COPENHAGEN BUSINESS SCHOOL – FALL 2015

Travel Report / 422413

1. Preparing for the exchange

Registration and Documents

I got my first email from Copenhagen Business School on 25.3, quite quickly after Aalto had published
the exchange application results. In the email CBS sent information about registration to CBS, housing
application and residence permits. All communication with the exchange office at CBS went really
smoothly.

The registration was done in an online flow, and a link to access it was sent to me about a month after
getting my first email. Everything is done online, so I didn’t have to worry about mailing anything to
the university. During the flow I had to upload the following documents:
1) CV in English
2) Scanned image of passport (photo page)
3) Scan of most recent university transcript

Students who are not from English-speaking countries or Scandinavia also have to upload proof of
English proficiency, which can be a TOEFL, IELTS, CPE or CAE test. As a Finnish student I didn’t have to
prove my language skills in any way.

A preliminary course selection is also done in the registration flow, so it’s a very good idea to have a
look on the CBS website in beforehand and see what courses you would like to take. It is possible to
make changes later, but students will already be placed on courses based on the choices they make
during the registration.

Traveling to Host University and Moving to Denmark

Traveling to Denmark is very easy and quick, and flights are quite cheap. Trains and the metro run
straight to Copenhagen airport, so it isn’t too hard to get to your accommodation when you arrive.
Copenhagen Business School offers a “buddy” to every incoming exchange student. A buddy is a CBS
student who will come greet you at the airport, give you a welcome package with information about
studying and life in Copenhagen and help you get your luggage to your place.

CBS’s international office organizes an introduction week at the beginning of each semester, during
which exchange students are given a tour of the campus, some introductory lectures and information
about the library, IT etc. There is also a social programme that you can buy. It cost about 50€ in fall
2015, but I think it was worth it, just for the chance of getting to know other exchange students better
before school starts.

There are around 300-400 dorm rooms available for CBS exchange students via the university.
However, there are way more incoming students (~800 when I was there). This means that the
housing application process is hectic and getting a room is really a matter of luck and clicking on the
link in your email the second it arrives. The date and time it is published is available on the CBS
website about a month before. I didn’t get a room from CBS even though I was updating my browser
minutes before the email was sent to us, so prepare to have a plan B. A few weeks later I was offered a
room in private housing, which means you would live with a Danish family/person in their spare
room. I declined the offer since I had found an apartment through my contacts, but it is really worth
noting that the apartment situation in Copenhagen is very bad.

Finnish citizens don’t have to apply for a residence permit when moving to Denmark. The school
however wishes that all students would get a Danish civil registration number (CPR). The CPR-number
is quite easy to get, but there can be long queues at the International house in Copenhagen around the
beginning of a new semester. One of my Finnish friends didn’t get a CPR-number at all and it worked
out okay for her. Nevertheless, if you’d like to get for example a gym membership in Denmark, a CPR is
often required.

2. Exchange studies
Terms and general information

In autumn 2015 the exchange student introduction week started on August 24th and teaching ended in
mid-December. This was followed by an examination period, and exams can go on until Christmas. I
still had one at-home electronic exam in mid-January, but in general exams end in December.

The spring semester 2016 runs from 25.1. when the introductory programme starts, until around mid-
June.

There is a great selection of courses available for exchange students at CBS. There are around 100
undergrad courses in English and at least as many graduate courses. There are also some courses
offered in Danish. Exchange students are not required to choose a program from CBS, and they are free
to choose courses according to their own interests. The courses range from finance and economics to
more applied strategic subjects, big data and even fashion and design business.

My courses

I took four courses during my exchange, since nearly all courses at CBS are 7,5 ECTS. I didn’t feel like
the workload was bigger than for the 6 ECTS courses at Aalto, but they were not too easy, either. The
courses I took were:

Danish Integrated Skills (BINBV1106U)

Undergraduate - 7,5 ECTS
Lecturer: Lise Toft
Exam: individual oral exam
This was a Danish language course, which covered the basics of the language, like basic small talk,
ordering at a café or restaurant and everyday conversations. Most other students had a really hard
time on this course, but if you know Swedish the only thing you really have to learn is a new
pronunciation and some expressions. It was nice knowing more Danish though, and I’m sure it would
have been a lot harder to understand spoken Danish without this course. If you want a course that is a
bit less work, this is a good option. The exam was an individual oral exam about the course material,
though the teacher accommodates according to the student’s level. I ended up trying to explain aerial
yoga in Danish!

