A Student's Guide to Study Abroad in Denmark
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A STUDENT’S GUIDE TO STUDY ABROAD IN DENMARK Prepared by the Center for Global Education CONTENTS Section 1: Nuts and Bolts 1.1 Contact Information & Emergency Contact Information 1.2 Program Participant List 1.3 Term Calendar 1.4 Passport & Visas 1.5 Power of Attorney and Medical Release 1.6 International Student Identity Card 1.7 Register to Vote 1.8 Travel Dates/Group Arrival 1.9 Orientation 1.10 What to Bring Section 2: Studying & Living Abroad 2.1 Academics Abroad 2.2 Money and Banking 2.3 Housing and Meals Abroad 2.4 Service Abroad 2.5 Email Access 2.6 Cell Phones and Communications Home 2.7 Travel Tips Section 3: All About Culture 3.1 Experiential Learning: What it’s all about 3.2 Adjusting to a New Culture 3.3 Culture Learning: Customs and Values Section 4: Health and Safety 4.1 Safety Abroad: A Framework 4.2 Health Care and Insurance 4.3 Women’s Issues Abroad 4.4 HIV 4.5 Drugs 4.6 Traffic 4.7 Politics 4.8 Voting by Absentee Ballot Section 5: Coming Back 5.1 Registration & Housing 5.2 Reentry and Readjustment SECTION 1: Nuts and Bolts 1.1 CONTACT INFORMATION Denmark’s International Study Program Vestergade 7 DK 1456 Copenhagen K Denmark 45-33-11-01-44 (tel) 45-33-93-26-24 (fax) email: [email protected] (Copenhagen office) email: [email protected] (U.S. office) website: www.dis.dk 24-hour emergency contact number: (U.S.) 612 627-0140 (Denmark) 011-45-4096-9894 (drop 011-45 for calls within Denmark) For questions about the academic program or your registration contact: Maryn Wells: [email protected] For questions about student life, housing issues, general adjustment contact: Anette Frederiksen: [email protected] First contact number for parents (always) and for students prior to departure DIS North American Office 2233 University Avenue West, Suite 201 St. Paul, MN 55114 USA 1-800-247-3477 CENTER FOR GLOBAL EDUCATION EMERGENCY NUMBER AFTER HOURS/WEEKENDS: 315-781-3333 Thomas D’Agostino, Director Center for Global Education Hobart and William Smith Colleges 660 S Main St. Trinity Hall, 3rd Floor Geneva, New York 14456 315-781-3307 (tel) 315-781-3023 (fax) e-mail: [email protected] Contact for: Emergencies and other critical issues Amy S. Teel, Programs Operations Manager (same address, tel, fax) e-mail: [email protected] Contact for: Program details, flight information, academic credit, etc. Doug Reilly, Programming Coordinator (same address, phone and fax) e-mail: [email protected] Contact for: Orientation questions, return issues, SIIF grants, the Aleph, etc. 2 Sharon Walsh, Short Term Programs Coordinator (same address, phone and fax) e-mail: [email protected] Contact for: Info on short-term/summer programs Sue Perry, Office Support Specialist (same address, phone and fax) e-mail: [email protected] Contact for: Paperwork, general inquiries ADDRESS, PHONES AND FAX OF AFFILIATE HOST INSTITUTION IN DENMARK Final decisions about housing placements are made just prior to your arrival in Denmark, therefore, your Danish address at the kollegium, apartment with Danish roommate or homestay will first be provided to you when you arrive in Copenhagen. The address below can be used throughout your stay; please leave it with friends, family, and campus/study abroad administrators: (Your name) c/o DIS, Denmark’s International Study Program Vestergade 7 1456 Copenhagen K Denmark Phone: (+45) 3311 0144 Fax: (+45) 3393 2624 1.2 PROGRAM PARTICIPANT LIST Copenhagen Fall 2014 Name E‐mail Barber,Beatrice [email protected] Cleary,Madeline [email protected] Connolly,Hannah [email protected] Davidson,Paige [email protected] Grossnickle,Pascale [email protected] Mendez,Kathryn [email protected] Miskovsky,Megan [email protected] Moore,Colleen [email protected] Stratton,Emily [email protected] Tanner,Alison [email protected] Walker,Amanda [email protected] Keep in mind that HWS students comprise just a fraction of the students at DIS and you will soon be integrated into a much larger group of students from all over the U.S. 3 1.3 TERM CALENDAR Fall 2014 Date Event Fri, Aug 15 – Sat, Aug 16 Latest Departure from U.S. Sat, Aug 16 – Sun, Aug 17 Arrival in Copenhagen Mon, Aug 18 – Wed, Aug 20 Start of Semester with the DIS Arrival Workshop Thu, Aug 21 Start of classes Mon, Sep 08 – Sat, Sep 13 Core Course Week Sat, Sep 27 – Sun, Oct 05 Week-Long Study Tour Sat, Oct 18 – Sun, Oct 26 Week-Long Study Tour Sat, Nov 08 – Sun, Nov 16 Travel Break Mon, Dec 08 – Fri, Dec 12 Final