Your Guide to Studying Abroad in Denmark

By Lorena Roberts on October 18, 2018

Studying abroad can be a way your life is impacted the greatest. Going abroad while you’re in college not only forces you to be completely independent, but it shows you how small you are (and America is!) in the grand scheme of the world. Your problems on your campus may not seem so life-threatening. You’ll also discover how much other countries seem to dislike America (at least, that’s what happened to me!).

If you’re thinking about studying abroad, I encourage you to do your research and fully prepare yourself. You have no idea what you’re in for – especially if you’ve never been out of the country before. It’s tough to go away from your family for the first time – and if you end up on a study abroad trip with people you’ve never met before, you could end up feeling even more alone. There are definitely ways to avoid feeling like this, but there’s not really a way to ensure that you definitely won’t feel this way. Prepare yourself for being homesick and missing America. It’ll be the little things: like Chick-Fil-A and ice in your drinks that you’ll miss.

Studying abroad looks like a dream on social media. But that doesn’t mean it’s a dream in real-life. There are many sides of studying abroad that Instagram posts from your friends don’t tell you about. The loneliness, the struggle to find food that you enjoy, missing home, taking the wrong train, losing your phone, running out of money, being under the constant stress of traveling… The list goes on and on. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t things to gain from studying abroad. In fact, studying abroad is one of the best things you can do for yourself while you’re in college.

via Pexels.com

If you’re embarking on the journey of deciding where to go to study abroad, there are several things to consider: culture shock, expense, living situation, desired experience, and, honestly, the types of sights you want to see! Many of my friends chose to study abroad in Europe because they were interested in visiting London, Paris, France, and Amsterdam. Some of my other friends chose Southern Asia, hoping to explore Eastern cultures. It simply depends on where you’d like to spend your time and money. But if I can tell you anything about studying abroad, it’s that Denmark is a little gem that college students don’t think much about – it doesn’t have London or Paris, so students don’t have it at the top of their list. However, studying abroad in Denmark is beautiful and it’ll give you the opportunity to truly see how the people of Denmark live.

If you’ve recently decided to study abroad in the beautiful country of Denmark, here’s a guide to everything you need to know!

1. Find a nice apartment – somewhere comfortable, where you’ll enjoy both hanging out and studying during your study abroad term.

 Your environment is going to matter most – so make sure the place you find to stay in has the perfect balance of zen and motivation. You’ll want to relax here after your long days in class, as well as come home to a place where you feel comfortable crashing after traveling. Whether you have one roommate or ten, the place where you end up living is of utmost importance.

2. Invest in a bicycle – it’ll save you tons of money in the long run.

Your days of waking up extra early so you can walk to class are OVER! In Denmark, public transportation is awesome. But if you own your own bike, you’ll be able to get from point A to point B much more quickly than waiting on a tram or a train. Bikes are super easy to store, so even if you have a tiny apartment, it’ll be worth it. You’ll want to bike all over Denmark after you realize how easy it is to get around by bike.

Not only for transportation purposes, but also for exercising – bikes are great ways to make sure you don’t slack on your cardio routine while you’re abroad. If it’s important to you to stay in shape while you’re on the other side of the world (and you find yourself eating a lot more pastries), having a bike will help curb the pounds you’re putting on during your study abroad term.

3. Grocery shop at Netto and Aldi.

These are the cheapest grocery chains in Denmark, so when it comes to making trips to the grocery store – these are some of your best options. Unlike America, Europeans go to the grocery store multiple times per week, spending only a little at a time. Don’t feel like you can only go once every two weeks, you won’t make it back to your apartment with the thousands of grocery bags you’ll be carting.

That’s another thing. You’re probably going to want to invest in some reusable grocery bags. Also unlike America, Europe takes the whole recycling thing quite seriously.

When I was in Germany, I actually had to pay for plastic grocery bags. So I quickly learned to find some reusable bags that I could take when I went shopping. This served me well. I used the same bags for weeks and it was much less wasteful than all those bags we seem to collect in one trip to Walmart here in the US.

via Pexels.com

4. Study the weather!

It’s definitely important that you become familiar with temperatures in Celsius. You’ll also want to take a peek at normal Denmark temperatures during whatever time of year you’ll be there. Depending on where your home university is, Denmark may or may not have similar weather patterns. Pack accordingly. The last thing you want to have to do is buy a whole new wardrobe upon arrival. Do your weather research beforehand.

