My study abroad experience in Copenhagen, Denmark

"When I reached Copenhagen in January, I was stunned by the quietness that characterized the city. That’s when I learned they have a word for this: hygge", College of Staten Island student said during her study abroad term in Denmark.

CSI student, Janet Akselrud, studied abroad in Copenhagen this year. She shared her experience in Denmark along with photos and videos during her stay. Our CSI Study Abroad advisor, Russell Davis, was able to assist at the Center for Global Engagement, and encourages other students to study abroad next term.

Choosing to study abroad for an entire semester is a big leap. It means being away from home for a long time, away from the people you know, it means learning in a new way. And that’s everything I love about it! 

In the Spring of 2022 I studied abroad with the CIEE Open Campus Block program. That means my semester was made up of three six-week blocks where I took 1-2 classes each block. Students have a choice to live anywhere from 1 to 3 countries for the semester. I chose Copenhagen, Denmark for my first two blocks and London, England for my third.

When I reached Copenhagen in January, I was stunned by the quietness that characterized the city.  It was a beautiful capital city with many people of course, and yet, unlike New York, there was no hustle culture. People would stroll through parks, or go sit at a café and eat something sweet. I felt this incredible coziness, a sense of home, whether I was in my room, at school, or in a café. That’s when I learned they have a word for this: “hygge”. 

Maybe you’ve heard of it before, hygge, the certain mood of coziness, but have you ever tried to create it in your own environment? It’s easy! Just choose dim lights that have a yellow glow, light some candles, grab a blanket, heat up a cup of tea, and bring a pastry. Even on my first day of orientation, there were candles in the student lounge in my school building. Creating those environments is so important during the winter when the sun barely shines. 

I would write so much if I could about the culture, about the difference between “lykke” and “glad”, about how safe it is to walk around by yourself at night, but I’ll end here, hoping you get to explore the city yourself one day, with a recommendation of one place to see: The Danish Architecture Center (DAC). Why? Oh, I don’t know, just the three story slide inside of the building, the huge box of legos to play with, and the amazing, sustainable, architecture!

Ps. Here’s a video I filmed for one of my classes in Copenhagen's Botanical Garden: https://youtu.be/HJzZDLx2Szc

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Interested in Denmark? See more CSI programs in Denmark here:

https://www.csi.cuny.edu/campus-life/student-services/center-global-engagement/study-abroad/programs-country/denmark

Business, Hospitality, Sports Management, and Entrepreneurship at CPH in Copenhagen, Denmark

Overview

Spend your term abroad in the premier capital of Northern Europe - Scandinavia's most fantastic city and the center of the most dynamic region in Europe, the Øresund Region. Copenhagen is one of Europe's oldest capitals with an exclusive royal touch - the monarchy in Denmark is the oldest in the world. Because of the fascinating architecture, many parks, and gourmet restaurants, Copenhagen has been christened the best city for livability, sustainability and many other factors in all of Europe. You can spend your semester finding out why and exploring everything this city has to offer, while earning credit towards your degree!

Our exchange partner is Copenhagen Business Academy (also called Cphbusiness).  This exchange is open to all business majors at CUNY only.  Cphbusiness’s campuses at Lyngby, Nørrebro and Søerne are all located in the Greater Copenhagen Area. This means that you will always have easy access to both the charming and hectic city centre of Copenhagen, with its abundance of cafés, shops and historic buildings, and to the northern, sophisticated part of Copenhagen with its green areas and beaches. In addition to being a cultural hotspot and a safe city, Copenhagen has a thriving business community. With many of Denmark’s biggest companies located in the Danish capital, it has plenty to offer for anyone seeking a future international career.

Study Abroad in Scandinavia with DIS in Copenhagen, Denmark

Overview

Spend your term abroad in the premier capital of Northern Europe - Scandinavia's most fantastic city and the center of the most dynamic region in Europe, the Øresund Region. Copenhagen is one of Europe's oldest capitals with an exclusive royal touch - the monarchy in Denmark is the oldest in the world. Because of the fascinating architecture, many parks, and gourmet restaurants, Copenhagen has been christened the best city for livability, sustainability and many other factors in all of Europe. You can spend your summer or semester finding out why and exploring everything this city has to offer, while earning credit towards your degree!

