More Danes should study abroad, says agency

Danish students should leave their comfort zone, and take a term abroad. This is according to student ambassador reps of EDU, a private organization that works on behalf of partner universities abroad.

EDU, a representative in Denmark of about 40 universities abroad, provides guidance without charge to Danish students seeking to study abroad.

Anders Kruse is a so-called ambassador for the EDU. The University Post met him at a semester start fair this week at the Faculty of Social Sciences, where he was handing out flyers and posters encouraging fellow students to study abroad through the EDU.

A bit like a vacation, yet more

He himself is an agricultural economics student at the Faculty of Science and a good example of what it takes to go abroad. His hopes of studying abroad seemed to fade last year because the UCPH could not find him placement through their exchange programme. He, however, took matters into his own hands, and contacted EDU. That paid off in the spring of 2012 when EDU found him placement at Griffith University in Australia.

Anders needed to stay at Griffith University for only four months but, too excited about studying in Australia, he left two months ahead of time.

»In a way, it’s also like a vacation where you enjoy a different lifestyle, meet new people and have fun,« says Anders. Of course, studying abroad is more than just that.

EDU has helped more and more students

»It also gives you an experience to study in a different language, to be in an English speaking environment, and, in your every day communication, to use some academic words that are otherwise buried in your text book here in Denmark.«

EDU has been sending Danish students abroad since 1999, and provides free guidance to students. More than half of EDU’s partner universities are in the US and Australia. However, it also sends students to countries as diverse as Hong Kong and New Zealand, Mexico and Singapore, among others.

Lærke Hansen, project assistant at the EDU is another UCPH student, who studied herself a semester in California in 2011. »We have helped more than 2,500 students to study abroad. And we are helping more and more each semester. In 2012 we have helped 25 percent more students than in 2011,« she says.

Want to study abroad? Check out their website

michael.c.mammo@adm.ku.dk

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