Copenhagen Exchange Report KRISTA STEWART BUSINESS SCHOOL FALL 2016 [email protected] Table of Contents Visa Requirements ...... 3 Student/Residence Permit ...... 3 CPR Number ...... 3 Insurance ...... 3 Arrival ...... 4 Services ...... 4 Finances ...... 4 Cell Phone ...... 4 Gym Membership ...... 5 Academics ...... 5 Registering for Courses ...... 5 Evaluation and Exams ...... 5 Classroom and Teaching ...... 6 Online Systems ...... 7 Campus Facilities ...... 7 Language ...... 7 Language Course ...... 7 Outside the Classroom ...... 8 CBS and International Office ...... 8 Food ...... 8 Accommodation ...... 9 Transportation ...... 9 Public Transit ...... 9 Buying a Bike ...... 10 Costs and Expenses ...... 10 Must See and Do ...... 10 Departure ...... 10 Packing List ...... 11 Culture Shock ...... 11 Overall Impressions ...... 11 Things to Do, See and Eat ...... 12 To See ...... 12 To Eat ...... 12 To Drink ...... 12

Visa Requirements Student/Residence Permit As a Canadian, I was required to apply for a residence permit to study in . This is essentially a visa and is applied for through VFS Global Services- can no longer be applied for through the consulate directly. CBS is very good at telling you all the steps of the process and automatically providing you with the information you need. They will send you a copy of your acceptance letter and their portion of the ST1 form completed that you will need to submit with your application. The process is straightforward and the total fee should be around $550 Canadian- so don't be shocked like I was! This is significantly higher than other countries but you become a temporary resident of Denmark and have full access to healthcare while you're there once you apply for your CPR number (see below).

You will have to go to the VFS Offices to have your biometrics taken. They will hold your passport for a week and you will have to go back and pick to pick it up or pay $45 for courier service. Within 45 days you will receive an email from the Danish consulate with the information you need to register for your CPR number once you land in Denmark.

Although application process was easy, dealing with VFS Global was an infuriating experience. At the end they also changed the hours of pick up for my passport once I got there by an hour so had to wait. Any North American I spoke to had a less than pleasant experience with VFS.

NOTE: You need a colour photocopy of your passport despite it not being specified on the Danish Consulate’s website. Don’t get stuck like I did. Fortunately, there is a photocopy shop in the basement but it cost me $19 to photocopy it.

CPR Number Once you land in Denmark you have five days to register with your municipality for your CPR number. You will need the letter send from the consulate, a copy of the main page of your passport and a copy of your lease. When I was at the office they told me the information from CBS about where you can go to register is incarcerate. They told me that as a student you must go to International House (Gyldenløvesgade 11, 1600 København V) to register. They will have extended hours only for students at the end of August. Be sure to have photocopies of your documents or else you will be waiting in line for about an hour and a half. If you have all your documents, there should be no wait. Your CPR card should arrive in 2 to 3 weeks after you submit everything. You need to make sure your name is on the mailbox in order to receive it.

Mine took just over a month to arrive as they had over 12,000 applicants this fall which is much higher than normal. Insurance Even though I was covered for health care through my province (NS) and Denmark I decided to get international travel insurance through my bank as I wanted to travel during my stay. I deal with Scotiabank (coverage via Manulife) and got a great deal for student coverage. It was just over four months for $245. Here is the link to look at pricing: http://www.scotiabank.com/ca/en/0,,116,00.html Arrival I signed up for the buddy system through CBS. My first buddy dropped out and I didn’t hear back from the second so I reached out the buddy office directly. Another buddy met me at the airport. Typically, I think it is a straightforward experience where they have a sign with your name on it and are waiting for you. Mine didn’t have a sign and I didn’t know who I was looking for, so spent 20 minutes until I finally found her. She took me to my apartment where I met my landlord then took me sightseeing and to CBS to get the welcome package buddies normally have when they pick you up. In it, there is information on the school, events, and a SIM card which the one I ended up using for the first bit in Copenhagen.

Uber and taxis are expensive so you will likely take the metro and bus to get to your accommodation. Everything is done by zone so depending on where you’re staying you will need to buy a ticket for 3 or 4 zones. Services Finances I took only 100 DKK that I got as a gift with me that I got as a gift. The general exchange rate is 1 CND to 5 DKK. Almost everywhere in Copenhagen accepts international credit cards although sometimes there is a small fee added (1.5%).

