Introduction to Copenhagen Business School

Source: cbs.dk

The (ostensible) reason that I am in Denmark is to participate in an exchange program at Copenhagen Business School (CBS). In the fall, Danish students come to Purdue and in the spring, we go to Denmark. The exchange is new; Danish students have come to Purdue the past two falls, and Ziyu and I are the second and third Purdue students to participate in the exchange.

The exterior of one of the four main building at CBS.

This week we have orientation, or as it is called here, "Introduction Week." During the day we have a series of meetings about studying at CBS and living in Copenhagen. Every evening, there are social activities planned. 

I've learned a number of interesting things so far, both about Danish higher education and CBS.

CBS is the largest business school in Europe with 19,264 students, which includes 2,938 international full time students. Additionally, CBS has a large number of exchange students each semester. This term, there are 490 international exchange students representing 43 countries. 60% of the exchange students are from European countries. Exchange students pay no tuition to CBS. All fees go to the home university.

Interior of one of the main buildings.

When then would CBS want so many international students when they don't profit? Other than some oil in the North Sea, Denmark has no natural resources. As a result, the Danish economy is very open dependent on trade and innovation. Internationalization is a strategic goal at CBS and Danish workers need to be able to work in a global economy. So, Danish students benefit both by having international students come to Denmark and by being able to go on exchange in other countries (and when they Danish students go somewhere else, it's free for them).

Inside the main library at CBS.

The way courses work at CBS is very different than in America. Attendance at classes is not mandatory and your grade is totally dependent on an exam at the end of the semester. The exam can be take-home, written, oral, or a combination. If you fail the exam, you can take it again to try to pass. If you don't think you'll do well in the exam, you can cancel it and take it in another term. Danish grades are assigned on the following scale: 12, 10, 7, 4, 02, 00, -3. 02 and above are passing grades. The scale was changed to this in 2005-2006 to be more compatible with the grading scales used elsewhere in Europe.

First Few Days

My first days in Copenhagen have been spent getting settled in. I've unpacked, run errands, done paperwork for my temporary residence permit, bought a bike, and begun to explore the city. Copenhagen seems like an interesting city and I'm eager to explore more. Here are some photos from my first few days (sorry about the quality, it was pretty dark when most of these were taken).

Copenhagen has a series of lakes with bridges in the middle of the city. It snowed last night and then later today. As I was biking over the bridge in the snow, I stopped to take this picture. 

The night Ziyu, the other Purdue student arrived, we went out to dinner with her Danish buddy. We went to a cool little restaurant where I had a delicious dinner. I had a cheese and spinach tart. It was really different than anything I've had before; I think they used bread as the crust of the tart.

After Ziyu got her bike, we wanted to go somewhere so she could give it a test drive. I wanted to see  the sea, so we decided to go to the Little Mermaid, even though it is one of the most overrated tourist traps. Although we got a little lost on the way there it was a fun ride and great to see more of the city. However, the closer we got to the water, the windier it got. We were pretty cold by the time we got home.

Buying a Bicycle

I knew that I would want to buy a bicycle once I arrived in Copenhagen. In part, I need one for the research I will be doing here: studying how cyclists are organized through communication between cyclists and between physical infrastructure and cyclists. Part of my research will be my experiences cycling in Copenhagen. More practically though, a bike is the best way to get around here.

I had a few options for buying a bike. I could rent one for the semester, but it seemed too expensive and the student from Purdue who had come here previously had done that and said the bike wasn't very reliable. I decided it made more sense to buy a bike and hopefully sell it to someone else at the end of the semester. In a city full of bikes, it wasn't easy to find a secondhand one. There is a Danish website similar to Craig's List, but most of the bikes for sale there were either too expensive or in pretty bad shape. The Copenhagen police sell bikes every other Saturday, but it seems that there aren't any auctions during the winter. Before I left, I had seen a link to a website for a used bike store in Copenhagen. They also rent bikes and are working to develop cycling culture in Africa. This morning I took public transit out there hoping to find a bicycle.

The shop where I bought my bike.

They had a pretty good selection of used bikes. They're all in good condition, so not dirt cheap, but much less expensive than buying new. They also have a six month warranty and a free check up after two months, which sounded pretty good.

They had one bike with all the features I was looking for that was in my price range. I took it for a test ride around the block, then bought it.

My new bike.

It has a drop/step-through frame, something I really wanted. It was so easy to ride while wearing my long down coat. It also has a basket on the front, a luggage rack on the rear, a bell, and front and back fenders. It is three speeds. Interestingly, it has both a hand brake and brakes by pedaling backwards.

It was great to ride it home. When travelling, you can feel so limited in terms of transportation. You see a lot while walking, but it's slow. Public transit can be faster, but you are limited by the schedules and routes. It felt so freeing to be able to choose my route and speed. I think I'm really going to enjoy riding around the city.

Arrival

This morning I arrived in Copenhagen.

With the exception of getting rear ended on the highway on the way to the airport in Chicago (it was a minor accident, everyone is okay), it was an uneventful trip. I flew from Chicago to JFK to Amsterdam to Copenhagen. That made it a long trip, but I didn't have any very long layovers so there wasn't too much waiting around.

When I arrived this morning, my assigned buddy from CBS met me at the airport. She was so kind and helpful. We took the train and then the bus to arrive at my apartment. Through one of the Danish exchange students at Purdue last semester, we found an apartment to sublet from a Danish student who is abroad this semester. She was flying out this afternoon, so she was able to turn over the apartment in person and show me how everything works and answer my questions. I'll post more pictures of the apartment in the days ahead. Here are pictures of the living room, which we will also use as a second bedroom.

The apartment has two balconies! One off the living room and another off the kitchen (on the back side of the apartment).

After getting the apartment settled, my buddy took me around the neighborhood to show me where different stores are and help me get some groceries and needed household items. Since then I've been unpacking and trying to figure out what details I need to take care of over the next few days. I also went for a great run. The route I did is sure to be a regular one and I will be sure to take some pictures to share. I mostly ran on a trail around two large lakes. I was pleased to see about a dozen other runners out.

This evening I am going out to dinner with my buddy and some of her friends. After that I'm looking forward to some very sound sleep.

Introduction

I have enjoyed reading my sister's blog while she is in Bulgaria and decided to set up my own blog to share my adventures in Denmark.
I don't leave for another three weeks, so I probably won't be posting much before then, but I wanted to get this all set up before I go.