Academics! What a fun topic! I was nervous for what this would look like in another country especially after feeling so burnt out from the previous semester. I had been told different things on what the academics specific to my program would look like so I felt nervous. It also was nerve wracking because the buildings are spread throughout the city, which I am not used to.
The classes that I am taking all have similar yet different rigor. A big thing in Danish education is group work. Thus, in my Danish class, we rarely will do individual work except our worksheets and exams. For example, one of our bigger projects was to walk to an assigned neighborhood, interview a local, and then make some sort of video to complete the project. So my group mates and I had to take the metro to be able to do our project, which is not something I’ve ever had to do before for a school project. My Human Trafficking in Global Context class is heavy on discussions and has reading homework due before class starts, which is something I’ve had in my Wofford Philosophy classes.
My core course is lecture heavy and so is my immunology class but that’s to be expected of Biology classes. The class lengths are a little longer here, by maybe 10-15 minutes, but the professors are good about giving us 5-10 minute breaks halfway through. Something that I wish Wofford professors would do, but I won’t be picky 🙂 There is a lot of emphasis on learning outside of the classroom which I feel can be seen sort of in Woffords classrooms. Theres more guidance in what to study at DIS but, if I’m being honest, I don’t do a ton of studying. Why, you might ask? Well all our exams are open book, so I just focus on keeping good notes. I am grateful that this program acknowledges that were studying abroad to gain experiences!
I think that my courses of study here that are relevant to my major have helped solidify my desire to pursue medical school. I really enjoy the hospital setting and was interested in the difference between Danish hopsitals and US hospitals. From my brief visit on one, the biggest difference I noticed was insanely bright and colorful walls and decorations as well as a bike lane through all the hallways! My medical practice class has really solidified my interest in medicine because it’s taught by practicing doctors who are able to give first hand advice and stories about what we are learning. This is nice because I’m learning similar things to Wofford but have the knowledge of a physican to enhance it.
Lastly, my world view has completely expanded because of this experience. I knew of the world and other cultures before, but being immersed in a new one is the perfect way to flip your world upside down. My Human Trafficking in a Global Context class has really impacted me the most by completely destroying what I thought I knew. New definitions and new perspectives have been gained in learning of this issue. It brings in so many political factors that I won’t get into on here, but it’s definitely a much broader topic than I originally thought as well as a much more complex topic.
I think that this experience will be good for me of course, but also in the aspect of academics and learning. I won’t lie when I admit that sometimes learning was becoming a chore at school because of how content heavy in short timeframes. However, being able to immerse in a new way of learning has brought the joy back. Learning is such a gift and priviledge, especially as a young woman, so being refreshed in the mindset is a blessing. The schooling in Denmark is definitely more lowkey than the US, but it’s reminding me of why I am doing what I am doing so cheers to Denmark!