DIS, founded in 1959, has 50 years of experience in offering high quality study abroad programming in Copenhagen, taught in English for upper-level U.S. undergraduate students. Your time in this vibrant city will be supported by an excellent team of faculty and staff who lead you on program excursions and help you to make the most of your time abroad, whether for the summer or a full semester.

Contact us:

The CSI Study Abroad Team

 

Gonzalo Villena, Director of Study Abroad

​​John Dunleavy, Study Abroad Advisor

Russell Davis, Senior Study Abroad Advisor

Stephen Ferst, Executive Director, Center for Global Engagement

 

Center for Global Engagement, 2A-206​

College of Staten Island

The City University of New York​

2800 Victory Blvd.

Staten Island, NY  10314

 

718 982-2100 / Fax 718 982-2108​ 

 

Students may read program information and search by country here on the new CSI site

 

studyab@csi.cuny.edu  / www.csi.cuny.edu/international

Michelle Kushnir: 3 weeks in Copenhagen, Denmark!

This summer, I spent 3 weeks in the wonderful city of Copenhagen, Denmark. I never expected to enjoy myself as much as I did. The university I attended while I was in Copenhagen, the Danish Institute for Study Abroad (DIS), made sure everyone felt at home, along with providing a class selection that I found remarkable. From this class selection, I decided to take Danish Greenspace, a class that focused on the landscape of Denmark and how it shapes their society. Not only did I get to experience Denmark to the fullest with this class, but it has also taught me to appreciate nature more. The people of Denmark take advantage of their scenic landscape and are always outside when the weather is nice. Whether they can be found at a park or a graveyard, they really enjoy the outdoors.

The food and atmosphere of Copenhagen was very different from what I experience here in Staten Island. The most popular food in Denmark is known as smørrebrød, which is just a slice of rye bread with fish on top. Most of the time the fish is smoked herring, but other types of fish are used as well. This doesn’t seem like the typical sandwich, but it was definitely worth the try. I even started making my own because I liked it so much. There was also a dessert that I would eat almost every day called flødboller, which is just a much better version of Mallomars. While the food was different from what I’m used to, it was still delicious. The culture itself also took me by surprise. Everyone wears all black and if it isn’t black, it’s another dark color. Red, orange or yellow are rare colors on the streets of Copenhagen. You would think wearing all black would look bland, but it made the Danes look sophisticated and stylish.

One amazing experience I will never forget from Denmark was the weekend biking trip DIS offered where you get to go to a different island of Denmark (the country has four islands), which was Bornholm. On this island, we were able to bike wherever we wanted. My group decided to go to a tiny city called Tejn where I had the best strawberry cake ever, and Svaneke where there were glass blowing, caramel shops, smoked herring and their very own brewery. While these cities were not the biggest, the culture that thrived there was fascinating and made the miles of biking worth it.

The main reason I wanted to go to Copenhagen was for its nickname, “Europe’s most eco-friendly city”. The city is known for its public transportation, where travelling by bus, train, or bike is supported while travelling by car is discouraged. Biking, specifically, is very popular in Copenhagen and wherever you go in the city, there are bicyclists everywhere. They even have huge parking sections for bikes because they are used so much. It gives the city a clean, spacious feel due to the little use of cars. Another way Copenhagen is eco-friendly is the creation of the many parks in the city. I went to so many different parks while in the city, and every time I felt like I was transported somewhere else. The people of Copenhagen really enjoy these parks, which preserve various amounts of nature so the city doesn’t turn into all concrete. This eco-friendly culture was pushed in order to make Copenhagen better, and it was successful, since most Danes are on board with preserving their city’s nature and enjoy the use of biking. Overall, my experience in Denmark was amazing and I cannot wait to go back.