Scotiabank has a Global ATM Alliance but unfortunately there are none in Denmark. Each withdrawal I do charges me $5 CND so I used it sparingly. Throughout the process, I only took out money twice in Denmark. I believe TD has a bank account you can use for withdrawals internationally but the service fee is at least $30 CND a month if not slightly more. Tangerine charges $3 for their international withdrawals, so slightly better than Scotiabank.

If you do want to open a bank account once you get you CPR number you will be able to open a bank account all you need is a passport and your CPR number. I didn’t want to pay fees to wire my money over and because my CPR number took so long arriving I was used to using my own Visa.

Cell Phone If you don't plan on traveling and needing data I would recommend using the Lebara card that comes in the welcome package. They have amazing prices for Denmark and can be paid using your credit card. The catch is that their roaming data charges are astronomical. I would suggest the "roam like home" package at Telia for about $40 CND a month for 10G of data that you can roam with and an additional 5G to use just in Denmark. The only problem with Telia is that you will need to pay your bill in cash at the post office and prepay in advance before you leave Denmark (Unless you open a Danish bank account, you can pay online).

Gym Membership CBS doesn’t have gym facilities but the student exchange program coordinated a discounted student price at FitnessDK for the semester that I ended up getting. They’re a great gym with locations across both Copenhagen and Denmark. There is also Fitnessworld where their regular price is similar to the student discount at FitnessDK. The facilities are much better and it is less busy at FitnessDK so I would recommend them. They also have a great selection of classes. Most of the instructors are accommodating if you let them know you don't speak Danish, you'll likely not be the only one in the class who doesn't. Academics Registering for Courses It is important to note that four Schulich credits = four CBS credits. A normal course load for CBS is four courses. If you need to take five courses you will need to apply for a course overload and get a letter from Schulich. I didn’t need to do this so can’t elaborate on the process. If you’re also registered for your 601 in your exchange term, then you don’t need to worry about the extra credit. I found the course load lighter than at Schulich because of a lack of assignments throughout the semester, so I think you’d easily be able to take five courses but if you plan on traveling while in Denmark and are also doing your 601 I wouldn’t recommend it.

Registering for courses is a confusing experience and is done quite early (late April to early May). You will need to pick four main courses and a backup option for eachn’t available. It’s not on a first come first served basis like Schulich but I was lucky and got my first pick for all classes that I wanted. You won’t know for a while what your courses are and then even later after that you will find out your course schedule. I think there are other registration ‘rounds’ that occur if you don’t like your classes or need to make changes.

Be sure to keep an eye on your schedule! Not only do your classes change days of the week, but times and classrooms as well. You need to make sure no more than 4 hours of class time overlap or else you will need to change one of them. Again, I was lucky and only 45 minutes of class time overlapped for me.

Evaluation and Exams Your classes will likely be 100% final exam (oral, take home or written in class), with no graded assignments during the year. That’s not to say you won’t have assignments. If you do, you will use to assignment as the base for your exam. Two of my exams were in class and two were take home. The in-class exams were done on school computers with access to notes and anything you put on your personal drive at school. For my take home exams, one was based on a business plan we had developed over the course of the semester and the other based on course material over the semester. All of them were heavily focused on course readings so it is really important to keep up throughout the semester. If you don't, you'll likely end up trying to read hundreds of pages in a very short period. I printed a lot of my reading or downloaded them on my iPad so was able to read during flights and airport layovers.

I didn't have any oral exams but from talking to classmates they're often based on a project you did in a group over the semester. Here, each of you will present the work you did. Depending on the course you will all get an individual grade or one collectively.

Exam dates come out fairly early in the semester so you'll be able to plan your travel accordingly. For oral exams, they will give you a three-day range and then tell you closer on. You also have three attempts to pass each exam if you don't the first time. You also have the option of submitting a blank exam the first time if you don't feel ready. All re-write dates are also released at the beginning of the semester. Again, depending on the instructor, you will either have a new exam question, the same question or be given the chance to improve your old exam.

Since some of the exams can be in January, during launch week the International Relations office tells you to let them know if this happens as soon as possible so they can make alternate arrangements for you. Again, the accommodation depends on the professor. Sometimes you’re given a take home assignment instead of an in-class exam, or sometimes they’ll let you skype in for an oral exam.

Don’t expect to hear back about your grades soon. It will take up to six weeks for you to hear what your grades are. The professors have four weeks to mark and then another two weeks to input and double check the grades.

