Kyle lived with a host family. DIS goes to great lengths to match you with a suitable family.
For example, Kyle studies architecture and both of his host parents worked in similar fields. The entire family was welcoming and treated him like he was part of their family.
While he felt at home, he still had the freedom to travel. Host families are required to provide breakfast and supper but most will insist you take a lunch as well.

Chelsey lived at this boarding school-like arrangement. These schools are quite common, anybody can study there. DIS rents living space from the school to allow their students this opportunity. Chelsey met people from all over the world and enjoyed her independence.
Folkehøjskoles have their own chefs and cafeterias.

Jaimie, Sierra, and Kevin lived in Kollegiums which are Danish dorms. They can resemble a dorm-like setting with a shared kitchen, or they can more closely resemble an apartment with a private kitchen. The residents are a mix of Danes and DIS students. Jaimie,
Sierra, and Kevin liked the ease of meeting people. DIS students living in a kollegium are given a food stipend to help offset the cost of their own food.

Richard lived in
DRC housing which is very similar to dorms.
It is typical to share a room with another DIS student, and you will then share a kitchen with the nearby rooms.
Richard enjoyed the close proximity to DIS and getting to know his fellow
DIS students.

Copenhagen has an efficient public transportation system.
There is a metro that services the center and an island called
Amager. There is a separate train system that services the majority of the suburbs. Buses service the entire metropolitan area. They are most helpful with in the center of the city and when traveling perpendicular to the train lines. 37% of the residents of Copenhagen commute to work and school by bike. The government has done extensive work to incorporate bike lanes throughout the city.
There is a recent trend of phasing out vehicular streets and turning them into pedestrian streets. These are extremely popular. All-in-all it is incredibly easy to get around the city.

There is much to be said about life in Copenhagen. The bakeries, for one, are incredible. The chains are good but the small shops like the top right image (close to DIS). The
Danish people get around by car less than Americans which is good because it creates more human interaction in the city.

For such a dense city there is still good amounts of open public space. There are several squares where people often gather. The closest to DIS is Gameltorv. It is amazing to see the city come alive with people when the sun comes out.
It might still be cold but the sun is very important to the Danish.

Some of the places to visit while in Copenhagen include Amalienborg (the royal residence), any and all of the parks, Nyhavn
(vibrant, little, famous canal), and if possible a football or handball game.

This is the Architecture studio’s final project.
Each class had different interior programming, but we all used the same building for adaptive reuse.

The Interior
Design studio’s final project was a rehabilitation center for veterans. They remodeled an existing building and added on space underground.

During the summer students can take a furniture design studio.
Each person gets placed in classes based on the material used to build their chair. Here we see wood, plywood, and metal.

The studios are pretty nice.
Each student gets a drafting table, chair, and a locker. Drafting mats and tsquares are checked out at the beginning of the semester for the student to use. Design students have
24 hour access to these spaces via a key card that unlocks the exterior doors.

The workshops are very well equipped. They are used by the
Royal Academy during the regular school year but DIS is permitted to use them during the summer.

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This particular section was taught by
Courtney Coyne-Jensen. She taught us to be analytical with our sketches. “Don’t just make a pretty picture, find out how it works.” She has had such an influence on me in my sketching ability and design theory.

DIS believes that experiential learning is just as or more effective than classroom learning.
Therefore, most classes will have a field study or two to visit some of the places discussed in class.

Early in the semester there is a long weekend where all of DIS goes on a short study tour to western Denmark. Each major has its own customized trip itinerary. As design students we visited furniture museums, vernacular architecture, modern architecture, and design companies.

Later in the semester all of DIS takes a week long study tour. This time each trip and destination is based on your major. For design students there are two options;
Sweden & Finland or Germany &
The Netherlands. I don’t think it can be said which is better. The
Sweden/Finland trip focuses on the use of daylighting while the
Germany/Netherlands trip focuses on urbanization/ adaptive reuse.

DIS gives students a two week travel break as well. This is a great time to visit pretty much anywhere you feel the notion. Trains and planes are both good ways to get around.