury College) - abroad from 08/19/2023 to 12/15/2023 with

DIS Copenhagen: Semester

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
Being independent was great for improving my own self-confidence. This was something I wanted out of the experience.

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.

I thought the program was incredibly well run, well taught, and balanced. I had great classroom learning and great field trips for the class.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

Super smoothly run, never felt like I was alone.

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

* Food:

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

Danish people were hard to integrate closely with, but I can understand because we weren't there too long.

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

N/A

* Safety:

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

I had the most amazing time. I would do it next semester if I could!

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)

It's expensive, you can make the city affordable, but if you want to travel, know how much you have to spend.

Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? I used my stipend for 3 months, so maybe 200 a month on food. Gym was 150 total. Bike was another 150. Travel expenses were high but I visited 12 countries and did expensive/larger trips.
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? Try to limit eating out. Try to eat with friends so you can cook in bulk and save money for everyone. Book trips as far in advance as is feasible to reduce costs.

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

The program encouraged us to use the language, but outside of Danish class, we didn't have too and everyone in Copenhagen spoke perfect english so they'd often switch to English if we tried to speak Danish.

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? AP Spanish
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? Do the speaking exercises and worksheets in a timely order. They aren't graded by date but it is helpful to get them done based on your chapter assignments.

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? 0

A Look Back

* What did you like most about the program?
  • Social Aspects
  • Academic balance
  • School Trips
* What could be improved?
  • I can't really think of anything
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? The semester goes by fast - savor it.

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!

Individual Course Reviews

Course Name/Rating:

Human Health and Disease: A Clinical Approach
Course Department: Science
Instructor: Caroline Garred & Filip Davidovski
Instruction Language: English
Comments: It's a core class so more of a time committment than other classes. I really enjoyed it because it gave me a ton of experience out of class to doctors which helped me consider my future along the pre-med path. Class trip to Budapest and Vienna does a perfect job balancing social and academic travel.
Credit Transfer Issues: Not sure yet.
Course Name/Rating:

Battle Field Europe: Military History of World War II
Course Department: History
Instructor: Torben Jørgensen
Instruction Language: English
Comments: Loved it, felt very doable and really enjoyed the travel aspect.
Credit Transfer Issues: Not sure yet.
Course Name/Rating:

Danish Language and Culture 105
Course Department: Danish
Instructor: Jan Aage Rasmussen
Instruction Language: English/Danish
Comments: Hard class, had to take it. Teacher was good and you can succeed in class.
Credit Transfer Issues: Not sure yet.
Course Name/Rating:

Immunology
Course Department: Science
Instructor: Jeanette Erbo Wern
Instruction Language: English
Comments: Took forever to get grades back. Class is a lot of work at the start, but eases up at the end. Learned a ton though and field trips were interesting.
Credit Transfer Issues: Not sure yet
Course Name/Rating:

Genomics in Clinical Practice
Course Department: Science
Instructor: Ulrik Stoltze
Instruction Language: English
Comments: I loved it, great balance between work, learning, and grading. Field trips were amazing as well.
Credit Transfer Issues: Not sure yet.