Hello! I’m Cristian. I’m 20 years old, and I’m currently entering my 3rd year in the SDU software engineering program. I finished high school at the National Informatics College in Bucharest, and now I’m living in a very small town in the south of Denmark, quite close to Germany.
Where It All Began
This whole story started because of the simple question “Why not?” I never really thought about studying abroad. The idea first came to me while talking to some friends who were already sure they wanted to apply to university in the Netherlands. They tried to explain what the application process looks like, and in 12th grade, around October, we all went to an international university fair in Bucharest. At the time, I was still pretty sure I’d end up applying to university in Romania, and since the deadlines for the Netherlands had already passed, I decided to give other countries a try.
I ended up at SDU’s stand, and I met two girls there who told me about student life in Denmark. I was curious, so I went home and looked it up. I went on their website, looked through all the information, and I sent them an email asking if I could submit my BAC diploma later on, since the exam takes place in June. They assured me that as long as I send it by mid-July, when the applications close, I should be fine. Even at that point, I considered Denmark to be my “back-up plan”, rather than Romania.
Choosing Between Staying and Leaving
First off, what attracted me the most to Denmark was the fact that for students from the EU, tuition is free. For me, it was a huge plus, as I didn’t have the funds to spend a lot on my bachelor’s studies. I also considered Sweden since they also had free tuition for E.U. citizens, but I stuck with Denmark because I thought that the programs they offered were more interesting.
I researched universities like the University of Copenhagen, Aarhus University, and DTU, which is more of a technical faculty focused on engineering. However, most of their bachelor’s programs were in Danish, and as I had zero experience with the language before that, I couldn’t apply.
So, I ended up applying only to SDU, but to multiple programs: software engineering, my first option and the one I ultimately got into, mechanical, and mechatronics. SDU is pretty good for mechanics and electrical mechatronics; however, software engineering is a pretty new course, as we’re the second cohort.
I applied to Romanian universities as well: Politehnica, Bucharest University, and ASE. I was only accepted to ASE. So, in the end, I had to choose between staying in Romania and going to ASE, even if that wasn’t my top choice, or leaving and trying my luck at starting a new life in Denmark at SDU.
The Road to Admission
At first, I needed to apply online on the Ministry’s website. There, all universities list all of their programs with a specific code for each, and I got to pick the ones that interested me. They told me everything I had to do, so there was no need for me to get an admissions counselor; I just followed their instructions step by step.
With my application, I had to submit my C1 Cambridge diploma to show proof of my English proficiency, alongside my academic transcript for 9th-11th grades. The transcripts needed to be translated into English, and depending on the program you were applying to, they would look at certain subjects. For me, it was definitely mathematics, physics, and informatics. Most of my grades were somewhere in the middle- good grades, although not all of them were 10s. Once I finished 12th grade, I also sent them my academic transcript for my final year and my Baccalaureate grades: 10 in Mathematics, 9.90 in Informatics, and 8.70 in Romanian.
While applying, you could either choose to be evaluated based on your grades from 9th to 12th grade alone, or choose to take an entrance exam. I went with the second option, as I wasn’t sure if my grades were enough to get me in. The exam was online, in a Zoom meeting. We had to show everything through the camera; we had check-ups where we had to turn our camera around to make sure we weren’t cheating. They published some examples of the questions we’d get on their website to help you practice. There were 50 questions, mainly on physics and mathematics. I got my score in late May and ended up getting a 55 out of 80, which is not great, but it was thankfully enough to get me admitted. I wasn’t really focused on the exam itself, as I was stressing out about the Baccalaureate. The score got me waitlisted for a while, and after submitting my final grades, around mid-July, I got admitted.
Money matters
As I’ve mentioned before, tuition is free, which is a great help when it comes to studying abroad. I didn’t have to buy any books either, as most of them have electronic versions, and in the majority of cases, our professors give us PDF files with all the materials we need for studying.
In Denmark, there isn’t really any traditional on-campus housing. There are student accommodations made by organizations such as StudieBolig. They own these buildings, and you apply through them. They’re also featured on the university websites, meaning that when you get accepted to a specific program, it’s easier to look up accommodation nearby. You can apply for different types of housing, from shared kitchens and bathrooms to single apartments. I decided to live on my own, and I pay around €400 per month. Adding food and other necessities brings me up to around €700-800 per month, which is pretty good in my opinion. Some advice that I’d give for saving money is to try to buy things in Germany. The international campus for SDU is in Sønderborg, which is only 30 minutes away from Germany by car, and their products are way cheaper.
Currently, I’m not working, but I really wish I could find a job in my field. However, since I live in a small city, it’s a pretty big battle, and it’s quite hard. To add to that, as my program is quite new, there aren’t many job offers for the software engineering field. You could find something unrelated to your major pretty fast, though, as there are usually openings for waiters or hotel staff. There’s a downside to that, though: most employers ask for at least a level 2 in Danish, so you could at least communicate with the customers. However, if you manage to find a job as a student, the government gives you around €700-800 per month, on top of your salary. You just need to work part-time for 10 to 12 hours a week.
