Alice – Copenhagen Business School
Semester 2, 2024
Bachelor of Business / Bachelor of Creative Industries
Hej! I’m Alice, and I’m heading into my final year of Business (Advertising) and Creative Industries (Fashion Communications). In the second semester of 2024, I packed my bags (and an unreasonable number of winter coats) and headed to Copenhagen Business School (CBS) for an exchange semester.
After a year of research and careful planning, CBS was my first choice—mainly because of the subject selection. Finding a university that offered the right classes was honestly the hardest part of the application process for me. Since I didn’t have electives, I had to find exact subject matches, which was a challenge. If you’re in the same situation, start early and check in with your faculty about course progression—it’ll make the process much smoother.
Arriving in Denmark & Accommodation
After travelling around Europe with my family, I arrived in Copenhagen from Spain about a week before classes started. CBS offers a buddy program, where a local student helps you settle in. Unfortunately, my experience with this wasn’t great—several buddies withdrew before I even arrived, and the one I was finally assigned wasn’t available to meet me at the airport. That said, I would still recommend signing up, as it’s helpful to have a local contact during your first few weeks.
For housing, I applied for CBS-organised student accommodation. There are several options, some exclusively for CBS exchange students and others mixed with Danish students. I was placed at Kathrine Kollegiet, which was exchange students only.
When applying, you can preference different residences, room sizes, and whether you want a single or shared room. As someone who really values alone time, my main priority was a single room—so I was surprised (and slightly horrified) when I was assigned a shared one instead. Even though CBS clearly stated that changes weren’t possible, I decided to email the housing team just in case. To my surprise, they responded within two days offering me a single room at Kathrine Kollegiet. Lesson learned: it never hurts to ask!
CBS also offered an intro week package, which included social events like a city scavenger hunt, traditional Danish dancing, and sunset meetups. I’d highly recommend joining, as it’s a great way to meet other exchange students and settle into the city.
Uni Life at CBS
CBS is spread across a few campuses, but the main buildings are within walking distance of each other. The canteen is a great budget-friendly option, operating on a pay-by-weight system, which is useful in an expensive city like Copenhagen.
CBS also has a wide range of student clubs, many of which are free to join. If you’re looking to meet Danish students, this is a good opportunity especially since most of your classes might be primarily made up of other exchange students as were mine.
The teaching style is similar to QUT. However, the terminology used is different which can take a bit of getting used to. Most classes are considered ‘lectures,’ even if they involve collaboration and hands-on activities—what we would typically call tutorials. There are often multiple lectures per week for a single subject. Another terminology difference is that all assessments, including written assignments completed at home, are referred to as ‘exams.’
The biggest academic adjustment for me was the oral exams. Unlike presentations where you speak in front of a class, these are one-on-one discussions between you and the professor. It felt more like a job interview than a standard exam, and it was definitely outside of my comfort zone—but it was a valuable learning experience.
Danish Culture & Everyday Life
Danish people are friendly but can seem reserved at first. It takes time to build friendships, but once you do, they’re very welcoming. That said, they’re much more social in nightlife settings—going out for drinks is one of the easiest ways to connect with them.
One thing that stood out to me was public drinking culture. Unlike in Australia, it’s completely legal to drink in parks, on public transport, or while walking down the street. In summer, it’s common to see people having picnics with drinks in the city’s many green spaces—it’s also a great way to save money on socialising.
Another cultural difference is how common harbour swimming is. There are designated swimming areas throughout the city, and it’s completely normal for people—locals and tourists alike—to take a dip. It’s also socially acceptable for women to swim topless, which was something I wasn’t used to seeing.
My favourite thing to do during Summer was visiting ‘La Banchina’, a café and swimming spot where you could order food and drinks and enjoy it with your feet dipped into the water. As the weather got colder, I loved exploring different cafés and taking scenic strolls in Copenhagen’s beautiful parks.
Final Thoughts & Tips
Here are a few key takeaways from my experience:
- Plan ahead: Course approvals, accommodation applications, and visas take time—start early.
- Expect some challenges: Whether it’s accommodation mix-ups, cultural differences, or navigating a new education system, there will be moments of frustration. Stay flexible and adaptable.
- Get involved: Joining activities and saying yes to social events makes settling in much easier.
- Be prepared for some solo time: Studying abroad can be lonely at times but keeping yourself busy helps.
- How to acquire bike: I used Swapfiets, which is a subscription service where you pay per month for your bike. You can also buy second hand on places like Facebook Marketplace or Ebay
Find out how you can apply for exchange via the QUT Student Exchange website.
