Program Reviews

While I have only done one semester studying abroad, I have doubts that any program could beat DIS. Everything is so organized and the people are a blast, it would be near impossible not to love DIS. Copenhagen is a great place to live and it also has an airport and flights that allow you to travel just about anywhere in Europe you want to go. I even flew to Istanbul directly from Copenhagen. DIS makes sure you are taken care of every step of the way, they organize your visa plan awesome field trips for classes, and offer awesome adventure trips. Studying abroad with DIS was the best experience of my life.

I really enjoyed my semester abroad in Denmark through DIS. I lived outside of Copenhagen with a mixture of American and Danish students. The classes DIS offered were interesting and our class trip to Scotland was amazing. They really do a great job to help you see and do as much as possible! I would recommend this program to anyone.

I participated in the Psychology and Child Development program in the Fall of 2007 (so long ago, already!) and overall, I had a very positive experience. I appreciated that DIS gave students a range of housing choices and my host family situation plus my boernehave practicum placement really made my experience worthwhile.

One area in which I felt disappointment was the academics. On the one hand, I really appreciated the integrated classroom-practicum experience I wouldn't have gotten in the U.S., (especially working with 3- and 4-year-olds with whom not speaking Danish was not an option, which always created a fun challenge!) On the other hand, DIS specifically marketed itself as a program with a strong academic offering, but coming from a top-tier private college in the United States, the level of difficulty was clearly a step down from what I was used to. I would have also liked more intensive Danish language classes - for many foreign students they were frivolous, but for anyone in regular contact with young children, they're essential.

Socially, while I bonded quickly with my host family and the staff and children at my boernehave, as a bookish introvert I had trouble identifying with many of my peers, who seemed mostly upper-middle-class and most interested in drinking. I was reminded of how fortunate it was that my college's generous financial aid program covered the cost of this experience or else I would not have been able to afford to go. It still felt a bit awkward, though, as I struggled to budget something into the "travel break" since there weren't any events or services built-in to cater to students who stayed behind because they couldn't afford to travel around Europe.

As I think back on my experience, I'm a little disappointed I didn't choose a more adventurous location - this is a really good program for students who are looking for something a bit more exotic than London but not so exotic that they have to adapt too much to a different language or culture - a good choice, perhaps, for someone who's never left the United States. Copenhagen is safe, beautiful and relatively buttoned-down as well as very expensive.

I am having a great time in Copenhagen. DIS makes it so easy to get involved in cultural immersion activities. I am playing soccer on a danish club team and loving getting a chance to interact with Danes. Classes are interesting and really try to expand learning to outside of the classroom which I really appreciate. The city of copenhagen is amazing. Its safe and clean and very simple. Everything just flows very naturally. Some of the highlights of my trip have been playing on the Danish soccer team, and biking around copenhagen. Everyone bikes in Copenhagen. Its awesome. I love it. The Danes are very friendly and definitely love to go out!