5. Make sure you hit Copenhagen’s nightlife…at least once.

I get it, you don’t drink much (or maybe you do). But Copenhagen’s nightlife is unlike any other. If you’re going to study abroad in Denmark, make sure you travel to Copenhagen and explore the nightlife at least once during your study abroad term. You don’t necessarily have to get “drunk,” just people watch and take in your surroundings. Being in Copenhagen is pretty unique, and you’ll remember having that experience forever.

Infographic by Lorena Roberts

6. Blending into a new culture is one of the best things you can do for yourself.

While you’re abroad (whether it ends up being in Denmark or not), know that traveling with other Americans in a large group is very off-putting to locals. If you’re looking to really immerse yourself in the culture of a country, you’ve got to break away from what you know and instead become comfortable in being uncomfortable.

If you’re a part of a language program, hanging out with your US pals can set your progress back. To ensure you truly master the language of your program, hang out with your host family or other local students as often as you have the time. Practicing with locals is the best way to improve your language skills in the fastest way.

7. Know what’s going on in the US as well as the country you’re studying abroad in!

It’s not unusual for local people to ask for an American’s opinion on the current president or administration. Politics are something, by and large, people all around the world talk about. Whether it’s happening in their country or ours, you should educate yourself on what’s going on and be able to talk about it!

Remember that you might be the only American that person ever meets – so think about the impression you’re going to leave with them. Is it the one you’d want them to assign to our country for the rest of their life? I hope so.

8. Make sure your bank knows that you’re going to be traveling abroad.

One of the biggest mistakes a student can make is to travel across the world with a credit card and fail to let their bank know they’ll be in Europe for a few months. There are more than a few horror stories online about traveling abroad and a bank account being frozen due to unusual activity.. Don’t be one of those students.

Be proactive when it comes to spending money. Let your bank know that you’re going to be out of the country, and for how long you’re going to be gone. That way, they won’t be alarmed when you use your credit card in several countries throughout Europe. You’ll run into less problems if you just take the time to alert them ahead of time.

9. Keep a journal to remember your travels later!

Taking a journal abroad can be one of the best decisions you ever make. Take a little bit of time every day over the course of your study abroad term to write about what you did. Whether it was “went to the grocery store and struggled to make dinner” or “saw the coolest thing ever,” you’ll appreciate that you have records of your journeys later on. These are the memories that you want to keep forever, so instead of letting the details get fuzzy, take a journal with you where you can reflect on your travels and experiences.

If you’re interested in keeping a blog while you’re abroad, sign up for one! You can share the link on your social media pages so everyone in the US can keep up with what you’re doing. This will probably make your mom feel better about the fact that you’re on the other side of the world.

Studying abroad is not only one of the best ways to get to know yourself, it’s also one of the best ways to learn. Being immersed in another country, another culture, and with totally different people is the most extreme way of pushing yourself to become a better person. Sometimes this can be really tough. If you’re studying abroad and you start to struggle, ask for help. There are people in the study abroad office who are professionals at dealing with struggling students. Whether it’s something that’s going on at home, academics, or health-related, struggling abroad is ten times worse than struggling at home. Don’t wait to tell someone that you need assistance. It’ll be too late.

While you’re abroad, remember to soak in every moment. All the weekends you have off to explore, all the people that you meet, and even the foods you eat. Keep track of all the things you liked and disliked. Keep train tickets and photos for a scrapbook. And make lots of memories with other people who are smiling. Some of the best study abroad experiences include meeting some of your very best friends.

When you return to the US from your study abroad term, you may experience reverse-culture shock. You may feel out of place and it might be hard to adjust. You might also feel disappointed that your time abroad is over and you’ll be back on your home campus which may seem much less exciting. But remember that the point of studying abroad is to learn about yourself and the world and then bring back what you know and improve what we have here. You’ll surely discover a better way of doing things while you’re abroad – don’t lose them when you come back.

For some reason, studying abroad made me realize how important it is to recycle. Even though it’s been a few years since I’ve gotten back, recycling is something I think about often. In Europe, it was done so much differently. I am often frustrated with the way we “recycle” in America and I wish I could fix it.

If there’s one thing I hope you do while you’re abroad, I hope it’s that you have the time of your life. I hope you come home and decide to move abroad after you finish school. I hope you find your place on the other side of that big pond.

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