By getting involved through both DIS and local activities, you have the chance to make new friends, broaden your horizons, and develop your leadership and interpersonal skills.
Engage with Fellow Students and Locals
Being a part of a community abroad allows you to meet classmates and locals with various backgrounds, passions, and interests, creating a semester unique to you. Past students have even said these extracurricular activities became memorable talking points for resumés and interviews. Some of the opportunities include:
- Clubs and Activities: Connect with Copenhageners by joining a local organization or activity. Visit the Activity Fair Days at the start of your semester to discover how to involve yourself; opportunities include sports clubs, choirs, LGBTQIA+ groups, religious communities, and more
- LGBTQIA+ Affinity Group: A space for LGBTQIA+ students and allies to connect with one another and create community, share helpful information, and discuss experiences while studying abroad
- New in Town Meetups: From board game nights to bonfires and community dinners, New in Town meetups take place during the first weeks of the semester, and provide an opportunity to experience the city with other DIS students while socializing as the locals do
- Students of Color Affinity Group: This group aims to support students of color to celebrate, explore, and develop their identities while abroad
- Student-driven Clubs: DIS offers funding for student-initiated clubs with weekly or bi-weekly activities. You can find information in the DIS Navigate app in the beginning of the semester, about how to apply
- Student-driven Events: DIS offers support for student-driven events, such as open mic nights. Reach out to DIS if you have ideas for events that you would like to facilitate!
- Seminar Nights: Hear from local professionals about current affairs and their local perspectives; students often use this as a networking opportunity to connect with professionals in their fields of interest
Find more information about events, clubs, and communities in the DIS Navigate App, which you will gain access to before the start of your semester.
I learned to be aware of differences in lifestyle and open-minded to such differences. I learned to let go of what I thought I knew and allow my experiences to shape my cultural understanding… I learned that to truly understand culture, I have to be willing to step back from my own attitude and adapt to a new way of life. And this is exactly what I did.
– Victoria, Bucknell University
Volunteer Opportunities
During your semester, there are plenty of ways to get involved. During the Activity Fair Days, you will have the chance to learn about volunteer opportunities in Copenhagen. There are options to suit all schedules, from one-time volunteer experiences to longer-term positions. Get inspired by former students:
- Adarsh, Claremont McKenna College, volunteered with Cycling Without Age. The initiative gives nursing home residents the chance to explore the city via e-bicycle rickshaws, which are operated by volunteers. Read about Adarsh’s experience here.
- Sophia, Smith College, volunteered at a local farmers market in Copenhagen. Read about Sophia’s experience here.
- Francesca, George Washington University, interned and volunteered with various sustainable organizations in Copenhagen, one of them being the rooftop farm, ØsterGRO. Read about Francesca’s experience here.
Sign Up for the Visiting Host Program
If you are not living in a Homestay, sign up for the Visiting Host program! This will give you the opportunity to meet locals and engage in local culture by being matched with a local host, who you can visit or go on excursions with. DIS Visiting Hosts sign up mainly because they have an interest in learning about another culture and want to share their own.
Visiting Hosts may or may not have children, and may be a single parent, a retired couple, an individual with a tight-knit extended family, and have various ethnicities and orientations.
If you are genuinely interested in a building a relationship with you host(s), and can commit to getting together with them at least once a month, then this is a program for you!
Exactly how many times you meet up is up to you and your host(s). DIS will subsidize your transportation costs, covering up to four return trips to your Visiting Hosts using public transport (with a cap at 400 DKK). Be aware that if you choose to go on an excursion with your host(s), they are not expected to pay for food or any entrance tickets, etc. – so keep this in mind when making plans.
Apply for the Visiting Host Program before you depart for Copenhagen in DIS Student Registration.
DIS will endeavor to find visiting hosts for as many students as possible, but depending on demand cannot guarantee a match.