Denmark: Maria Gleason
Program: University of Copenhagen Exchange, Fall
Maria’s Major: International Studies, Scandinavian Studies
What is the moment you are most proud of?
I am most proud of myself for going outside of my comfort zone to make friends from around the world. I decided early on to focus on making friends with people who are not from the US to get the most of my experience abroad. This was very challenging, as it is easy to stick to the familiar when everything is foreign. However, I am very proud of making connections with many people from many different backgrounds which will hopefully last for many years. Everywhere in Denmark people are biking. This is a custom I would like to replicate in my daily life. It is standard to bike long distances to work, school, meeting with friends, and other activities. I found this to be very enjoyable, environmentally friendly, and a healthy addition to my lifestyle.
I am very proud of making connections with many people from many different backgrounds which will hopefully last for many years.
What challenges or barriers did you face as you prepared to go abroad and/or during your time abroad? How did you work through them?
A challenge I faced while abroad was working on an essay with another exchange student who came from a different background than mine. We had learned completely different ways to write and structure an essay as well as we had different language backgrounds. To work through this, we used different aspects of both our writing styles as a compromise. We spent a lot of time working on the fluidity of the essay. At the end, we were both proud of the work we turned in.
How were your program academics similar or different from taking classes at UW-Madison?
The program academics were structured in a different manner than UW-Madison classes. In contrast to having midterms and various assignments throughout the semester, we were graded solely on the final essay. I found this intimidating at first, but I ended up learning how to better time manage and strengthened my writing skills. The classes were also more discussion based than most classes at UW-Madison. This gave me the opportunity to learn from my peers and discuss the material.