Neuroeconomics (BHAAV6014U)
Undergraduate – 7,5 ECTS
Lecturer: Bettina Hornbøll and Jon Sigurd Wegener
Exam: open book exam/case study at home, turned in online
The course covers the basics of neuroeconomics, trying to understand economic decision making from
a neurological base. I learnt for example about the science behind risk-taking, making choices and co-
operation, as well as consumer research. I expected this course to be more psychology-related, but the
teachers really went into neurology, human biology and brain anatomy.

The Neuroeconomics course was interesting, and I could suggest it to someone interested in
marketing and maybe finance or management. There are a lot of academic papers in the course
material and I think it sometimes went a bit too deeply into the neurology aspect, regarding that the
audience are business students. This was the most academically demanding course I took, and I did
enjoy it.

There were two teachers on this course, due to a change in schedule that proved to be challenging for
both the original teacher and many students. Both lecturers were neuroscientists and definitely
experts on the course material, but while Jon Wegener was very motivating and interesting to listen to,
Bettina Hornbøll was more to-the-point and not quite as talented as a speaker.

Sports Economics (BHAAV1078U)

Undergraduate – 7,5 ECTS
Lecturer: Troels Troelsen
Exam: essay/project at home
As the name tells, this course focuses on the economics of sports. Topics include e.g. organizing mega
sports events, sponsoring, competitive balance, league structure and financing sports teams. The exam
for the course is an individual project about pretty much anything that is related to sports and
business or the economy. The students are quite free to choose their topic based on their own
interests, so if you are interested in a specific discipline or phenomenon, it is possible to focus on that.
On top of the exam there are workshops during the course, where teams of 4-5 students present a
predetermined topic.

I think Sports Economics is a very interesting course for someone who is passionate about sports. The
lecturer, Troels Troelsen, is an old sportsman who is extremely knowledgeable about several aspects
of sports. I found Troelsen to be easy to listen to; he knows how to keep his students interested. The
course has a lot of material that is nice to know but won’t be super useful for someone who is not
planning a career in a sports organization. It might however be well suited for someone who is
interested in celebrity endorsements and alternative marketing channels or event management.

Fashion Entrepreneurship and Business Development (BBLCV6000U)

Undergraduate – 7,5 ECTS
Lecturer: Fabian Csaba, Henrik Spandet-Møller, Kathrine Weicker
Exam: group project and oral exam
The FEBD course covers a wide array of topics related to managing a fashion company, from finance to
marketing and purchasing. There is also a focus on developing a business from a start-up to an
established company, making a business plan and doing collaborations etc. The course has three
lecturers, academic Fabian Csaba, man behind the success of several Danish fashion companies Henrik
Spander-Møller and mentor to design startups Kathrine Weicker. This means that they have good
knowledge of the fashion industry from several viewpoints.

A large part of the learning process is achieved in the group project that also serves as the basis for a
group oral exam at the end of the course. Students are free to choose a fashion business related topic
they find interesting. On my course the projects ranged from researching the use of social media in
luxury brand marketing to business plans for start-ups and collaborating with fashion design students
from the Kolding Design School. While doing the projects was interesting, the evaluation was also the
weakest point of the course. I believe this was the first time the course was run, and the teachers
weren’t able to give clear instructions or explanations of their expectations. This meant that going into
the oral exam students were still a bit uncertain wether they actually covered the topic like the
lecturers wanted.

In any case, I think FEBD is a very important and interesting course for someone interested in working
in the fashion or design industry. It presents a realistic picture of the industry and gives a nice
overview of the subject. Hopefully the evaluation criteria will also be made a bit more clear in the
future.
3. Free time and other information
Cost of living

Denmark is not a cheap country to live in by any means. Food costs about as much as in Finland, or a
bit more. The Danes and especially people from Copenhagen love to eat organic food and it is available
even in the budget grocery stores. There are some good less expensive restaurants and eating out is
not very expensive, but partying and alcohol can quickly add up. Food at the school cafeteria costs
more than at Unicafe or Amica, around 30-40 DKK (4-5,50 €) per plate, but the quality is good.

Accommodation in Copenhagen or Frederiksberg is expensive and hard to come by. Most students pay
anywhere from 4500-7500 DKK (600-1000€)/month for their studios or rooms in shared apartments.
Unlike in Helsinki, the university dorms are not cheaper than apartments from the private market, and
if you do get a room from the school you might be surprised to be paying over 6000 DKK/month. I got
my apartment through my parent’s contacts and got a very sensible rent for it. There are a lot of
Facebook groups for e.g. Finnish people living in Copenhagen, and these might be a good solution for
looking for an apartment. It’s good to keep in mind that there are quite a few online scammers taking
advantage of people desperate to find a place to live, so watch out for offers sound too good to be true.

