Reflecting on my year at the University of Copenhagen 

By Ellen Sleeuw, University of Copenhagen, Denmark

I could write a dissertation on my year abroad. I still think back to it and can’t quite believe it happened. I learned so much, met so many people, and gained the most amazing memories that I will cherish forever. There were of course also challenging times, but I think learning from these made the experience even more rewarding.

The summer before moving I was a nervous wreck (Sorry mum!). The thoughts of not going at all entered my head several times, as the fear of the unknown was overwhelming. Nevertheless, on the 21^st of August I got on a plane with 2 suitcases full of my belongings and made my way to Copenhagen. Therefore, I think one of the biggest rewards from my year abroad was just gaining confidence through pushing myself to do things that made me feel nervous and that were outside of my comfort zone. 

Attending new classes put me into a different learning environment. Most prominently these classes were smaller than I was used to in Manchester and very much discussion based. I would usually just attend a lecture, make notes and listen. However I have learned to have confidence in my opinions and to contribute to conversations during class. This made the learning experience all the more rewarding as the interaction with other students and professors allowed me to gain more insightful knowledge on the topic. Furthermore, a common form of assessment was group projects and presentations. Public speaking is one of my worst nightmares; the shaking and clammy hands, trembling voice, and awkward eye contact, I would avoid putting myself in that situation at all costs. But this last year I have had to learn to become better at it, and I think because the Danish students are used to it, I learned a lot from them, and I realised that asking them for help is ok. By the end I was able to present without any notes and answer people’s questions about the presentation. I think the biggest take away is to just enjoy the process, believe in what you’re saying, and realise that no one is judging you. 

Also in terms of academics, I have learned to have a much healthier work-life-balance. This has been in part due to Danish culture, but also the nature of the year aboard. Most students don’t work until crazy late at night, instead they reserve their evenings for social and leisure time; a time to relax and switch off from the day. My friends and I often made dinner together and just spent the evenings chatting, and these are some of my favourite times. I think this is really important and has been especially useful to have going into my final year at the university of Manchester, where I know there is going to be more work than this past year in Copenhagen. But I will remember that resting and being social is just as important at working hard. 

Most people are nervous to move abroad because you are on your own at first, leaving behind your friends and community that you’ve created over the last 2 years in Manchester. The thought of going to welcome events on your own is terrifying, what if you don’t meet anyone? However, that was so far from what happened. Of course you are not going to be best friends with everyone that you meet, however, by talking to lots of people you will eventually find your people. I have now made friends who live all over the world, and these are friends I share so many special memories and experiences with. Whilst leaving them all was hard, it’s exciting to plan where we should meet next! 

Additionally, travelling around Scandinavia and Denmark also highlighted that there are so many beautiful places to visit, and that there are so many possibilities for after university. Seeing so many people come from all over the world, illustrated to me that there is no one set path in life, it’s just as important to explore and experience new cultures and places. 

Go in with no expectations and just say yes. I think this was first reiterated for me when my experience with the housing foundation went badly, and I didn’t get the accommodation I had expected. But when I arrived, I soon learned to love my room and my slightly longer commute, as it meant I got to spend more time cycling around. Also my flatmates were all so lovely and we soon turned our flat into a very homely and comfortable space. I think the same thing about expectations applies to meeting people as well, you will meet so many people, many of whom will be different from friends from home, but don’t’ close yourself off, everyone is there to meet new people and make the most of their year aboard. An open mind will also make trying new things easier, for instance, I joined a beginners CrossFit team, and also started cold dipping, also I was able to try some modules that were slightly outside of Geography, and this just pushed me and allowed me to learn about topics which I find really interesting, but wouldn’t have got the chance to take at home (I know this isn’t possible for all courses, but if it is I would recommend). All of these things were new to me, but it didn’t take long for me to learn to love them. 

I know that everyone says it, but my year abroad truly was one of the best experiences I’ve had yet, and I would recommend it to everyone!