Hej!
If you are reading this blog post, I’m guessing you’re most likely one of three people:
A prospective student trying to figure out which DIS housing options is right for you. If this is you, I hope this post helps! Feel free to contact me with any questions you might have.
A former student feeling nostalgic about your time abroad. Totally understandable, I know this experience is something I will feel nostalgic about as well.
A friend or family member. Thanks for supporting me and keeping up with my blog ;)
Regardless of who you are, WELCOME! I hope you can gain something from this post. Now, I am going to break down what it means to live in a Living & Learning Community (LLC) here at DIS.
WHAT IS IT?
A Living & Learning Community (LL) is one of the (six) DIS housing options designed for students who share a common interest. I live in the Outdoor LLC, where we all share a love for the outdoors. The idea behind living in one of the LLCs is for it to enrich your abroad experience by giving you experiences related to your LLC theme.
I can’t speak for every single LLC, but in mine personally I live with 10 other DIS students (8 girls, 3 guys) from across the U.S. and we share 2 bathrooms. We all share a kitchen and common space and work together to keep it clean and cozy. We have weekly events Tuesday nights where we do something related to the outdoors. My favorite events so far have been sunset biking at Amager Fælled, sauna & winter bathing at one of Copenhagen’s winter bathing clubs and sleeping over at a Danish ‘summer house’ for our retreat.
WHO IS IT RIGHT FOR?
I would say living in an LLC is right for students who are fairly independent and (obviously) have an interest in the housing theme. With this housing option, you will be grocery shopping and preparing all your meals. You have to be willing to keep your personal space and the common space clean to create a healthy living environment.
This housing option is right for students who are willing to engage with their housing community and want to be friends with the people they live with. If your main goal of studying abroad is traveling as much as possible, I probably wouldn’t recommend living in an LLC.
PERKS OF LIVING IN AN LLC
Weekly Events – We have fun outdoor events each week! They are almost entirely covered by DIS (we each paid about $15 at the start of the semester) and I’ve gotten to see and do things around Copenhagen I never would have if I wasn’t in the LLC.
Cultural Engagement – In addition to participating in events around Copenhagen, I’ve gotten the opportunity to meet Danes through the Outdoor LLC. Our coordinator is Danish and has scheduled many of our weekly programs to be events where we are interacting with locals. For example, we met up with a Danish Scout group for one event and for another event had a Dane teach us all about fire building.
Community – Living in an LLC gives you a solid group of immediate friends! You are living with about 10 other DIS students and then you have 10 more students across the hall who are also part of the Outdoor LLC. The people I live with were my first friends at DIS and continue to be the people I spend time with most frequently not only at home but also exploring on the weekends.
Personal Growth – The events are designed to allow you to try new things and get out of your comfort zone. Being part of the Outdoor LLC has also given me something tangible to talk about when I share about my study abroad experience.
A beautiful living space – Last but not least, our apartment is beautiful. The rooms are spacious and well equipped with everything you need.
TIME COMMITMENT
Something I really wondered about before applying to live in the Outdoor LLC was what the commitment would look like. It’s not a huge commitment, but the more you put into engaging with the other people who live in the Outdoor LLC, the more you will get out of it. The actual set-in-stone time commitment is once a week events (except for during breaks or long study tour) plus a retreat weekend toward the beginning of the semester. Although those are the only time commitments, I want to emphasize again how important it is to make time to just hang out with your housemates to build friendship and community!
