Sandy feet, cinnamon buns and a lot of “hygge”

 

From August 2023 to January 2024, I spent an exchange semester at the University of Copenhagen (Københavns Universitet - KU). Unfortunately, the opportunities to study abroad were limited during my Bachelor's degree due to Covid 19, so it was even more important for me to go abroad now in the Master's programme. Since I was approaching my third semester, this was my last chance.

Preparations

I looked up potential universities for the program and narrowed my choices to Copenhagen in Denmark and Umeå in Sweden. Scandinavian countries are often considered role models in social sciences for their welfare states and inclusion, which fascinated me to experience it firsthand.

My clear favourite was Copenhagen. I was drawn to the city’s modern architecture, the canals and the beach, and their focus on "hygge" and quality of life. Additionally, the University of Copenhagen, being Denmark's oldest and one of the oldest universities in Scandinavia, offered in my opinion interesting courses for exchange students. I expected studying in such a historic place to be a very enriching experience. I was super happy when I was offered an exchange place at the University of Copenhagen. So, the bureaucratic struggles began.

Accommodation

Finding accommodation was a major challenge. Denmark is a very expensive country, which was also reflected in the rental prices. The Erasmus+ grant was a great help, but after looking at the average rent prices, it was only just enough to cover the monthly rent. Therefore, it was crucial for me to find affordable housing. It was almost impossible to do so privately. Fortunately, the university made us aware of the Housing Foundation. Although it had bad reviews due to reportedly being very strict/unfair with the final moving-out inspection, I didn't really see an alternative at that time. The Housing Foundation offers accommodation to international students from all countries, so the demand was high, and the registration process was chaotic. In the end, I got a room in a four-person shared apartment through them. Although I heard from others, including my roommate, that they had ridiculous amounts deducted from their deposits after moving out (with made up “damage”), everything went smoothly for me, and I can only recommend this.

Course booking at KU

The course catalogue is well structured and shows the language of instruction for each course. A filter “suitable for exchange students” helped me find all courses offered in English. Unfortunately, there are only a limited number of English courses available, and the booking system is different from home and was somewhat confusing. As a result, neither I nor many others in my or similar fields got the courses we wanted and had to opt for courses in other fields. This was a bit annoying because we had already agreed with FU on which courses could be credited, and now we had serious concerns about credit transfer. Numerous emails and pleas to the University of Copenhagen eventually led to a solution. For future exchange students: You register through the booking portal and are either accepted or rejected for a course (accepted courses appear in green). However, this doesn't mean you have a confirmed “seat”; you need to register again through KU-net selfservice. More students are accepted than there are places, and it operates on a first-come, first-served basis.

Another challenge was the differing semester dates. I participated in the pre-semester course offered for exchange students (highly recommended!), which was so helpful for settling into the country and making first friends. This course began in early August, when the semester in Germany had just finished and the paperwork regarding course selection at KU or the Erasmus funding from FU wasn’t finished yet. But still, the pre-semester course turned out to be the right decision. It focused on Danish culture and included a Danish language course. A mix of lectures and field trips was perfect for getting to know the country and the city. I met people from various countries in this course, and they remained my closest friends throughout the whole exchange. The weather was perfect, and we often went to the canal or the sea by bike for a swim after the pre-course.

When the "normal" semester began in September, and we were all divided to different campuses and courses, and I met even more people. There were introductory events, campus tours, and a great buddy program, which required prior registration (it was somewhat hidden on the website but I highly recommend it).

While the pre-course was at the modern South-Campus, my main courses where at City-Campus. The City Campus, old brick buildings, was like out of a typical university film. It was so nice to experience. The classes themselves were very good, with an emphasis on breaks and involving everyone in the lessons. We were often asked for our opinions and perspectives and were always actively included. It wasn't so much the professor as an expert versus students learning; we students were also treated as experts.

Recognition of credits at FU

Beforehand, I filled out the paperwork and received confirmation of the compatibility of my courses in Denmark. I had to send all the course information, including the website and a short description, and specify what module I want it to be. After the exchange I submitted the transcript from the University of Copenhagen to FU and everything was credited as planned without any problems.

Everyday Life and Leisure

The first few weeks were incredibly busy, we did a lot of things. During the pre-course, I met so many people, the weather was great, and we often went to the beach or the canal, explored the city, visited museums, and went out in the evenings. Once the actual semester started, things settled into more of a routine.

On the City Campus, there's a Swap Shop (a free second-hand exchange for clothes, kitchen items, books, and more), where I started volunteering. It was great because I love the concept (and got first dibs on donations), but it also helped me meet new people. Because of this, I got discounts at Studenterhuset (it is from the same organisation as the swap shop and also based on volunteers), a student café/bar that also hosts a lot of events. We went there several times for karaoke, and they also offered community dinners and other fun activities. Most events were open to everyone, and right before Christmas, they organised a holiday party with food and traditional Danish things just for volunteers.

At the South Campus, there was also a community dinner on Thursdays. You pay a fixed price (about 50 kroner for students I think), and then you sit together at a long table to eat and chat. The food was always delicious and made a great end to a study day, as the library is in the same building.

Copenhagen offers a lot of other things too. There are many vintage stores, flea markets, and lots of cozy cafés, museums, and galleries, especially for winter. There are also board game cafés that are open late, where you can play games together, and creative spots like a jewellery café where you make your own jewellery, and a café where you paint ceramics. All very "hygge"!

Now one downside: there is no semester ticket. You have to pay for public transport yourself, which isn't cheap. Many of us rented a Swapfiets bike. Copenhagen is made for bikes, the bike lanes are super good and it is really common to take your bike everywhere, but it was a bit uncomfortable winter with the rain, wind, and snow.

Additional Costs/Financing the Study Abroad

Danish coziness comes at a price: everything is more expensive. Cafés, bars, and even grocery shopping. As mentioned, there's no semester ticket, so you have to plan in a budget for that. There are some monthly/half-yearly passes you can buy if you’re registered (I did not buy one but got a tap on/tap off card where you load money on, works not only in Copenhagen but across Denmark). I paid about €25 per month for my bike. But within the city centre, you can also walk to many places.

Still, Erasmus+ alone isn't enough; it might just cover rent. You should have additional financial support and savings to enjoy your Erasmus experience worry-free.

Other tips

The only thing I wish I had known about from the start was the Swap Shop on the City Campus. You can get everything there: clothes, bedding, kitchen utensils, etc., which you can return when you leave. It’s a sustainable and practical option. So, for all future exchange students: it’s great, and volunteering there is fun and brings many benefits (free coffee at Studenterhuset + 50% off everything else at the bar; my friends loved me and my volunteer card, new friends, and first pick of donated clothing).

Overall, I am very happy. Yes, it was quite stressful dealing with the bureaucracy at the beginning, and there’s definitely room for improvement to make it easier and less nerve-wracking for everyone. Still, I would do it all over again because the positive experiences and learning outweigh the negatives. I believe it’s essential to have an experience abroad at least once in your life. You learn things about yourself, the country, and the world that you just can't learn any other way. I miss the people; the city and the culture very much am so sad that it is over. It is a memory I love to look back at and I can even imagine moving back to Copenhagen one day. I am still in contact with my friends, (yep, the ones from the first few days of the pre-course!) even though we live all over the world and half a year after the exchange we even managed to meet again in Copenhagen!