Classroom and Teaching At CBS you’re not allowed to take MBA courses so will be taking general Masters level courses. This means you’ll likely be the only MBA in your classes. Depending on the course, most of my classmates were Danish. CBS has a lot of international full degree students at CBS from other parts of Europe- primarily Scandinavia and Germany. There were always a few exchange students in my classes.

Don’t expect to get to know too many of your classmates well unless you’re in groups. A lot of locals in Masters programs also work or intern at the same time so don’t always stick around after class.

The teaching style for the classes I took was similar to those at Schulich. A lot of students don’t attend class on a weekly basis so although the class sizes might have been the same, attendance was lower. Classes were typically interactive with professors asking students to participate. Except for one professor who co-taught with another, all the professors I had were incredible and a better quality than I’ve had at Schulich.

All the professors spoke impeccable English as did most the students. I would say language was less of a barrier here than it is at Schulich.

Another nice thing is that the professors directly link all of the articles for class on the syllabus. Two of my classes had required textbooks but I was able to go to the library and use the reserved copies. In total, I only ended up buying a $20 course pack over the semester.

Online Systems Just like Schulich, there are few different online systems: • Learn.cbs.dk is where you’ll find the class syllabus, course discussions, lecture slides etc. • Online Student Services is where you’ll find course and exam registration information as well as final grades • Student email can be accessed online, through your phone and outlook.com

Campus Facilities CBS is spread across a few buildings so depending on what one you’re in the setup will be different. I had classes in all of the buildings at least once during the semester. All the newer classrooms have plugs for charging your laptop, some of the older ones might only have a few.

The main difference between Schulich and CBS are that CBS is spread across many different buildings. Each will have a canteen, printing facilities and a reading room or library. At a few of the libraries, including the main one at Solbjerg Plads you’re able to reserve up to 38 hours of specific library study seats through booking.cbs.dk. You’ll need to do this especially during exam time when it’s packed, otherwise, someone will kick you out of the seat if they have it booked.

The libraries at the other buildings like Dalgas Have aren’t normally as busy, but they’re also not as nice. The reading room at Graduate House is a great quite option. It’s newly renovated building and is only for Graduate students.

The main campus at Solbjerg Plads has a café/bar called Nexus. They have better coffee here than The Canteen and is slightly cheaper. There have a few table games as well as tables for studying or grabbing a drink with friends. Nexus hosts a massive party at the beginning of the semester as well as big parties every Thursday night. They also have karaoke, open-mic, and trivia nights throughout the semester. Language Language Course During the first week of orientation CBS offers a Danish language course at a fee; however, it is essentially the same course offered for free throughout the year. I opted to take the free course and all you need to register is a CPR number. Information on how to register will be in your CBS welcome package and can easily be completed online.

Although I ended up dropping the Danish class because I was going to miss two of the tests, it was useful to learn key phrases and words. I also used Duolingo while I was here and found it just as helpful as the language classes.

Outside the Classroom Almost everyone in Copenhagen speaks impeccable English. At no point did I find myself unable to communicate with someone or overwhelmed for not understanding. CBS and International Office There are two weeks of orientation offered at CBS at the end of August. The first, as mentioned above, is a language crash course as well as an evening social package- both available at a fee. The second week is offered for free and is mandatory. Here, you will learn about the various online learning portals, the library, and other on-campus services available. You can also pay for an evening social package (around $100 CND). This is the best way to meet other exchange students. For me, this is the only way I met them as I lived off campus.

The student exchange coordinators planned two trips for exchange students at the beginning of the semester. I signed up for both options. One was to Berlin and the other a tour of Denmark and cost about $200 CND each. I loved the tour of Denmark but would probably opt to do Berlin on my own. Be sure to find your semester’s Facebook group (something like CBS EXCHANGE STUDENTS – FALL 2016) to find out about the orientation week programs, trips and events throughout the semester.

As I previously mentioned CBS has a buddy system where they pair you with a CBS student volunteer. I never heard from my buddy, which was disappointing, but I know others who had a great experience and became good friends. Despite my experience, I would strongly suggest signing up for the program. It's a great way to meet locals- which isn't that easy to do.

