Teke Ngomba

Why did you choose to study in Denmark?
By virtue of the nature of the Erasmus Mundus Masters Programme in Journalism and Media within Globalization: The European Perspective, students are expected to study for the first semester of the two-year programme in Denmark before proceeding to The Netherlands and finally Germany or Britain. That is how I came to study in Denmark and ended up falling in love with the Danish educational system. As I prepared to conclude my MA studies, I began searching for possibilities of obtaining a PhD admission in Denmark and fortunately, I ended up obtaining one in the Institute of Information and Media Studies, Faculty of Humanities, University of Aarhus.

What do you like the most about studying in Denmark?
In the six months or so that I studied in Denmark as part of my MA studies, what struck and impressed me the most was the friendly and almost total informal relationship and interaction between students and professors; the conduciveness of the study environment; the availability of up-to-date didactic materials and the opportunity that each and every student was given to exploit the knowledge of lecturers and manifest their own individual capabilities.
 

What don't you like about studying in Denmark?
In every foreign setting one is bound to find good and bad things but studying in Denmark for the first time, I can hardly find anything particularly repulsive apart from the fact that experiencing winter for the very first time, battling the harsh winter cold and snow to go to class was a nightmare daily.

What do you like most about Denmark and the Danes?
The harsh winter weather notwithstanding, the warmth received from Danish flat mates and friends generally, is sufficient to keep one going -and this is one of the niceties of studying in Denmark. In addition to the fact that you can successfully live and study in Denmark without having a mastery of Danish because almost all Danes speak English, Danes as per my experience are friendly, kind and warm-hearted although I had the impression that it takes a little while for them to ‘open-up’ to strangers. But once that is done, the encounters with them can be the best in one’s life.

Tell us about your best experience in Denmark
My best experience in Denmark was the opportunity to do a power point presentation in class for the very first time in my entire academic life and the memorable study visit we had in the Danish Parliament while my worst experience was taking the wrong bus connection while trying to trace a friend’s flat and getting lost for about two hours in a dark and snowy winter evening. But as one of our coordinators later advised me, each time you get lost, take the next bus heading to the Central Station and re-start your journey from there!

Do you have any advice on Danish student life in general?
The general advice that one can give to any international student coming to study in Denmark is for him/her to hold on to the plans-it is indeed worthy and rewarding academically and socially, to study in Denmark. Once in Denmark, keep it cool, try to make as many Danish friends as possible especially around your flat and soon you will be swarmed by new ‘brothers and sisters’ in a foreign land. But - be careful not to drink too much! Danes usually socialise with a bottle of beer in hand and as you enjoy their company when socialising with them, if you are not too careful, you might find yourself becoming a beer fan! Lastly, always remember that in so far as you are in Denmark to experience a new culture and make new friends, you are above all there for a mission- to obtain an academic qualification. So, stay focused.