Personal Development
I got so much out of this experience and absolutely loved it. I met a lot of people and made a lot of new friends. I completed a language course where I picked up a little of the language and a few of the customs. I completed some interesting courses that aren't offered at UQ, such as a 'Language of Negotiations' course, which has given me a step up on my resume.
Academic Development
It was a really interesting experience academically. I got to experience a different approach to philosophy, and learn a bit of anthropology too. They have some different cultural views to Australia, such as being a more welfare-focused society which was quite interesting to me, both in and out of the classroom. It felt a lot more like the Australian school system than university, because the lectures are very interactive and the lecturers get to know most of the students. It was also a really good way to meet Danish students through group work, as they could be a little difficult to meet much otherwise. The biggest challenge was navigating the administrative online system to understand grades when they were in a different language and had a lot of different platforms, however I was able to overcome this by spending time to understand it.
Professional Development
The biggest skills that I developed were in negotiation, mediation and cultural awareness. Through my participation in the 'Language of Negotiations' course I learnt skills in how to prepare for a negotiation, the do's and don't's, how to negotiate when both parties are unwilling to compromise and how negotiation strategies can vary between cultures. For example, I learnt that it some cultures, it is customary to close a deal with a written agreement, so that the agreed upon terms are clearly stated and completely transparent. In contrast, in other cultures asking for a written contract would be considered insulting, as it implied that the two parties don't trust each other. Probably the biggest challenge was balancing making the most of the study experience and the cultural and travel experience. I wanted to spend time exploring the country, travelling as much as possible and spending time with people. However, this would also involve spending less time on my studies, which meant that I would miss out on learning interesting things in class that I wouldn't learn back home. I think I balanced this pretty well, as I focused on learning things that were interesting and useful for me, rather than just trying to maximise my grades. This meant that I had more spare time to spend on other things.
Accommodation
Accomodation was definitely one of the harder things to sort out on my exchange as there is very little available accomodation and it is all very expensive. I got an offer of a private apartment in the city by my university, which was a great option However, it was very expensive and I was a little apprehensive of living by myself in one of the areas of Copenhagen which is a little less safe, so I did my own research and found a cheaper studio room at a new accomodation a little further out of the city called The Mark. I found this great, as there was a lot of people to meet, the facilities were great and I enjoyed cycling into uni. The administrative staff weren't great and we had some grievances with them, but otherwise it was pretty good.
My advice would be, do your research early, be proactive in looking for things and be very diligent at looking at whether it is a good source of housing, as there are a lot of scams out there.
Highlight
Oooh, there were so many highlights!!! I did a sailboat tour in Greece for 7 days which was amazing. I loved doing some group work with some Danish and Canadian students. It was a lot of fun and I learnt a lot about their culture. I absolutely loved the city of Kobenhavn and getting to cycle everywhere. I really enjoyed travelling to Kronberg castle, north of the Kobenhavn and learning about the history there. I made friends with people from so many different countries: Mexico, England, the US, the Netherlands, Germany etc.
Funding
My budgeting skills could've used improvement as I wasn't very organised and didn't prepare a budget at the start. I spent much more than I expected, but not more than I could afford to. I spent about $7000 on accomodation, $5000 on a contiki tour however beyond that I am not sure what my individual expenses per category were. I think I spent $30,000+ on my entire exchange, which is quite a lot. I could definitely have spent a lot less if I didn't fly in different directions so much and was more conservative with my spending. However, I was mindful of my spending the whole time and had been saving for several years prior so I was okay with that, especially since Denmark is a very expensive country, so I had been expecting to spend a fair amount.
For future students I would recommend calculating the maximum amount of money you can spend, then breaking this down into different expenses. I would recommend organising most of your travel quite early to save money and make sure that your plans are efficient, but still leaving some budget for unexpected plans. Also making the most of cheap travel locations and hostels and travelling in groups of 2 or 4 is cheaper.
The $2000 funding that I received from UQ was super helpful and very much appreciated. I put it towards my return flights, as flight costs to Europe are very expensive at the moment. This was a big help, especially as I got it later on in my exchange when I was running down my sa
Advice/Top Tips
Definitely do it!!! It's an amazing experience. I haven't met one person who wishes they didn't do it. Have a good think about what kind of experience you are hoping to have, and pick a country that aligns with it. Don't spend too much time on your studies, but also do make the most of what you are learning there. I think a lot of people choose either an extreme of studying all the time, or not studying at all and I think that you are missing out when you are at either extreme. Meet as many people as possible, and try to make close friends with people from different countries. It is going to be really hard at times, and that's okay. Some days you won't feel like yourself, and you might not feel homesick but that doesn't mean that you are going to be completely okay all the times. It's a huge, overwhelming, exhausting experience at times, so be kind to yourself. But remember, it's a once in a lifetime opportunity, so say yes to things you wouldn't usually, try new things, eat lots of yummy food and have an amazing time!!!
