Name: Line Nørgaard
Major: Communication and Digital Media
Year in school: 3rd
Program/Where you went: I went from University of Aalborg-Copenhagen to University of Wisconsin-Green Bay.
My name is Line (Pronounced Lee-Nuh) I’m 22 years old and I’m from Denmark (The country, not the city). I study at the University of Aalborg-Copenhagen, where my major is Communication and Digital Media.
Reasons to study abroad
There were a lot of reasons for me to study abroad. In terms of my education I was able to take some courses at UWGB, which my own university did not offer. By studying abroad, I could therefore make my education profile much more specific to what I envision for my future.
I work in marketing in my everyday life, in the heart of Copenhagen, for an entrepreneurial business. By going abroad, I have had the chance to study Mass Media Advertising, which is very useful for my job. In fact, my bosses encouraged me to go abroad because they see great value in me developing my skills. If you ever consider studying abroad, don’t be afraid of losing your job, as it can be a way of you showing that you want to improve your skills.
And lastly, and perhaps most importantly, I love traveling and learning about new cultures. Sure, you learn a lot by studying, but the skills of adapting to a new culture, traveling, and learning about other cultures are priceless. This is the second time I have studied abroad, and there’s a reason why I keep doing it – you learn a lot about the world you live in.
A question I get asked a lot is: Why UWGB? Well, my university in Denmark has an agreement with UWGB where we send a couple of Danish students to UWGB, and UWGB can send a couple of students to the University of Aalborg. This was partly the reason why I chose to study here. In Denmark we can choose from a lot of different universities to study at, and UWGB was the one that fit my profile the best. If you’re considering going abroad, and you have a lot of different universities to choose from, I suggest you write down what you want out of the stay and research which universities live up to your expectations. For example, I thought the 360-degree of learning approach of UWGB was very appealing, and therefore another reason for me to choose this university over another.
Worries of going abroad
The application process is the part that scares most people away from going abroad. I’m not going to lie; it’s an incredibly difficult and time-consuming process, but it’s absolutely worth it. The amount of things you get to experience and learn about another culture is absolutely amazing – a privilege really. If you find the application process to be really overwhelming, don’t worry. I found it to be really helpful to make a list of the different deadlines, and don’t be afraid to write to your Exchange Coordinator – they are there to help you. I also found it helpful to talk to people who were in the same position as me, and we would help each other write our applications and support each other.
Another worry a lot of people have is: will I be able to keep up with the educational level? Now, this isn’t really a worry that should keep you away from studying abroad. Your professors will know about your situation, and they will understand that it takes some time to adapt to their system. Also, most universities offer help to write assignments, so take advantage of what your school offers. And most importantly, don’t be afraid to ask your classmates for help. They will probably be more than happy to help you out.
My experience in America so far
I have been in America for a month and a half now, and I have already learned so much, met a lot of cool people, and experienced many things. This is the first time I have been to America, and growing up watching 90210, I had a lot of expectations for university life in the states. One of my favorite things so far, which may seem like a normal thing to Americans, is that everyone lives on campus. In Denmark we don’t live on campus, and universities are often placed in big cities. So for a student in Denmark, we would probably be more connected to the city we live in than the community surrounding our campus. I really enjoy the close community surrounding the university here in America – it almost feels like being on a 4 month long camping trip.
Going to a different country will mean that you will have to adapt to a new culture. It’s very important to stay open-minded about how another culture does different things. And hey, you might learn something from it. If you have this attitude people are more likely to want to tell you about their culture. You don’t have to agree on the differences there are between the country you come from and the one you’re staying in, but it is important to respect the differences. For example, I can respect that cheese soup is a thing over here, but I don’t necessarily understand its hype.
Differences between Denmark and America
There are a lot of differences between living in Denmark and living in America. For example, everyone drives a car over here no matter how far the destination is. In Copenhagen, where I live, there’s a culture for riding your bike instead of driving a car. I will bike at least 11 miles a day, all year round – in the simmering heat of the summer, through rain and snow, and heck, I have even ridden my bike during hurricanes in Copenhagen. This is partly because Copenhagen is a city that focuses on being environmental friendly, but also because cars are insanely expensive in Denmark.
Another thing where Americans and Danes really differ is the way we express excitement. In Denmark we understate most emotions, so if I were to get an A grade, I would say it was fine. This doesn’t mean that I’m not excited; this would be me when I’m extremely excited. This contrasts quite a lot to Americans who use words like “amazing” and “excellent” quite often. It’s not unusual for Americans to ask us why we aren’t more excited. Danish people are pretty content and happy most of the time. We are after all the world’s happiest nation; we just express it in a different way.
Going abroad is an amazing opportunity and it’s really rewarding—especially since the world is becoming more globalized. I feel lucky to say that I have been able to study abroad twice, and I encourage anyone to go for it.