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Review: Lægeforeningens Kollegium — Østerbro’s best kept secret

Dorms Disclosed — At Lægeforeningens Kollegium, there is never a dull moment, but that doesn’t mean you will be partying every night

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.

LÆGEFORENINGENS KOLLEGIUM

Address: Hesseløgade 56, 2100 Copenhagen Ø

Rent: DKK 3150 per month

Average age: 23 years

Application process: Apply at s.dk. A motivated application letter is not required.

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.

SEE THE FULL ‘DORMS DISCLOSED’ UNIVERSITY POST SERIES: Reviews by student residents of dorms and residence halls in Copenhagen

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. «

A seating area at the dorm.
image: Meike Sørensen
In the second-floor kitchen, there is a Wall of Fame.
image: Meike Sørensen
The walls of the corridors are adorned with pictures of heads of state consuming alcohol.
image: Meike Sørensen

Not just for medical students

Dorms disclosed

There are loads of dormitories, kollegiums, and student residences in Copenhagen, yet most of the information available is in Danish.

Some are small, old houses with pretty gardens, others are giant concrete buildings with tiny windows.

This is a review by a student reporter. But in the Dorms Disclosed series, it is the residents themselves that review the dorms that they live in.

Here is an overview with links to all of the dormitory and student accommodation reviews we have published so far, written by the people who know them the best.

If you want to write an English-language review of your dorm write to uni-avis@adm.ku.dk with ‘Dorms Disclosed’ in the subject header.

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’]

READ ABOUT OTHER RESIDENCE HALLS AND DORMS HERE: Student housing reviews: Dorms and residences in Copenhagen

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