Personal Experience
I learn quickly my own self organisational skills, from planning my travels myself, organising accommodation and transport to managing my classes alongside enjoying myself whilst on exchange. I loved the freedom of travelling to a new country with such ease. I went to Italy (Rome, Milan, Amalfi Coast), London, France (Paris, Nice, French Alps), Amsterdam, Iceland (to see the Northern Lights!), Belgium and even did a trip to New York over my mid semester break! The friends I had made along the way are truly people I would catch up with once back in Europe and of course would be more than happy to accommodate if they ever came here. This experience changed me for the better in terms of self-development and also my future career and where in the world I would like to end up. Also, it had simultaneously given me a larger appreciation for Australia and the immaculate lifestyle we live in here. I missed the Australian sun the most once the winters started to settle in October, and by November I was fully experiencing sun withdrawal.
Academic Development
The academic system took a while to get used to. I liked the intimate settings of the class with no class being over 50 people, compared to tutorials at UQ that hold up a minimum of 50 people. It was also a bit disorienting to have 4-hour class blocks (8 - 12) then (1-4), and it felt just a bit like high school again having lunch in the cafeteria between 12 - 1. I liked how personal the teachers were with the students in terms of engagement, however found it confusing with 'tutors' that were available to help. I struggled to ask for help in some classes as I just wasn't sure who to ask and how, especially if I was unable to attend class a certain day. The workload felt similar to UQ but were assessed in a completely different way.
Professional Development
During my time there, I attended 2 industry nights with companies ranging from consulting to wind power, to incineration plants and offshore oil rigs. Being in Scandinavia, a large focus is made on sustainability and renewable energy, a significant difference to Australia. I thoroughly enjoyed attending these as the people I met were so different from people I would meet at industry events in Australia. I do feel my future employability has increased due to the connections I had made with not only my peers but my lecturers and professors. I gained new perspectives on what it would be like to work in these industries, in a country like Denmark.
Costs
The biggest shock was the high cost of transport. The bus to the city (without a bus card) would be $32AUD (round trip) or $16AUD (round trip) with a bus card. This trip would normally be a 20-minute car ride. I was shocked as to how expensive it would be to take public transport and as
the uni wasn't located in the city, it made pubic travel quite expensive. I did purchase a bike to get around my town and to uni, however when it got colder (Nov/Dec) and it started to snow, it was quite dangerous due to the icy conditions and that sunrise wasn't till 9am, I wasn't able to see the road properly. Groceries were around the same as Australia. Prior to exchange, I had worked 6 months full time and saved quite a lump sum to allow myself to travel every few weeks. Total including student accommodation, meals, transport, travel on weekends would amount to around $25,000. Although I did go overboard on spending, I would say there were many alternatives to travel i.e. overnight buses (which are quite comfortable and extremely cheap)
Funding
The funding was directly towards my flights from Brisbane directly to Copenhagen. As I went over in summer, the return cost was approximately $3800 (returning Christmas). The left-over amount was funded towards my student accommodation costing approximately $6000 for the 6 months (+ additional 3-month deposit that is required).
Accommodation
I found my accommodation through BDTU, the official private housing website for DTU students, although I many other options were available. As BDTU require a minimum of 6 months, it ended up being quite expensive as I was only planning on staying for 4 months (3 for the uni semester, 2 weeks prior and 2 weeks after). Facebook advertised a lot of sublet rooms that were just for 3 months and/or other options in the city.
Highlight
Skiing in the French alps was a bucket list item as I have never skiied in Europe before. It was incredible. From the alps to the people I met, the feeling of being on the slopes was indescrible.
Advice/Top Tips
Be open to trying everything. Being spontaneous was the best decision I made.
