{"id":11106,"date":"2025-02-20T16:45:30","date_gmt":"2025-02-20T06:45:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.qut.edu.au\/gone-global\/?p=11106"},"modified":"2025-10-23T11:15:04","modified_gmt":"2025-10-23T01:15:04","slug":"my-danish-winter-and-some-summer-a-semester-in-copenhagen","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.qut.edu.au\/gone-global\/2025\/02\/20\/my-danish-winter-and-some-summer-a-semester-in-copenhagen\/","title":{"rendered":"My Danish Winter (and some Summer): A Semester in Copenhagen"},"content":{"rendered":"

Alice – Copenhagen Business School<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Semester 2, 2024<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Bachelor of Business \/ Bachelor of Creative Industries<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Hej! I\u2019m Alice, and I\u2019m 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.<\/p>\n

After a year of research and careful planning, CBS was my first choice\u2014mainly 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\u2019t have electives, I had to find exact subject matches, which was a challenge. If you\u2019re in the same situation, start early and check in with your faculty about course progression\u2014it\u2019ll make the process much smoother.<\/p>\n

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Arriving in Denmark & Accommodation<\/strong><\/p>\n

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\u2019t great\u2014several buddies withdrew before I even arrived, and the one I was finally assigned wasn\u2019t available to meet me at the airport. That said, I would still recommend signing up, as it\u2019s helpful to have a local contact during your first few weeks.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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\u2014so I was surprised (and slightly horrified) when I was assigned a shared one instead. Even though CBS clearly stated that changes weren\u2019t 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!<\/p>\n

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CBS also offered an intro week package, which included social events like a city scavenger hunt, traditional Danish dancing, and sunset meetups. I\u2019d highly recommend joining, as it\u2019s a great way to meet other exchange students and settle into the city.<\/p>\n

Uni Life at CBS<\/strong><\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

CBS also has a wide range of student clubs, many of which are free to join. If you\u2019re 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.<\/p>\n

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 \u2018lectures,\u2019 even if they involve collaboration and hands-on activities\u2014what 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 \u2018exams.\u2019<\/p>\n

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\u2014but it was a valuable learning experience.<\/p>\n

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Danish Culture & Everyday Life<\/strong><\/p>\n

Danish people are friendly but can seem reserved at first. It takes time to build friendships, but once you do, they\u2019re very welcoming. That said, they\u2019re much more social in nightlife settings\u2014going out for drinks is one of the easiest ways to connect with them.<\/p>\n

One thing that stood out to me was public drinking culture. Unlike in Australia, it\u2019s completely legal to drink in parks, on public transport, or while walking down the street. In summer, it\u2019s common to see people having picnics with drinks in the city\u2019s many green spaces\u2014it\u2019s also a great way to save money on socialising.<\/p>\n

Another cultural difference is how common harbour swimming is. There are designated swimming areas throughout the city, and it\u2019s completely normal for people\u2014locals and tourists alike\u2014to take a dip. It\u2019s also socially acceptable for women to swim topless, which was something I wasn\u2019t used to seeing.<\/p>\n

My favourite thing to do during Summer was visiting \u2018La Banchina\u2019, a caf\u00e9 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 caf\u00e9s and taking scenic strolls in Copenhagen\u2019s beautiful parks.<\/p>\n

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Final Thoughts & Tips<\/strong><\/p>\n

Here are a few key takeaways from my experience:<\/p>\n