Exams Sat, Dec 13 Last day of semester. Earliest departure to U.S. Sun, Dec 14 DIS housing closes at noon 1.4 PASSPORTS AND VISAS By now you should have your passport. If you are a U.S. citizen, you do not need a visa in advance of your arrival in Denmark but you WILL need to obtain a residency permit on arrival and DIS will help you with this. By now, all of you should have received an email from DIS about the process and about any documents that you will need to bring with you to Denmark. They will also bill you $300 directly for the residency permit fees as these are charged by the Danish government. The permit is NOT covered by your HWS tuition but is your own responsibility as it is in lieu of a visa. If you are a citizen of a country that is not visa-exempt, you will follow a similar procedure as for the U.S. students but will need to secure your visa in advance of going to Denmark. DIS will help you. One rule, across programs; make copies of your passport’s identification page (with the photo on it) any pages with entry stamps, as well as your residency permit once you have one in your passport). Put these copies in various locations. Leave one at home with your parents. Put them in different pieces of luggage/locations. Here’s why: if you lose your passport, having a copy of it will make getting a new one much, much easier. 1.5 POWER OF ATTORNEY/MEDICAL RELEASE Sometimes, after students have departed the U.S., important issues arise that require legal signatures or procedures. An example is a student loan or financial aid document that requires a student signature – but you will be gone and generally a fax or photocopy is not considered ‘legal’ in lieu of an original signature. We recommend that you consider signing Power of Attorney over to your parent(s) to cover such eventuality. Since the form and process varies from state to state, we cannot cover all options here but you can easily find Power of Attorney information for your state online. In a similar vein, we encourage you to prepare and sign a general release giving permission for insurance companies and medical practitioners to speak with your parents in the case of emergencies and so that they can help you make medical decisions and/or file claims on your behalf. You can bring a copy of this with you and leave one with your parent(s). If you are uncomfortable with signing a general release, you can also sign more limited or specific releases to control or release 4 specific sorts of information. Keep in mind that if you are over 18, medical providers may refuse to share any information at all about your condition without such written consent which will limit your parents’ ability to assist you. 1.6 INTERNATIONAL STUDENT IDENTITY CARD (ISIC) You may want to purchase the $25.00 International Student Identity Card (ISIC). This card provides coverage for a lost passport, baggage delay or loss and other traveler services like cell phone plans etc. and entitles you to student discounts in most countries. The ISIC card is also a pre-paid Mastercard so you can add money to it if you’d like to and use it up to the value on the card. Order the card online at http://www.myisic.com/. Finally, if your passport is lost or stolen, you will be eligible for special replacement services which will expedite the process and pay for a new passport. Be sure to make a photocopy of the card in case you lose it; the cost of replacing it will be covered by ISIC as long as you have the ID number and issue date from the card, although you will need to pay for the new card up front and put in a claim for reimbursement. Some students have reported that they were able to change currency with no fee when they showed their ISIC card, so do ask about this when changing money. 1.7 VOTING FROM ABROAD DURING ELECTION YEARS If you are not already registered as a voter in your home state (or in Geneva, NY), you can register before you leave the U.S. so that you are able to vote by absentee ballot while abroad. Most states now offer voter registration at the local Department of Motor Vehicles. You can register EVEN if you can’t drive! Please see section 4.8 of this guide for more information on obtaining an absentee ballot once you are a registered voter. 1.8 TRAVEL DATES/GROUP ARRIVAL There will not be a group flight for Copenhagen. However, if you are interested in working with a travel agent specializing in student travel to make the arrangements for you, you might want to contact Advantage Travel at 1-315-471-2222.