International students lack Viking mentality

You could go for a ride on Tivoli’s rollercoaster or try to keep pace with Danish drinkers. But for the real thrill-seekers, the Viking swim on Saturday 18 September offered an authentic celebration of the semester’s start.

Forty enthusiastic international students signed up on Facebook for the event, organized by ESN Copenhagen (Exchange Student Network).

But on the day itself, only six showed up and just two with towels. It is a good thing the Vikings did not rely on Facebook in their day.

Carly looking forward to a ´good chat with Mary´

Carly Bodkin, a science student from the University in Brisbane, was shocked to be chosen for the Crown Princess Mary Scholarship.

»I didn’t think I would get it. I wasn’t convinced that my achievements would make me stand out,« she says.

Carly believes that the secret of getting this kind of award is readiness for challenges.

More than just good grades

Mum ´insanely proud´ of Jasmine´s Princess prize

»Why did they choose me...? I guess they like people who make efforts academically and are open to the world.«

Jasmine from Australian National University, Canberra, is one of this year's Crown Princess Mary Scholarship winners. The day she received the news about her scholarship was a great day, not least for her mother: »My mum is insanely proud,« she giggles.

Speaking about the upcoming award ceremony Wednesday, Jasmine admits that she is a little nervous.

»I’ve never met royalty before,« she says, »It is a good thing I can bring a friend«.

Colombian student: We were ‘better mentors’

We did not have to wait long to see the reaction to a Faculty of Humanities Mentor Group decision to no longer use international students as mentors.

Colombian student Mauro Castaño is one of the international mentors who has been kicked out, and he finds the decision rude.

He himself had a Danish mentor when he arrived to Denmark and it was, he says, a complete disaster. The mentor couldn’t care less about him, he says.

International students valuable mentors

Non-Danes kicked out of mentor group

For three semesters now, international students have, together with Danes, been mentors of exchange students at the Faculty of Humanities.

International mentors proved to be good mentors as they already had experienced the same coming-to-Denmark situation.

But now, the Faculty of Humanities has got rid of all non-Danish mentors. Danes are more appropriate for the task due to their knowledge of Denmark and, therefore, they can integrate better the newcomers, the Faculty argues.

Danes know Denmark

See the new internationals at orientation meeting

Getting to the orientation meeting proved to be a hassle for some students.

First you had to find the KUA lecture hall. For some students it proved such a difficult task, that they arrived up to an hour late.

Then, once you arrived, you were overloaded with flyers. Studenterhuset, USG and Erasmus to name a few. University Post was also there to give out our postcards which also serve as a free drink voucher at our Party March 16, 2012.