Hi there! Hello!
A hardy welcome readers,
Although I’m certainly not the first and definitely not the last let me just say, Welcome to 2019! Normally I’d be a little less excited that it’s already a new year but it’s not every year I get to start it off living in a different country. T minus one week (AKA 7 days, 168 hours, 10,080 minutes, or 6.048 x 10^7 jiffies...yes a jiffy is a real unit of time) until I board a one-way flight all the way to Copenhagen, Denmark where I'll be spending the next 4 or so respective months of my life.
At the ripe young age of 18 months old is when I tell people I began traveling. Being an adoptee from China, I have been traveling basically since I was a fetus. Naturally, I am a curious person. Whether that’s a good or bad thing, it’s for you to decide. As my past roommates and friends have all noted, I ask a LOT of questions. But, I'm going to take a shot at answering them for once. So, out of the plethora of places in the world why Denmark? As a scientist and occasional “type A” person I like to make things easy to follow and cover all my bases. So here’s my best attempt:
Who?
I, Mallory Haskins, will be studying abroad at DIS (refer to “What?”).
What?
I will be studying abroad at the Danish Institute for Study Abroad (DIS).
When?
The spring 2019 academic semester.
Where?
Copenhagen, Denmark (also commonly referred to by my friends as "Dopenhagen")
and arguably the most important…
Why?
Now to answer this question I'll have to dive a little deeper... Let me start off by saying I largely chose Copenhagen because of DIS and all it has to offer. These are the main contributing factors in no particular order:
I have family in Copenhagen (or more specifically right outside the city in a suburb called Charlottenlund)
DIS is an extraordinary program
I had the opportunity to have a class taught in an actual hospital as an undergraduate student
I've alway had this fascination with languages. I love love love learning them! And what's a better challenge than to learn the Danish language? (Hint: you can't just sound the words out)
I have not met or heard from ONE even ONE person who has been to DIS and not had the experience of a lifetime (although lifetimes are subjective...)
Europe will never not be an amazing location. I mean think about it! The distance of driving to a different state in the US is comparable to being in a different country in Europe.
"hygge" which basically means comfiness dominates the Danes. I mean they even have heat lamps and blankets at their restaurant tables seated outside!
And last but certainly not least....Denmark has been consistently ranked as one of the happiest countries in the world in the World Happiness Report by the United Nations (UN)! Here's to hoping I can experience that :)
Will all of that being said let me dive into the real deal breaker for Copenhagen, DIS:
So, tell me more about DIS!
What are academics like at DIS?
Now living in a different country for a semester certainly is exciting BUT it's equally important to remember the "study" aspect of "study abroad." While at DIS I will be taking five (yes you read that right) classes and a lab. Now normally I'd be a bit bummed I was taking so many classes, especially while abroad, but DIS is different to say the least. These are no ~ordinary~ classes. I mean even the name of them gets me excited! Maybe it's because one of DIS' taglines is "Scandinavia as your home, Europe as your classroom" or maybe it's because the professors teach classes in the areas of their actual jobs. I mean seriously their course catalog makes regular classes any where else sound duller than dishwater. My favorite part is the program and core course aspect of DIS' academics. There are 26 programs to choose from and these core courses all have a travel tour to another country built into them. I will be sure to cover those core courses in future posts!
For now, here's a list of my courses for this upcoming semester. Let me just say that I actually enjoy school and learn. Even so I haven't been this excited to go to school since kindergarten when naps were a part of school:
5. Human Health and Disease: A Clinical Approach (which is my core course class for the Medical Practice and Policy program)
If you'd like to browse some more amazing courses offered at DIS check out their course catalog here: https://disabroad.org/copenhagen/semester/courses/
Happy browsing!
DIS is here for YOU and boy do they mean it
DIS is a non-profit study abroad foundation. It is solely dedicated to helping students study abroad and they sure have mastered their program.
From the moment I was accepted to DIS I knew that I had it easy compared to some of my other friends studying abroad. DIS was fast to get me a school account and from there I was off! Registration for courses (so ecstatically mentioned above) is on a first come, first served basis. That's not to say you won't still get amazing classes with registration but it may not be the best time to procrastinate. Plus you can put your name on a maximum of four waitlists. Even better for your core course you can choose from multiple sections that have different locations for their study tours. And in my case since my course is taught at a hospital different hospital locations. Now to the DIS team themselves, you are all fantastic. Every time I've emailed any person on any one of their teams I've gotten a lighting fast response. Now when you're going abroad for a semester receiving fast communication from your host school cannot go under appreciated. Lastly, as we all know studying abroad can be very very very expensive. Yet, DIS offers many need-based and merit scholarships. My study abroad advisor at my home school said every student that has ever applied for a scholarship from our university has received one. *Flash to me applying for a DIS scholarship and of course getting one! Even better DIS has multiple different housing options, not just homestays, which helps make your experience better (I'll explain the housing in a future post). DIS is meant for studying abroad and everything I have experienced without even being in Denmark has certainly made it clear that they're professionals as their job.
So, what else makes DIS so special?
The T R A V E L I N G!!
The part about DIS that continues to amaze me is how experiential everything is. Classes are truly focused on learning through doing. There are absolutely no classes ever on Wednesdays because that day is reserved for field studies funded by DIS (the mature version of field trips). All or most classes have at least one field study built into the course to a place related to their course (ex. my Biology of Marine Mammals course is going to the Copenhagen Zoo). SECOND, each core course has not only one but two travel trips built into the academic calendar. This means that ALL DIS students get to go on two preplanned trips with their core course classmates! The first trip, coined "core course week" is often to Western Denmark while the second trip is out of the country. My core course will be going to Berlin, Germany and Poznan, Poland! Other courses go to places like Budapest, Vienna, London, the Netherlands, and so so many more places. Talk about making it easy to travel!
This is great and all Mallory but why are you blogging?
Before I end this post I just wanted to get into why I decided to even write it.
Let me be honest and say that I have never blogged before nor did I ever think I would. But sitting here and writing this post has made me even more excited for going abroad and actually helped ease my nerves. In fact, yesterday and today have been filled with reading past blog posts from people who have studied abroad. Reading those posts have made me feel 110% more ready to get to Denmark and for someone who's as indecisive as I am that's huge. By writing this blog I hope to help assuage future study abroad students in their nerves, decisions, and whatever other worries. I also am doing this as a keepsake for me. So that in 2o years when I'm looking back on my life I can read what my own hands typed while I was only 20 years old. Most importantly I want show others the wonders of the world because there certainly aren't just seven of them. Every time I travel I feel like I've just cracked the door open to the world a little bit more, like I've discovered something great. Now I hope to share that with you!
That's all for now folks!
Mallory
Live footage of me trying to put my things in the overhead bin of the airplanes:
