Student report
Copenhagen Business School – fall 2014
1. Practical information
1.1 Before leaving Norway
I do not remember the exact dates, but the application process was easy and described in
detail in emails from CBS. The course registration period was the first two weeks of May.
I had to choose the courses I wanted (there was a lot to choose from) and also backup
courses if I did not get my first choices. I got 3 out of 4 first choices. At CBS, they have
three course registration periods, which means you can change your courses until
September. Before being accepted, all the information was sent to my private email, and
after everything was sent to my new CBS email.
1.2 Travel
I was so lucky that my parents drove me to Copenhagen, which is something I recommend
if someone is willing. I got to bring a lot more things than I normally would on a plane,
which was great. Since my apartment was furnished, all I had to buy upon arrival was
food. It is easy to travel by plane as well, and the metro goes from the airport to the city
center or further to Frederiksberg where many CBS students live (the school is located
there). The metro from the airport to where I live in Frederiksberg takes only 19 minutes.
1.3 Housing
CBS offers housing alternatives, but only help those outside of Scandinavia. You can still
apply, but be fast. I think all the apartments where taken after 10 minutes this year. I did
not want to live in a dorm, so I just found one myself. I have seen two of the dorms,
Porcelænshaven and Holger, which both are in Frederiksberg. They look nice, but you
will most likely share a bathroom with one person and a kitchen with many. I rented a
room from a Norwegian girl going on exchange from CBS, and I share the apartment with
two other Norwegian girls. I found it by joining the Facebook group “Norske studenter
ved CBS”. The location is perfect in Frederiksberg, right between the school and the city
center, and I even goy to borrow her bike. I paid 3400 DKK + electricity and Internet each
month.
1.4 Costs
Rent
4000 NOK
Books*
300 NOK
Food
2-3000 NOK
Transport
0 NOK
I only had one book because they mainly used articles. My living expenses where much
cheaper than in Norway, because food and beverages are much cheaper. Alcohol is also
way cheaper here and my rent is lower than in Norway. I only took the metro a few times,
other than that I used my bike to get around, which was the fastest way compared to
where I lived.
1.5 Culture and language
All my courses were in English, so I did not have any problems there. The Danish people
were also relatively easy to understand, all though most of them thought I was Swedish.
2. About the school
2.1
The school is located in Frederiksberg, but has five buildings. The standard of the buildings
differ, but the canteens are very good in every one of them. The buildings are pretty close to
each other. The main building is called Solbjerg Plads and is located by the Frederiksberg
metro station. This building also has the largest and best library. The next building is Kilen,
which is also very nice and is located by the Fasanvej metro. The next one is Dalgas Have,
located by Lindevang metro. This building is older and not my favorite. The next one is
Flintholm, but I never had classes there. There is also one called Porcelænshaven, which I
only used during the introduction week.
2.2 Course registrations
As already mentioned, there are three rounds of registration. The first one was in the
beginning of May (it is no first come, first served), then one in the beginning of August, and
then again in late August/beginning of September. I never changed anything after the first
period.
2.3 Academic calendar
Arrival date:
25.08
First day of the semester:
01.09
Last day of classes:
27.11
Examination period:
From 24.10 – 09.01
I had done Q1 (1. Quarter) and one Q2 course,
which is why the period is so long
Any special
Week 42 is Efterårsferie (høstferie)
events/holidays:
2.4 Arrival
The introduction week is mandatory, even though they do not register attendance. There were
a lot of information meetings, some very unnecessary for Norwegians, especially those about
how to behave in Denmark. If you want to, you can get your personal buddy as well. I bought
the social package for the introduction week for 550 DKK. This was different events during
the evening the whole week, but very different from Fadderullan at BI. They offered canal
tours, folk dancing etc. but also a lake party and a Mardi Gras Ball. The events are only for
exchange students, which are weird, because a lot of them (me included) wanted to socialize
with Danish people as well. Still, I got a lot of good friends by joining the events.
2.5 The International Office
I got the information I needed, and they were very helpful when I had questions.
Unfortunately, an exchange student got raped on campus after the official semester start party,
and they reached out to all of us if we wanted someone to talk to about this.
2.6 Social activities
The school hosted different parties for exchange students, like Halloween and Goodbye
parties. I had two online courses, and regular classes for the other two. Like Norwegians, it is
hard to get in contact with Danish people you do not know in class. I did not try that hard,
because I had international friends from the introduction week in my classes. I recommend
joining CBS sports that offer different kinds of sports to get to know Danes. I joined
badminton (had not played in 5-6 years) just for fun, and they where very welcoming. I got a
lot of Danish friends here and they showed me for example how to have a proper Danish
Julefrokost.
3. Academics
3.1 In the classroom
This was very similar to BI (master), with small and interactive classes. It was very
informal and the teachers nice and open minded. The workload was actually a lot less than
BI, because we only had 100 % exams and no mandatory assignments during the courses.
The amount of readings was about the same.
3.2 Course material
I only had one book, and the courses were mainly based on articles. Most of the articles
were pretty interesting. The teachers used PowerPoint in class. I had two online courses,
which had 10-15 minutes of PowerPoint lectures with voice over each week.
3.3 Exams
The exams were based on the course material and the lectures and cases solved in class.
The courses were evaluated by final exam only; all of mine were two weeks home
assignments. It is very normal to have an oral exam in addition to your home assignment,
so I guess I was lucky.
3.4 Library and technology
The facilities are good and comparable to BI.
3.5 Description of courses
Course code & name
Master/
Exam form
Approved as
Two week home
Elective
Bachelor
CCMVV4016U – Children
Master
as consumers
CCMVV1017U – New
assignment
Master
Two week home
Elective
frontiers in branding: from
assignment
static to dynamic branding
approaches
CCMCC4034U – The role of
Master
emotions in marketing and
Two week home
Elective
assignment
communications
management
CMLMV1065U – The
Master
digital enterprise: new media
Two week home
Elective
assignment
communication and business
strategy
Sum up:
I am really happy about my choice of going to CBS, even though Copenhagen is very similar
and close to Oslo. The city is beautiful and I am really going to miss living here. I have met a
lot of new friends, and gotten to know Danes and the language a lot better. I am glad I went,
because living in a foreign country changes you, even though it is close to home. After four
years at BI, I needed a change of scenery, and Copenhagen gave me just what I needed. I also
got to take courses I would not have been able to at BI. I chose very specialized courses,
because I feel that my master at BI is very general, and I hope I will gain positive feedback on
this when I am starting to apply for jobs.