University

My semester started on the 16th of August. I arrived in Copenhagen on the 14th of August, I would recommend arriving a little bit earlier than I did, maybe like a week before the college starts. The University College Copenhagen made it easy to choose courses, as they offer a special program for Teacher Education, perfect for Erasmus students. I only had to choose 2 courses as I also did a practicum. I chose the courses “Innovation Lab” and “Processes in language acquisition and communicative skills”. KP (the college) also organized a “Welcome Week” for the international students and offered a variety of social activities through the whole semester. That made it easy to get to know all the international students, as we also were only around 80 in total.

The two courses have been perfectly organized and KP in general was very helpful with administrational things and general issues. The courses have been very interesting, and we also got to teach in schools through the courses.

The placement started a bit later than the courses and was also perfectly organized. I recommend doing a practicum, it’s great to get an insight in a different school’s system, especially the danish school system, as it’s one of the best.

Accomodation

KP also offers exchange students an accommodation, if its possible. I accepted the offer from KP and got a room at “The Mark – Brøndby”. It’s a student residence a little outside of the city center. With the train you are at the college in 10 minutes and in the city center in 15-20 minutes. I recommend living in a student’s residence as you make new friends very easy. I lived together with 15 people I also studied with so it was perfect as we could do homework and go to college together. But also, some students stayed with danish families or in shared apartments. The most popular student homes I can recommend are BaseCamp City, BaseCamp South Campus and The Mark.

Rent in Copenhagen is very expensive. For my room, with my own kitchen and bathroom I paid 910 Euros a month. I also got fresh sheets and my towels cleaned but compared to Austria it is still very expensive. You find cheaper accommodation, but some cheaper students’ homes are not that well recommended. I was still very happy with my student home.

The City of Copenhagen

Copenhagen is a beautiful city. It is made for cycling and renting a bike is very affordable. I recommend “Swapfiets”, they offer a great service and it’s only around 20 Euros a month. Copenhagen is expensive but you can get student discount almost at every sight, restaurant, hairdresser, basically everywhere. For me winter semester was the perfect time to be there, I still got to enjoy the beautiful beaches and swim in the sea in August and September but also experience an amazing autumn in November and the Christmas lights and markets in December. I recommend getting some cardamom and cinnamon rolls and just walk around the city and explore on your own.

General tips and tricks

• Save some money before you go! Public transport is expensive, but you will need it. Get the “Ungdomskort”, it’s the cheapest and you can use it not only in Copenhagen but bigger areas of Denmark.
• Travel around! You will have plenty of time. Go to places like Mons Klint, Stockholm, Skagen, Aalborg, Aarhus, and the Westcoast in general.
• Shop in cheap supermarkets like Netto, Rema 1000 and Lidl.
• Look up free activities, there are plenty!
• Use apps like “Revolut” for paying. You safe a lot of money by not paying fees.
• Go to social activities offered by the KP.
• Don’t be afraid, you will have the best time of your life.

Author: Valentina Kolinsky