A Deep Dive On Housing
As I arrived in Copenhagen, one of the things that I was most nervous about was the housing situation. After all, the place you live shapes a large part of the study abroad experience!
Nimbus Kollegium
I had listed a kollegium as my first choice because I hoped to live with some local roommates, and I was indeed granted my wish. Through the semester, I lived in a single room within an apartment of 5 people at Nimbus Kollegium. The kollegium's location in Frederiksberg meant that my commute to class usually took about 25 minutes with a combination of walking and taking the metro. The location had numerous grocery stores and shops within just a couple blocks, which was incredibly helpful. The neighborhood also featured several parks, lovely restaurants and cafes, street art on nearby buildings, and an overall very charming residential feel.
The kollegium put on numerous events throughout the semester to encourage community. Although I was often busy for many of these events, I especially loved the floor dinner, when we cooked and ate alongside the apartment across the hall.
My Apartment
The apartment included a common room with a kitchen, a balcony, two bathrooms, one double bedroom, and three single bedrooms. The five roommates included three DIS students (two of whom shared a room), and two local students. The apartment was modern and clean, and had been decorated by previous residents over time in a very cosy way. We had a large dining table and couch where we could gather.
I was pleasantly surprised to find that the kitchen was very well stocked! We had almost all the cooking utensils I could ask for, including lots of tupperware containers that previous residents had left behind. When we had issues with our mini fridge partway through the semester, DIS even helped us to replace it with an even bigger and more functional refrigerator.
Even better, many basic household items were provided. Whenever we needed more soap, toilet paper, or cleaning supplies, we could get some from the basement. The basement also had laundry machines. It was very nice that our laundry was free, but the machines didn't always work, and the dryers were not very effective. I do believe that they are in the process of being replaced for future residents, though.
My Room
Overall, my room was well stocked with everything that I needed. It had a wardrobe (including hangers), bed (including linens and a pillow), desk, shelves, and bedside table. I ended up getting two small laundry baskets from the "sustainable boutique" in the basement, where previous residents can leave behind items that they don't want to take with them. In addition, I purchased an extra blanket, a small rug, a tabletop mirror, and some sticky hooks for the wall.
Overall, I was very happy with my housing situation! The living conditions were great, and I would definitely recommend the experience of a kollegium to any future students.
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