Kate T. Exchange Ambassador
What is one word to describe your study abroad experience:
"Exchange is a great experience, being able to live in a foreign city is so different compared to visiting - you learn so much more about the place. It also makes you appreciate your friends and family at home so much more!" - Kate T.
KATE T. 
Exchange student at the University of Copenhagen, Denmark
Winter semester
Studying Landscape Architecture
- What is the best thing that happened while you were studying abroad?
Buying my bike! It allowed me to easily travel around the city and was a good way to get some exercise in!
- What was the biggest cultural adaptation you had to make?
One thing I noticed is that Danes are very stylish, so I felt that I needed to dress nicer to fit in!
- What is something that you know now, that you wish you knew before you studied abroad?
I realized that I did not need to bring two suitcases full of clothes with me - paying for extra baggage on my flights to/from Denmark was not worth it!
- What was your best learning moment?
I lived across the street from a grocery store so I found myself cooking a lot more than at home. I feel like my cooking skills improved while abroad.
- Who was the hardest person to leave from home? How did you deal with that?
My friends from Guelph, especially my house mates! It was easy to stay in touch with each other via text, Facetime, etc. I also did some travelling with my UofG friends who were abroad at the same time as me!
- Who was the hardest person to leave that you met while on exchange? How did you deal with that?
Probably the friends that I made in my classes. Thankfully, social media makes it easy to keep in touch. Also, having friends who live abroad creates an excuse for you to travel in the future!
- Would it be helpful to learn another language for this exchange?
No, Danes learn English in elementary school so the majority of the population is fluent.
- Did you live on-campus or off-campus? Would you recommend it, and why?
I technically lived on-campus, however, the residence is not directly organized through the university (an external organization partners with the school to offer exchange students housing). I would definitely recommend residence as housing can be expensive and difficult to find in Copenhagen.
- How did you finance your study abroad experience?
My parents definitely helped out with a lot of the costs associated with exchange. However, I received a number of scholarships during the Fall semester which helped cover the majority of my travel and living expenses. I also worked full time during December and January to make extra money - Denmark is expensive, so try and save as much money as possible!
- What interesting courses did you get to take while studying abroad? What was the title of the course(s)?
I really enjoyed my sociology class. We learned about all aspects of Danish society, including the welfare state, their education and health-care systems, food habits, the criminal justice system, etc. The title of the course was Danish Society: a sociological perspective.
- Is there any other helpful information you would like to share with future study abroad participants?
Don’t feel like you have to be doing something 24/7! Just because you’re living in a different country does not mean you aren’t allowed to have lazy days! However, enjoy every moment of exchange as your time abroad really does fly!
