DIS – Summer Courses

I really loved my time in Copenhagen studying Human Trafficking through DIS. I wish that I had stayed for the second session! I loved the housing and would recommend living not in the city but the outskirts. Also, the class that I took was definitely eye opening and informative.

I was looking mostly for cultural immersion in my study abroad experience, and because of my housing situation--living in a "folk high school" with many Danes--, this program was perfect for me. But many students in other housing arrangements got to know very few locals. Living at the folk high school (which are residential schools, so you will eat and hang out a lot with Danes around our age if you want to) was by far the highlight for me, and allowed me to learn a lot about certain parts of Danish culture and form really strong friendships with locals. Some say that they were worried about the hour-plus commute to classes, but in my opinion it was totally worth it, especially because some/many DIS students live and spend almost all of their time surrounded by American students, which seems strange to me while studying in a place away from home. My biggest complaint would be about the other DIS students, many of whom did not seem interested in classes or in meeting Danes and learning about their culture (taking short trips to other cities most weekends, for example). I thought classes were pretty good overall: I liked that there were so many interesting options to choose from, and that field trips were included in the syllabi to add to what's learned in the classroom, but again it felt sort of weird taking classes with all American students. There are some University of Copenhagen classes that you can choose, but at least in the one I took the majority of students were DIS students. So overall, I think it was a good program that is very well organized and offers many great opportunities, but also risks limited cultural immersion. Academics: I liked that there were so many interesting options to choose from, and that field trips were included in the syllabi to add to what's learned in the classroom. I had some good teachers, also...not all were professors, but some were working in the area they were teaching about and had a lot to say about it. But again, it felt sort of weird taking classes with all American students while studying abroad. There are some University of Copenhagen classes that you can choose, but at least in the one I took the majority of students were DIS students. I would definitely recommend taking Danish class if you are interested in learning about Danish culture Living Situation: I lived in a højskole ("folk high school" in english), a unique residential school that doesn't exists in the US, and am so happy I did. The really special thing was that over the course of the semester I could spend so much time and really get to know a group of Danish students. All the food we needed and more was provided (I almost always ate breakfast and dinner with the Danish students at the school and packed a lunch to take to class in Copenhagen). On other housing options: I have heard good things from many people who stayed with host families and from some who lived in Danish kollegiums. I have heard from some people who lived with only American students in DRC's or themed housing that it was very difficult to meet Danish people. Cultural Immersion: I think living at the højskole was an A+ in this, but becuase of what I heard about some students' experiences in more popular housing options like DRCs I'll give it a B. DIS also provided other ways to do this for example by joining local extracurricular clubs like sports ones, but I can't really speak to it because I didn't do any and I didn't hear much about them from the people I talked to. Program Administration: The program is very organized, and the staff was really nice and always helpful

Loved it! The classes are easy but that’s what you want for a semester abroad. You can get as involved as you want but DIS provides an organized, user-friendly school that is dependable.