There are no school fees, but books can be quite expensive. I didn’t have to buy more than a few books,
though, since most are available from the library or online.

Getting to know other students, free time and traveling

CBS organises a nice Exchange Student Social Programme with evening activities for 1-2 weeks at the
beginning of the school year. This is a good opportunity to get to know other people. I met some of my
best friends on the first days of exchange at some of these activities that include stuff like parties,
bowling and a canal tour. There was also an active Facebook group for CBS exchange students, where
people were suggesting going out for drinks, going to Tivoli or sightseeing.

The Social Programme coordinators also arrange two bus trips during the semester, a weekend in
Berlin and a Denmark tour. I went on the Denmark tour, and it was a good way to see a large part of
the country without going through the trouble of booking all tickets and accommodation myself. Public
transportation is pretty expensive in Denmark, so renting a car might be a good choice if you don’t go
on the tour but would like to travel around. The rest of Denmark is quite different from Denmark, so I
suggest seeing the rest of it, too. My personal favourites (besides CPH) were the city of Århus and the
most northern point of Denmark, Skagen.

For other free time activities there are a lot of clubs at CBS for sports, music, art and wine etc., as well
more serious stuff like a consulting club. The party scene in Copenhagen is active, and a CBS specialty
is parties held in the university lobby. There are actually bars inside the school building, open
everyday! For something a bit more chilled-out there are also a lot of nice cafes in town for hanging
out with your friends.

Good to know about Denmark and Copenhagen

As a Finn going to Denmark there weren’t too many cultural differences, and I did not experience a
cultural shock at any point. It is a Scandinavian country, but definitely with a more Central-European
flare. I found Danes to be a bit more relaxed and friendly than Finnish people. The Danish language is
easy to understand when it’s written if you know Swedish. However, spoken Danish is a whole another
story and I struggled even after taking a course and living in Copenhagen for months.
The weather in Copenhagen is similar to Helsinki, but winters are less harsh and it is windier. I was
told that it was an exceptionally warm autumn when I was there, and the temperatures stayed above
zero practically the whole time I was there. In the beginning of December it was still a good +5 degrees
Celsius.

The absolute best way to get around Copenhagen is to buy or rent a bike. For me, it was possible to
ride my bike for my whole stay from August to mid-December. The public transportation works ok,
but it is pretty expensive and the freedom of just grabbing your bike regardless of timetables is great.
People bike rain or shine, and it is easy since Copenhagen is almost entirely flat. The bike lanes are
awesome and everything runs smoothly as long as you learn and use the hand signals and use the right
lane.

General tips:
 If you want to be able to receive mail you have to have your name in the door/post box. I didn’t
receive mine for the first month... Oops.
 There are a lot of prepaid mobile subscriptions and I suggest getting a local phone deal if you
are used to using the Internet on your phone. I got one from Lebara and got 10h of free phone
calls to anywhere in the world + 2 GB (and then 10 GB, I guess they like to reward their
customers) for around 13 €/month.
 Go eat at Copenhagen Street Food on Papirøen. You won’t regret it.

4. Final Comments

I enjoyed my exchange semester in Copenhagen a lot. If I went there again, I think the most important
thing I would do differently is care less about money and eat out more and travel around Denmark
more than I did. I might also choose some more “useful” courses, even though I did really enjoy mine.

I would recommend CBS to students who want to experience another European country. Copenhagen
is beautiful, and even though it is close to home, you meet people from all around the world. The
university is good, facilities are great and the level of teaching is high. Also, a great thing about going
on exchange in another Nordic country is the lack of bureaucracy. You can pretty much just pack your
bags and move, very minimal paperwork involved!

During my exchange I learnt a lot about different cultures and especially about working with people
from other cultures. In school I got to experience courses that were completely different from what I
study in Aalto (Business Technology), and picked up some things that will surely come in handy at
some point. I learnt how to build a network of friends and people around me completely from scratch,
which is something I’ve never really had to do before. I realised my tendency to just wait for other
people to initiate contact, so I started inviting my friends to hang out more. I definitely also gained
some confidence that I am able to handle all sorts of situations that I might come across.

All in all going on exchange was a really good experience, and I’m happy I did it in Copenhagen. I’m
sure everybody’s experience is different, but even exchange life does become “everyday” at some
point, despite the hype of being abroad. I warmly recommend going on exchange for everyone who
feels like it, I learnt a lot about myself and the world.