Review: Lægeforeningens Kollegium — Østerbro’s best kept secret

Heavy traffic hurtles down Østerbrogade, just a few metres from Lægeforeningens Kollegium. In the distance you can just make out the roof of Parken stadium, a ghostly apparition in the fog that obscures the view from the dorm’s spacious roof terrace. Alfred Turner, Chairman of the Resident’s Committee, assures me the view is usually fantastic: »In the summer, almost all the residents come up here. We set up tables and barbecues, and we sunbathe.«

Lægeforeningens Kollegium tends to be overshadowed by the better-known, large dorms like Egmont and Rigshospitalets Kollegium, which are located in the same area. For the residents here, the smaller size of the dorm is a plus. They enjoy a close-knit community and socialise with residents throughout the whole dorm, not just on their own floor.

A sense of community from day one

Lægeforeningens Kollegium has 5 floors, each with its own communal kitchen. The rooms all have their own bathroom and toilet. And it is impossible to not get involved in the community atmosphere, says Alfred Turner, who showed me around the dorm.

»From the very first day, everyone comes up to you and asks if they can help you to move in. I think it is the community culture. We work hard to make this a great place to live,« he says.

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Is it compulsory to be social?

»Not at all. But it is hard not to be a part of it, especially because we all share a kitchen. There is always something going on. You never get home and think ‘what should I do now’. It’s all very impulsive.«

As well as the day-to-day activities at the dorm, there are several regular events organised by residents. This includes the dorm classic of a food club, where residents take turns to host a communal meal for everyone on their floor. On Alfred’s floor, there is food club five times a week.

During the year, each kitchen group also hosts a party for all the other residents. But unlike the larger dorms in the city, the residents do not party every night. And they want to keep it this way: »It makes it nicer to live here,« says Alfred. »It is fun to have parties but it is also cool to have somewhere to retreat to. In our kitchens you can just wander around looking a mess and have a chat. «

Not just for medical students

The name Lægeforeningens Kollegium implies that the dorm is only for medical students, but this is a relic from the earliest days of the dorm in the 1960s, when the Danish Medical Association wanted to create somewhere for the children of doctors to live.

Nowadays, the 90 or so rooms in the dorm are occupied by students from all disciplines.

»We usually have a lot of residents who are studying at SUND, but this is because we are located close to Panum. We have everyone from mechanical engineers, electrical engineers and DTU graduates to political scientists, economists and computer scientists living here,« says Alfred Turner.

People love living at the Lægeforeningens Kollegium. When our tour reaches the first-floor kitchen, we encounter a group of residents gathered around the TV. The conversation quickly turns to what makes this dorm special, and one of them exclaims that they are probably the longest-tenured resident of the dorm: »10 years! «

[This review has been written by a student reporter at the University Post. If you want to write an English-language review of your dorm write to uni-avis@adm.ku.dk and mark it ‘Dorms Disclosed’]

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