Denmark – Emmylou
Student: Emmylou
Course: Bachelor of Arts (Psychology)
Program: Trimester Exchange T1 2026
Describe the city you were living in: the landscape, the culture, the weather etc.
I found Aarhus to be the perfect city to do exchange in. I truly loved this place I already want to go back and could see myself living there for a while sometime in the future! Denmark is an amazing country, everything is set up so well, it’s extremely safe and sustainable, and there is something special about the way the Danes approach life! They definitely focus on comfortability and living in the present, making the small moments special. Aarhus is a great mix of a city and coast/ country. Because it is small, I felt at home quickly and by the time I left I had done and seen everything I wanted to. The city is so pretty! My favourite part was all the colourful houses and buildings. There are also forests surrounding and having the beach close by was so nice in the warmer months.
How did you spend your weekends?
Aarhus University had uni bars on every Friday night, so my friends and I would start the weekend off by going to these! Every faculty hosted a bar on campus, so people would walk between them all night, they were so much fun. Then, on a Saturday and Sunday if we hadn’t booked a trip elsewhere, we spent it in Aarhus doing all of our favourite things! This would include having big picnics in the park near our house, riding our bikes into the city to go shopping or to the beach for a swim, or even just hanging at each other’s houses.
Did you go on any memorable trips to explore your host country or maybe a nearby country?
My friends and I definitely made the most of being over there by fitting in as many overseas trips as we could. I made it to 13 countries in total, and one extremely memorable trip was to Lapland, Finland, seeing the Northern lights was probably one of the coolest things I’ve ever experienced! One thing I wish I did more of was explore Denmark, whilst we spent a lot of time in Copenhagen too, there’s so many other places in Denmark I would’ve liked to see.
What's your one piece of advice for a student who is preparing to study abroad? How should they prepare?
I would say to make sure you feel prepared but also just let things happen to you and live in the moment!! There were definitely parts that were exactly what I expected but there were also aspects that you cannot predict, and the best thing is to say yes to everything (especially when you first arrive). So many trips were booked last minute and I’m glad I did it that way, it allows for freedom and change in your plans. I wrote a list of things that were a non-negotiable, whether it was a country or a particular experience, I prioritised these things because it is easy to get caught up in what everyone else is doing. It’s good to focus on your goals while doing as much as you can with everyone else.
What is the one big thing you will always remember from your experience? Or one big lesson that you learnt?
To take everything in as much as possible and remember how lucky you are to experience it! No one wanted exchange to end when the time came, while you can feel homesick and miss everyone back home, it’s so important to remember everything stays the same at home and you are not always living abroad with amazing people you’ve met having the best time ever, so take it all in. Also to bring this version of yourself back home too!