A Summary of the First Month WEEK 1 Welcome to Demark Dad and I arrived in a rainy Copenhagen early morning on January 18th; it was a fun few days preparing my dorm room, seeing the sites and trying some classic Danish cuisine with him in my "new" city. I also participated in the 'Danish Crash Course' social week which included an introduction to Copenhagen Business School from the international department, bowling, a few local bars and meeting the other students. This week we also introduced ourselves to nightlife in Copenhagen! January 18 - January 24 | "To Travel is to Live" |
WEEK 2
The week of 'learning the ropes.'
Everything about this week was a little challenge, from getting lost on the city streets,
& looking for food to eat, to registering to be a danish resident. Luckily all of the exchange students felt the same dizzying disruption that comes with living in a new city so we could manage together.
One great aspect of Copenhagen (something I did not have when I lived in Shanghai)
is that most everyone speaks impeccable English. It helps immensely with directions, and general day to day things.
Wasting no time, a group from our dorm (Lauren, Louise, Dan, Jordan, Tyler & I) set off to see Berlin, Germany.
[info. about Berlin in separate post]
January 25 - January 31
WEEK 3
First Classes
My semester abroad is separated into two quarters. Each quarter I am enrolled in two classes.
February 2nd was the first day of classes and also a terribly rainy/windy day.
I made the 20 minute trek to "Retail Marketing" just hoping the wind would not take my umbrella apart. The first thing I noticed during the class was the lack of academic experience my professors had combined. They each stood up and gave introductions including their personal work & teaching experience. None of the four professors had a PHD or had taught at the University level for more than three years. They were however very successful in their professional careers
working as researchers, managers, and private consultants on the topic of Retail.
The retail marketing curriculum is designed to introduce students to the multi-faceted and quickly adapting world of retail. We discuss major retailing organizations from the traditional such as Walmart to the unique like Ikea and the increasing presence of online retailers such as Amazon. The key piece of information I took away from the semester of the class is for the retailer to focus its energy (whether it be marketing, sales, product assortment, store design, etc.) on the "shopper." It is key to make the distinction between shopper and consumer - they are not always the same.
The other class I had Quarter 3 was "Sports Economics." Similar to Retail Marketing, this class is taught by an industry professional not a trained academic. Professor Troels Troelson is also the Chairman of the Danish Athletic Federation and sits as a part of the Danish Olympic Elite Committee. His experience and network is incredible. Our primary benefit from his network (besides knowledge!) has been invitations to soccer & handball matches as well as horse races.
February 1 - February 7
WEEK 4
The Short Week
Feeling pretty well adjusted to the weather and organization of Copenhagen, this short week was spent enjoying the campus of Copenhagen Business School, going to the gym, and exploring Copenhagen's nightlife.
We found a great place for buy one-get one drinks on Wednesday nights called "Kassen." We also found a few other local bars in the city streets of Copenhagen. Then I went to paris!
[Info. about Paris in separate post]
February 8 - February 14
The week of 'learning the ropes.'
Everything about this week was a little challenge, from getting lost on the city streets,
& looking for food to eat, to registering to be a danish resident. Luckily all of the exchange students felt the same dizzying disruption that comes with living in a new city so we could manage together.
One great aspect of Copenhagen (something I did not have when I lived in Shanghai)
is that most everyone speaks impeccable English. It helps immensely with directions, and general day to day things.
Wasting no time, a group from our dorm (Lauren, Louise, Dan, Jordan, Tyler & I) set off to see Berlin, Germany.
[info. about Berlin in separate post]
January 25 - January 31
WEEK 3
First Classes
My semester abroad is separated into two quarters. Each quarter I am enrolled in two classes.
February 2nd was the first day of classes and also a terribly rainy/windy day.
I made the 20 minute trek to "Retail Marketing" just hoping the wind would not take my umbrella apart. The first thing I noticed during the class was the lack of academic experience my professors had combined. They each stood up and gave introductions including their personal work & teaching experience. None of the four professors had a PHD or had taught at the University level for more than three years. They were however very successful in their professional careers
working as researchers, managers, and private consultants on the topic of Retail.
The retail marketing curriculum is designed to introduce students to the multi-faceted and quickly adapting world of retail. We discuss major retailing organizations from the traditional such as Walmart to the unique like Ikea and the increasing presence of online retailers such as Amazon. The key piece of information I took away from the semester of the class is for the retailer to focus its energy (whether it be marketing, sales, product assortment, store design, etc.) on the "shopper." It is key to make the distinction between shopper and consumer - they are not always the same.
The other class I had Quarter 3 was "Sports Economics." Similar to Retail Marketing, this class is taught by an industry professional not a trained academic. Professor Troels Troelson is also the Chairman of the Danish Athletic Federation and sits as a part of the Danish Olympic Elite Committee. His experience and network is incredible. Our primary benefit from his network (besides knowledge!) has been invitations to soccer & handball matches as well as horse races.
February 1 - February 7
WEEK 4
The Short Week
Feeling pretty well adjusted to the weather and organization of Copenhagen, this short week was spent enjoying the campus of Copenhagen Business School, going to the gym, and exploring Copenhagen's nightlife.
We found a great place for buy one-get one drinks on Wednesday nights called "Kassen." We also found a few other local bars in the city streets of Copenhagen. Then I went to paris!
[Info. about Paris in separate post]
February 8 - February 14