Moving to Denmark
After I found out that I had been accepted, I only needed to submit a request for my student card, and I was ready. My family and I went to Denmark around August 20th to help me unpack and get settled. Meanwhile, I got a confirmation email stating that I had gotten the apartment I applied for; however, my contract started on September 15th, rather than September 1st, as I thought it would. So, naturally, we had to stay at a hotel until then. Another disadvantage was that the apartment was not furnished at all. The kitchen and bathroom were equipped with a few basic necessities; other than that, I had to buy everything, including my bed. I managed to get some things for a good price, and later on I found out that people tend to give away or sell things they no longer need for much lower prices, including furniture.
Getting Used to Denmark
Once I got there, I started realizing that in general, people don’t really care about or judge what you’re doing, so you can basically do whatever without feeling social pressure. A funny thing I also noticed is the fact that they really love their country’s flag. They put it everywhere, on absolutely any occasion they get the chance. At some point, I ordered a birthday cake for myself, and the bakers stuck about 20 mini-flags into my birthday cake as decorations. It was super funny! This goes without saying, but another thing that I had to get used to was the weather. Switching from the temperatures in Romania to those in Denmark was difficult, as most of the time it’s super cold and cloudy, and it rains a lot. In summer, if we’re lucky, temperatures in Denmark can go up to 20-25°C, which is much lower than what I was used to in Romania. Danes are also really fond of cycling. They cycle anywhere, no matter the weather!
Finding my people
Making friends took a while, but I guess that’s usually how it is when you’re experiencing something completely new. It started with a few people I met in some introductory math courses, then I started talking to a girl on Instagram, as we were both in the same program, and from there our friend group basically grew. People are usually open to talking, especially since I study at an international campus, so there are people from all around the world. It feels like wherever you go, you have the chance to meet new people and form friendships.
Learning danish
The Danish government is pretty open to helping students learn the language. Each university has language schools that offer Danish courses. They’re technically free; however, there’s a catch in order to keep everybody motivated to take these lessons seriously. Once you sign up, you have to pay between € 200 and € 300. After you take your final exams, if you pass, you get all of it back, but if you fail, you don’t.
I applied, and I completed my first-year course. I’m actually planning on starting my second-year course as soon as I get back there. To be honest, I do find it quite complicated, but I’m sure that with time, it’ll become easier.
Missing home
Even if I wasn’t alone and I had people to talk to, I still missed home sometimes. I missed my family, friends, and surprisingly, the food too. I’m not going to lie and say it was all perfect, because nothing can ever be perfect. I had some difficulties; I was tired, and I even had moments when I asked myself, “Who made me do this?” but at the end of the day, I wouldn’t change anything if I were given the chance. The first semester was quite hard, as I had to get used to everything, but I kept going and stuck to my plan. I’ve never regretted doing this, and I’m happy with the decision that I made.
I also plan on continuing my studies in Denmark with a master’s degree. Thankfully, now I have more options, as most master’s programs are also taught in English.
Teaching style
The teaching style in Denmark is based on “independent learning”. Teachers have their own PowerPoint presentations, which they also post so students can use them later, so we don’t need many textbooks. We need to take about 5 credits per semester. There are 48 to 52 hours of teaching, spread across 12 weeks of courses. Besides that, there is the individual study that takes around 60 to 70 hours. Teachers here believe that students should want to learn more than what is taught in class. They point you in the right direction, and from there, you can continue digging into the materials.
Most exams have multiple-choice questions, but you may also be asked to do a portfolio, a report, or a full written exam. The good thing is, they only test you on the learning materials they provide to the whole class, not some information you could’ve found in a random book. Usually, the exams are digital, but sometimes, if we need to write something by hand, they’ll ask us to have a scanner available to scan the sheet and upload it digitally.
Teachers are also open to helping you with any misunderstandings or questions you might have. They actually encourage you to email them if you have even the dumbest questions about the course. You could also ask them to set a day and time when you could discuss things in private.
Opportunities
If you know what you’re interested in, the university provides an open road for you. I got the chance to work with some companies last semester on a project. They offered us some materials, and the whole experience opened up opportunities to communicate and network with people from this specific field. You could also get the chance to apply for an exchange program for a semester. I didn’t do it, as I thought it would be a bit complicated with the rent, but I know people who did. There are also a bunch of clubs; for example, for those who want to take up sports, such as sailing, I’m pretty sure there’s a club for almost anything!
Advice
I would encourage everyone to go for it. Don’t hold back and don’t second-guess yourself. It’s a great experience; it can also be totally different from mine, but I can tell you for a fact that it will help you a lot. Going somewhere all by yourself, helps you mature and become more confident in your own potential.
Besides that, don’t be afraid of feeling alone; you can meet people and make friends almost anywhere, in the most unexpected moments or places. I, for one, wouldn’t change anything, but if I could travel back in time, I guess I would try applying to more universities in different countries, just to have more options.
