Photo story: Mentees 'breaking the ice'

On a cold and windy evening at the Frederiksberg ice-rink, international students from the Faculty of Science gathered for a spin on the ice. Both beginners and experts tied their skates in excitement. Some were novices that required a little help to find their feet with this classic Nordic tradition, as can be seen in this gallery.

Documentation: E-mail text sent to ...

Thank you for your email and your interest in the mentor programme.

Unfortunately we have decided not to use international students as mentors for the spring semester.

Faculty: Mentors can be non-Danes too

Mentors for incoming international students may be non-Danes, according to the Faculty of Humanities. However, they must have comprehensive connection to – and knowledge of the Danish system as well as language.

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

Full house at international career event

Speakers told a packed auditorium Tuesday their personal stories and gave them advice on how to start their own international career.

Speakers included a press officer, a top man at the relief organisation DanChurchAid, and a head of Siemens healthcare. They could all talk about their careers in interesting international jobs.

Over fifty international and Danish students showed up to the event.

See a gallery and presentation of the speakers and the event here.

uni-avis@adm.ku.dk

Famed writer Paul Auster given Copenhagen honours

On 13 May 2011 the University will appoint American author Paul Auster honorary alumnus.

This honorary appointment is given in recognition for his unique works, which has attracted both readers and other writers worldwide.

Auster has taken Danish readers by storm. Several of his novels have been published in Danish before they were even published in his native tongue, English.

The man behind the books

Auster is best know for his writing style which blends existentialism, crime fiction and the search for personal identity.

Mentor didn’t know anything about Copenhagen

Coming to Copenhagen, students are warned that Danes are reserved, and that it takes time and energy to develop friendships.

See how you can get a mentor here.

Still, most want to give it a try, and one way to go about this is to ask for a mentor. But the results range from the excellent to the ridiculous.

Can I get a mentor?

Student mentor programmes

The original mentor programme is aimed at exchange and guest students, but full degree students can also get a mentor, by joining the Global Society Programme, which was launched this semester.

»Being students themselves, the mentors can introduce you to the practical and social aspects of living in Denmark«, explains Louise B. Jensen, who has been a mentor for four years.
She adds that a mentor is not meant to help with academic matters such as writing papers.

Every year, the Danes sign up

Exchange and full-degree students, as well as PhD students, at the University of Copenhagen can choose to have a mentor.

In the students’ case, the mentor is always another Danish student, usually taking the same subject or attending the same faculty, whose role is to help internationals settle in and give advice on practical matters.

We all know that, as a student, having a mentor can be really helpful. But why would a Danish student agree to do this on a voluntary basis?