This article is part of the "Summer School" series, which presents students who spend their summer abroad.
The Bachelor students are back on campus from the summer break!
Many students took advantage of the time off to go on a Summer School. Clémence, second year student in the program, shared her experience at the Technical University of Denmark (DTU):
Why did you decide to go on a summer school?: I really wanted to do something during the summer break, either an internship in a company or a summer school. Since it was my first year after graduating from high school, I thought it was the good moment for a summer school. It could bring me more experience and knowledge in order to do an internship in a company next year.
Where did you go?: I went to Denmark. I have always been fascinated by Scandinavian countries, so it was a great opportunity for me to go there. Also, I wanted to discover a bit more the research realm, and a lot of the different courses offered at the Technical University of Denmark (DTU) were research oriented.
Tell us about the other people in the Summer School with you: In the course I chose, I was assisting a PhD student in her researches for her thesis, so I was alone with her. But I have been able to meet other students who were studying at DTU, in exchange, or doing a Summer School there. I met people from all around the world: Canada, USA, Hong Kong, Turkey, China, Denmark, Netherland and France.
A few words about the classes?: The organization in Denmark is very free. I could organize my days as I wanted, depending of the meetings I had or the quantity of work and the tasks I had to complete. But in general, I was starting at 9am and I was leaving around 5pm (sometimes earlier, sometimes later).
What was your favorite memory?: My favorite memory was watching the sunrise with some friends at Nyhavn, one of the most touristic place of Copenhagen. There are of lot of colorful houses there and during the day, it is a very crowded. But early in the morning, there is no one. Sitting there with friends, laughing and watching the sunrise was amazing.
What was your least favorite memory?: The day of my arrival, I decided to visit the city. I was walking around, near the port when a sea gull decided to almost land on me. On the moment I was upset, but now I can say that it is a funny memory.
Did you face any challenges?: I would say that the main challenge for me was the language. I didn’t speak any word of Danish and at the beginning it was complicated, mainly for transportations. But most of the people there are speaking English and they are very helpful and friendly, so even though it seemed complicated at first, at the end I could always find a solution.
Any cultural fun fact about Denmark?: In Copenhagen everyone is biking. In every street, there is a dedicated space for cyclists. I heard before going there that it was the case but I never thought it was as developed as it actually is. Also, you can observe that usually people do not tie up their bike. This probably highlights how secure the city is and/or the fact that everyone has a bike.
What did this experience bring you?: On a personal level, it brought me mainly capacity of adaptation but it also enabled me to broaden my culture. I didn’t know anything about Denmark before, and now, I can say that I know more about the organization of the country, its history, its culture and its people. I also met a lot of people from different countries, and this is what was the most enriching for me. On an academic level, I’ve been able to discover the research realm. I’ve been working in chemistry labs with my tutors and this was new for me. I’ve also been able to learn more about energy storage.
