Denmark: An Often Overlooked Treasure Past Review
By Lauren F (Neurobiology, The University of Texas at Austin) for
DIS Summer in Scandinavia
I came to Denmark with what I now see was a skewed view of the world. I realized how uncultured I really was at often felt embarrassed when the Danes knew more about political on goings in my own country than I did. It was an eye opening experience. The Danes are also a very honest,trusting and genuine people. I loved every minute of my time abroad.
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 workload was high. The Danish instructor I had was absolutely amazing and I enjoyed going to class. The Danish style of instruction is a lot more relaxed and involves a lot of discussion and projects rather than tests. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
I really don't know. I didn't have any interaction with the on-site administration. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
The housing location was amazing! And they really matched up the roommate I had well. However, when we moved in the apartment hadn't been cleaned at all. Dirty dishes were in the sink, the shower was broken and the carpet was crunchy. |
| * Food: |
Food is very expensive in Denmark (along with everything else) |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
I loved going out in Denmark. It was easy to make friends and CPH is a very safe city. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
Copenhagen is one of the worlds cleanest and safest cities. Moms feel so comfortable that they leave their strollers (babies still inside) outside of a store while they go shopping because they wouldn't ever imagine someone taking their child. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
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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) |
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| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | I wish I knew that Denmark has a ridiculously high tax on everything. |
Language
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | None |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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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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A Look Back
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | A student who is willing to put in time for the school work and doesn't expect to be going out every night. A student who may not be comfortable in a country where they must know a foreign language |
Individual Course Reviews
| Course Name/Rating: |
Positive Psychology |
| Course Department: | not sure |
| Instructor: | Helle Harnisch |
| Instruction Language: | English |
| Comments: | The class was challenging but not too overwhelming. The teacher was very knowledgeable, very friendly and just all around amazing. She brought in a lot of anecdotes about her childhood in Denmark and made sure to try and always let us know of special events happening around Copenhagen. I participated more than I would at my home university because the class was really small and she made everyone feel that they had important thoughts to contribute. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | I'm still working on the credit transfer |
| Course Name/Rating: |
Cross Cultural Psychology |
| Course Department: | not sure |
| Instructor: | Chris Boyatzis |
| Instruction Language: | English |
| Comments: | The course itself was amazing (the content and the study tours). There was probably too much work for students who were there only the second session to experience Copenhagen. I don't know if it was a difference in sense of humor, but I sometimes found comments the professor made offensive |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | Still in the process of transferring the credit |
