DIS Blog
Student Blogger Digest
Fall in Scandinavia
Choosing the perfect time to study abroad isn’t always easy, but for these students, fall in Scandinavia was the ideal choice.
Every student has their own motivation — some are drawn by unique academic courses they couldn’t otherwise take at their home school, while others want to experience the final days of summer. Some look forward to experiencing all the cultural and seasonal activities fall in Scandinavia has to other, and others anticipate the magic of Copenhagen and Stockholm lighting up for the winter holidays.
Read below to find out why each student chose to start their school year in Scandinavia.
Embracing autumn in Copenhagen
When Oli decided to study abroad in the fall, he was concerned he’d miss lots of festivities on his home university’s campus.
But he soon realized that there was so much to do in Copenhagen. Baking carrot cake in his kollegium’s common kitchen, paying multiple visits to the fall-themed Tivoli amusement park, enjoying the fresh air at the Dyrehaven nature reserve, apple picking at a nearby orchard, celebrating Halloween with newly-made friends… he wasn’t missing out on those trademark fall activities in the slightest.
“I’ve also been able to find a lot of comfort in the fundamentals of a fall semester. Jumping headfirst into perfect city-exploration weather, still finding ways to celebrate American holidays, appreciating the beauty of autumn, eating warm pølser (hotdogs) in the cold, and having the glow of holiday lights around to fight the short days at the cusp of winter: these were a few of the fondest parts of my time in Copenhagen.”
Read Oli’s thoughts on appreciating all that a fall semester has to offer.
Celebrating the season abroad
Fall is full of holidays and traditions, both in the U.S. and in Scandinavia.
While spending this time of year abroad away from family and friends can be challenging, fall in Scandinavia opens up all kinds of opportunities to experience new traditions and to reimagine old ones, which is exactly what Sam did during her fall in Stockholm.
From Friendsgiving to holiday markets to julbords to ballets, there was no shortage of fall-themed activities in the city.
“There’s less than a week left here in Stockholm. I am excited to be reunited with friends and family when I go home, but don’t worry, I haven’t missed out on the holidays abroad. This post will be designated to all the festive things I’ve gotten up to these past few weeks.”
Read Sam’s festive occasions and activities for inspiration.
Catching the end of summer
As a self described “true summer girl,” Caroline felt a bit nervous to arrive in Copenhagen at the tail-end of her favorite season. She was worried the warm, spontaneous adventures of summer would be quickly tempered by Denmark’s cooler, rainy climate.
Thankfully, that isn’t quite how things came to pass.
“I was excited to experience some of the Scandinavian summer that I was used to seeing on TikTok and reading on travel websites. I got to enjoy Reffen, take some dips in the ocean, romanticize riding my bike through the warm breeze. The end of summer in Copenhagen was a gift to experience.”