While I didn’t have a need to deal with the International Office I only heard wonderful things. They seem really helpful and willing to help students in any way possible. Food Grocery stores are everywhere! There were 12 within a five-minute walk from my apartment. The government has a regulation on store sizes so most will be quite small. Discount grocery stores are Netto, Aldi, and Kiwi while Fotex, Fakta are mid range. Irma is slightly more expensive stores but offers a lot of organic options. Fotex would be the most similar to a North American store in terms of layout, selection, and size. There are also many fruit stands/markets around the city that can be quite cheap. Nørrebro has the cheapest grocery prices in the city, especially at the Turkish fruit stands!

As with most things in Copenhagen, eating is expensive! Groceries will typically run 20-30% more than at home. Eating out is exceptionally pricey and most locals only go out on occasion and opt to eat at home and bring prepared food to school. The Canteen at CBS does offer healthy, decent food at North American prices and is a popular option for students.

If you like coffee a good to save money is to buy the ‘kilpkort’ that cafes sell (ex, Emmery’s, Joe & the Juice, The Canteen) They’re essentially a punch card where you pre-buy 10 coffees, lattes etc at a cheaper price and you use the punch card whenever you want to purchase one. It's a great system but would suck if you lost the card. Accommodation Finding accommodation in Copenhagen isn't easy for anyone, especially students. I didn’t get housing in residence through their online system so I reached out to the housing office. They emailed be back saying they had a room for $1,950/mth which was way above my budget. Moreover, it had a shared kitchen with 10-12 people and a washroom shared with one other person. Every exchange student I spoke to didn’t get in but e-mailed the office and were given something. The same room I was offered someone at $1,650/mth, so I’m not sure how their pricing works.

I was able to find housing through the private housing office. I was very nervous with this method as I had to send a deposit in advance and my official lease was in Danish. I was worried it was a scam but in the end, it turned out to be perfect! I was matched with a mother and her 14-year-old daughter. I had a massive room, access to the kitchen and two washrooms for $750 CND a month. I had access to an in-unit washing machine and a pay dryer in the basement or drying racks which is what I used. This is a bargain compared everything else! I was about a 20 min bike ride from the CBS campus and about 15 minutes from downtown. The only thing that would have been nice would have been to be closer to friends and other students, but my accommodation was nicer, clean and quiet.

I was told in advance that Airbnb wouldn’t work for accommodation as it doesn’t allow for CPR registration. It can work if your ‘landlord’ is willing to write up a temporary rental agreement showing your information and that you’ve paid and they’re willing to have you register. Transportation The fastest, cheapest and easiest way to get around it by bike. Although the transit system is fast and easy to navigate I bought a bike with a basket and it made everything so much easier to get around. I was nervous at first cycling in a city especially coming from such an unfriendly bike city but quickly adjusted. Cyclists have the right way over cars which makes things easier. Most of the accidents that happen are between cyclists and not cyclists and cars like Toronto.

Public Transit My first month I bought a metro pass for two zones (375 DKK, $75 CND) that was well worth it until I got my bearings and was able to get a bike. It is an excellent option if you’re not interested in biking. After the first month, I bought a Rejsekort for 80 DKK which is a reloadable travel card. You tap in and tap out of buses, the metro, and train system. If you’re switching between transportation methods, you need to tap in at each new method and tap out once at the end. Typically, trips are 15 DKK each (20 DKK in rush hour). This makes it much cheaper than paying for individual transit fair.

Buying a Bike The best place to buy a bike is online on a secondhand site or via Buy / Sell Used Bike Copenhagen on Facebook. Make sure you get one that’s decent quality so you’re able to resell it when you leave. I wouldn’t recommend spending more than 1,200 DKK or 1,500 DKK for a really nice bike. There is an app you can use to check bike serial numbers to make sure you're not buying a stolen one. You can also register yours with the city so you can report it should yours happen to be stolen. I way overpaid for my bike but bought it from a store that guaranteed to rebuy at a high price. Unfortunately, they went out of business before I left and my landlord was kind enough to sell it for me.

Fun Fact: the highest rate of crime in Denmark is bike theft where 66,000 are stolen a year. Costs and Expenses Life in Denmark isn’t cheap despite it being the least expensive of the Scandinavian capitals. Everything except for my cell phone was much more expensive. Below is a small breakdown of what I spent over the semester:

Item Amount Accommodation 15 000 DKK ($3,000 CDN) / semester Textbooks 100 DKK ($20 CDN) / semester Transportation Bus 1,275 DKK ($255 CDN) / semester Bike 800 DKK ($160 CDN) / semester Groceries Groceries 200 and 300 DKK ($40-60 CDN) / week

Restaurants 300 DKK ($60 CDN) / week Cell Phone Lebara 99 DKK ($20) / mth Telia 200DKK ($40 CND) / mth

Must See and Do See list at end of the report – it’s long! Departure When leaving Denmark you need to deregister your CPR number with the municipality at least five says before you leave the country. This can be done online with a NEM ID or in person at Københabns Borgerservice (Nyropsgade 7, 1602 København V). In person, they will cut up your cards, or if you deregister online you cut them up on your own.

