Pre-Departure Reflections

Now that 2026 has officially begun, my departure for Copenhagen feels a lot more real. I've finished all of the logistical hurdles — filling out the forms, moving out of my college dorm room, buying the right adapters — which has given me more time to reflect on what I'm hoping to get out of the study abroad experience.

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This will not be my first time studying abroad, but I know that it will certainly be an entirely new experience. So far, I've participated in Princeton's Novogratz Bridge Year Program in Indonesia (a 9-month gap year before matriculating) and done two summer internships in Barcelona, Spain and Bogotá, Colombia. With each of those opportunities, I was exposed to a different place with a different daily routine. I can't wait to be immersed in Copenhagen's student life.

One of the main reasons that I chose DIS Copenhagen as my study abroad destination was that their classes seem to complement the rest of my college education well, providing content on urban design and urban planning that isn't offered at my home university. I've taken many architecture studios already, but I'm looking forward to the slightly broader scope and increased community integration of the Urban Design Studio that I'm taking as my core course.

I think that it will be especially fascinating to work in the studio alongside peers from so many diverse programs. I'm sure that people undertaking slightly different tracks — like a 5-year B.Arch as opposed to the four-year A.B. in architecture that I'm doing — will have lots of experience and skills that I don't, so I know I'll be able to learn a lot from them as well as from the instructors.

I also appreciate how grounded in its location DIS appears to be, with lots of field trips and excursions built into every class. It certainly seems that my learning process will be very influenced by where I am, which is exactly what I'm hoping for. And I'm especially excited to embark on my study tour through Germany and the Netherlands!

Of course, I'm sure my study abroad experience will be shaped by much more than just class time. I hope to take the time to really get to know Copenhagen, discovering my favorite coffee shops and museums, exploring new activities each week, and visiting every bit of interesting architecture I can find. I’ve even started to research a couple of potential weekend trips to other countries!

For the moment, I’m pretty much just overwhelmed by excitement. Over the coming weeks, I’ll learn my housing assignment, get in contact with my roommates, and begin to know the specifics that will shape my life over the next semester. I hope that this blog will be a great outlet by which to document the entire process.