A lot of people I know have a fairly good understanding of what it would be like to go on Exchange - either because they've been on one themselves or because they've had the pleasure of listening to an ex-exchange student go on about their experience. So I won't bore you with the basics. In summary, my 6-month law exchange to Copenhagen University was definitely one of the best things I've ever done, but everyone says that. 6 months traveling in Europe is always going to be fun with the right attitude. So let me tell you a bit about what was unique to Copenhagen and the unexpected things that I got out of my experience.

Nyhavn, Copenhagen

I didn't realize that almost everyone would speak English just as fluently as the average Australian. A Language barrier was almost never an issue and when it was the Danes were more than happy to help. Although to me Copenhagen didn’t seem like the prettiest city in the middle of winter when I arrived, with only a couple hours of daylight (most places aren’t in winter), by spring it was absolutely beautiful and it’s hard to imagine leaving. You get used to riding a bike everywhere and don’t really want to go back to driving a car. At first you can be prepared to get lost a few times, but after a few months the roads become strangely familiar and getting lost becomes harder. By the end, Danes visiting the city from other parts of Denmark would stop and ask me for directions and I could actually help!

One of my best experiences of Copenhagen was our 2-week induction to the law school. To introduce us to Danish culture and as a means of getting us to know each other, a group of Danish students (who remained friends long after the induction) planned 2-weeks worth of activities and going out. This included showing us around the local pubs, games to learn more about each other, tours of the city and its history, and a lot of free Danish beer. 

Masada, Israel

I underestimated how easy it would be to meet new people and make friends overseas. I was a bit nervous about moving to a new place where I literally knew no one. When you're on exchange, there are plenty of other exchange students in the same situation as you who are all going to put themselves out there to make friends. After a couple of days, it feels like you've been friends with these people for months. By the end of it, it's hard to imagine that the people you get so close to over your exchange you only met 6 months ago, and everyone is planning to meet up in the future in various parts of the world. You also pick up a lot of Danish friends along the way. You get really good at putting yourself out there and knowing how to speak to people you don't know very well.

Most people want to travel, and they’re always looking for people to travel with. It’s great to go on exchange with an open mind of where you want to go because there will be so many opportunities to go to so many different places with other exchange students right from the start.

Hungarian Parliament Building, Budapest

By the end of my exchange, what I regretted most was not doing a year exchange instead of 6 months. But the time I had was incredible and you come back a much more confidant traveler with a much broader understanding of the world and different cultures. The world definitely becomes a lot smaller after an exchange.