Victoria – Copenhagen Business School, Denmark
Semester 1, 2016
Bachelor of Business / Bachelor of Laws (Honours)
Host University
In 2016 of Semester 1 I went on exchange to the Copenhagen Business School (CBS) in Denmark. I chose this uni as it was heavily qualified being the best Business school in Scandinavia and in the top 10 Business schools in Europe. When I first saw the different campuses I was shocked at how much they resembled buildings for small companies rather than a uni!
I took the subjects: Visual Communication, Organising Global Business & Marketing, International Business Law and Marketing: Trend Drivers. I was very impressed to see that all the lecturers had “real world” experience in the subjects that they taught, as they had all held high positions within that area of business. It was this expertise that each lecturer brought to lessons that made my study at CBS very special.
Social life
At CBS they have an excellent social package for exchange students which involves a week of activities before semester organised just for exchange students with the main goal of introducing everyone to each other but also Danish culture. The activities included bowling, bingo (sounds boring but they made it a lot of fun!), ice skating and bar/ club nights to name a few. The activity week is optional for exchange students and you have to pay (it’s quite cheap) but I 100% recommend you go so you can meet as many people as possible.
The social activities were run by current students of CBS so they were all very friendly and approachable. Within the first social event, I had already made three or four friends so it was extremely easy to meet people if you attended the social week. CBS also has a buddy system where you are paired up with a CBS student (you can choose the gender). My buddy was amazing, she showed me around the city and introduced me to her Danish friends.
Accommodation
In Denmark, it is illegal for a university to own housing but CBS has the rights to quite a few dorms and accommodation. As a result, accommodation spots are very scarce (in very high demand) and it is on a first come first serve basis. Accommodation spots for CBS students become available at a certain date and time. Make sure you familiarise yourself with the time as housing spots will become exhausted within an hr after their release (similar situation to buying Splendour tickets).
Also, make sure you research each dormitory and its situation to CBS. The nicest dormitory, in my opinion, is Tietgen (mostly Danish dorm) which is a beautiful circular building. The dorm rooms are beautiful and each level has its own communal kitchen where you can socialise with other people. Tietgen also has its own nightclub where it occasionally has small parties and the communal kitchen is also used as a makeshift dancefloor, its great fun! However, it is quite far away from CBS (20 mins metro ride + 5 min walk to metro).
Transportation
In my opinion Denmark has the best public transport in the world. They have a metro, train and buses which are always exactly on time, if not 1-3 minutes late (quite rare). Seeing as Copenhagen is quite a small city, the longest it will take you to get anywhere is around 40 mins, but everywhere I went only took me about 10-20 mins.
Everyone bikes in Denmark, there are bike lanes on every road and it is the most popular mode of transport. If you do wish to bike (which is the cheapest form of transport) then you must be mindful of the bike signals (one hand up to signal you slowing down and also to signal when you are turning). There is a Facebook page for the exchange students and many people from the previous semester will be selling a bike so you won’t have to worry about buying one. The prices they are sold for vary from $50-$150 but this will be much more cheaper in the long run; as I’ve said that public transport is very expensive.
Denmark uses a system similar to the ‘go card’ which can be used on all public transport, called the ‘rejsekort’ (pronounced rye-seh-cort). The minimum amount that you can top up is $20 (100 KR) and the lowest amount you can have on it about $12 (60 KR), so this doesn’t get you very far. Going about two stops on the metro (not far) is about $2-3 (10-15 KR) so in a few days, you will be needing to top up with $20 to use the card again. I would recommend you buying the rejsekort if you are using a bike as you will need the card to travel longer distances to castles and parks or when you are on your way out clubbing.
If you do not wish to buy a bike you can get something more economically feasible which is the monthly pass. For about $134 (670 KR) you can get a monthly pass to use all modes of transport within a 2 zone area. This is way cheaper than using the rejsekort if you use public transport frequently, which you will if you don’t have a bike!
PLEASE NOTE: Do not chance it by not buying a ticket! The metro do rigorous checks of people on train for tickets, rejsekorts and monthly plans every day. The same is for trains and buses but less intense. The fine is 750 kr ($150) if you are caught so it is definitely not worth it.
Host Country
Denmark is a beautiful country. In winter it can be quite miserable but the spring and summer is well worth the wait! Danish culture is quite similar to Australian in the sense that they love to drink, love their sport and have a great sense of humour. Danish people tend to be quite reserved at first but once you get to know them they are extremely fun and friendly.
As I said summer was the most beautiful season, with longer days and more people getting out and enjoying the sun. There is definitely a more festive and relaxed feel in Copenhagen- some days (at certain hours) it felt as hot as a Brissy day!
Keep in mind though that Denmark has one of the highest standards of living so eating out can be very expensive. An average meal will be between $25-30 (125-150 KR), coffee will be about $7-8.
Highlights
CPH has some amazing sights and places! For food, my friends and I loved going to the Glass markets or the indoor food hall called ‘Paper Island’. On Thursday Paper Island has discounts for students at certain food stalls for certain food items.
A great place to eat which has the lowest prices in CPH is Café Paludan, near Norreport metro station. The portions are really big, the food is delicious and the prices are very cheap for CPH standards. I definitely recommend checking out Ruby, which is among the 50 best bars in the world! The décor is quite decadent and is a very cool and intimate setting with amazing cocktails. CPH is also home to a few Michelin starred restaurants. My friends and I went to the restaurant Relae and had a 5-course meal for only $100.