As with arrival, CBS is really good at letting you know exactly what you need to do in order to leave Denmark. You can also e-mail your deregistration to CBS and they will do it for you.

Packing List Everything you need can be purchased in Denmark it will just be more expensive because of the 25% tax. I bought a lot of things I needed when I traveled to countries outside of Northern Europe where prices are more reasonable.

Suggested items are: • Power adaptors and converters o Many of your products (ex, Apple products) will have built in watts and volts range so will only need adaptors and not converters • Copy of Danish residence permit for arrival and CPR application • License – as a form of ID or if you plan on traveling and renting a car • Photocopies of: lease agreement, passport (photo page), residence permit from consulate o Will make getting CPR number much faster and easier • Debit and Credit cards • Few Danish Kroners for first couple days • Unlocked cell phone • Seasonal clothes (around 22 to 27 when I landed and 0 to 4 when I left) • Any of your absolute favourite products or treats from home • Winter clothing* o If you’re used to Canadian winters, don’t bother wasting space bringing a winter clothing. Except for maybe a day, you won’t need it in Copenhagen. You should bring it if you plan on traveling more north in Europe at the end of November or December. Culture Shock I didn’t experience culture shock while in Denmark. The culture is extremely similar to that of Canada despite the language being different. The fact that almost everyone speaks fluent English made the transition significantly easier. I’m from Halifax so even the climate was similar and it was wonderful being on the ocean again. Overall Impressions Copenhagen is an absolutely beautiful city. Once you get to know them, Danes are extremely kind and welcoming. Overall, going on exchange was an amazing and rewarding experience. It was an incredible opportunity to experience a new culture in-depth and meet new people. It also provided me with an opportunity to explore new countries on the weekends. I would highly recommend going on exchange and especially Copenhagen if you have the chance!

Things to Do, See and Eat To See • Tivoli – Theme park located downtown Copenhagen. Be sure to go back for Christmas market • – Nice gardens and park around the castle where you can sit and relax Statue of Hans Christian Andersen is also in the park • Rundetaarn – Round tower with a spiral ramp to walk up. Amazing views of the city! • The Little Mermaid – Small, iconic landmark based on book • Kongens Nytorv (Strøget) – Main outdoor shopping street. Lots of high end and moderate options • Frederik’s Church – Stunning interior. Guided tours at 1:00PM for a small fee • Kronborg Castle (Helsingør, DK – north of Copenhagen) – This is the castle from Hamlet. They have live performances of the play across the castle. Really neat! • Christmas Markets – All over the city but the main one is ay , also one at Carlsberg. Be sure to try the gløgg (mulled wine) and Æbleskiver "Pancake Puffs"

To Eat • Copenhagen Street Food – Great selection and relatively cheap. Exactly as the name implies, can find basically any kind of food here. Everything from falafel, duck fat fries, to calamari • Torvehallerne – More upscale version of Copenhagen Street Food • Gorm's – Awesome pizza. Multiple locations. • Ida Davidson – I never went but it was recommended by too many people. Serves Smørrebrød (open faced sandwiches) a signature Danish dish • Grillen – Three locations, awesome burgers. I preferred it to the "Halifax" burger chain in Copenhagen. Get the spicy fries. • Bertels – Good cheesecake in life. Credit card only. • Leckerbaer – In Osterbro. Famous Danish cookies • Holm Bageri – Another great bakery chain • Conditori La Glace – These are the Danish butter cookies you must try. Don't buy them in a tin, get them here.

To Drink • Emmery's – Amazing 100% organic cafe chain across the city. Really good pastries as well. • FUGU – Drinks are pricey but unbelievably good. Really cool hidden garden. It's covered for when it rains. • Ruby – Top ten cocktail bar in the world. Drinks run about 110 DKK ($22 CND) but totally delicious. • A.C. Perch's – Tea option if you’re not a coffee drinker • Baresso – Danish Starbucks. All coffee is pricey in Copenhagen but the quality is there • Coffee Collective – Some of the best coffee in Copenhagen