Pros and Cons: Study Abroad in Copenhagen

By: Isabella del Rosario

When studying abroad you will likely visit lots of different types of cities. Some you will really enjoy and some maybe not so much. During my time abroad I spent 6 weeks in 3 different locations and all of them were very different experiences. One experience I am going to share with you is my time in Copenhagen, Denmark and a few of the city’s pros and cons. 

Pros of Copenhagen Study Abroad

Let’s start off on a positive note with a couple pros. One concern for a lot of people studying abroad is the language barrier but don’t worry about that in Copenhagen because virtually everyone speaks english. Danes typically start to learn english in first grade so they tend to speak english very well. This has been helpful since things that are written in the danish language are not easy to understand so being able to communicate with people who are willing to help you is nice. 

Along with this, Danes are overall a friendly group of people. If you need help finding your way on the street or even if you lose your phone, the people of Copenhagen will give you a hand. There have been many times where someone has lost something of value in CIEE and someone has turned in their valuables within no time. I know this can sound like a little bit of a stretch but believe it! 

Did you know that as of 2023 Copenhagen was determined to be the safest city in the ENTIRE world? This is maybe the biggest pro of studying in Copenhagen. Violent crime rates are extremely low and the crime that happens most often seems to be property crimes like theft or burglary. All in all, Copenhagen has an abundance of good traits but of course, nowhere is perfect.

Now on to some cons…

Cons of Copenhagen Study Abroad

First and foremost one great thing about Denmark in general is their socialized welfare system, this is very beneficial for all of their citizens but unfortunately for us study abroad students there are some drawbacks. This system relies on the high taxes that end up paying for the people of Denmark to have all these benefits but since we are just studying here we are paying the high sales taxes but not exactly benefitting from them. Therefore, everything here in Copenhagen tends to be wayyyy more expensive compared to other locations in Europe. 

As of 2023 Copenhagen is the eighth most expensive city in Europe. Staying on the theme of money, another thing to talk about is the currency. In Denmark they use the Danish Kroner so comparatively one US dollar is equivalent to about seven danish krones. Naturally, this conversion might make it hard to know how much you are spending on things like at the grocery store for example if you do not have it completely memorized. This is different because in some other European countries like France or Italy, they use Euros which are much closer in value to US dollars. 

In general, these cons are things that can be worked around with a well thought out budget and a conversion calculator open on your phone. In my personal opinion, the pros definitely outweigh the cons and studying in Copenhagen is totally worth it. I have had a wonderful experience here with CIEE and I am glad to have visited this great city!!