Erasmus Experience in Horsens, Denmark by Eva

Why did you choose to go to Horsens, Denmark?

We didn't have a lot of choices to study abroad in English. One of them was Horsens. I chose it because I've never been in Scandinavia before and wanted to discover and get known this part of Europe. After one year and few trips across, I fell in love with Scandinavian towns, atmosphere and want to come back again.

How long is the scholarship? How much money do you receive to help you with living costs?

In my home university, we can study as an exchange from 3 to 12 months. I spent in Horsens ten months (2 semesters). My scholarship was quite okey. I mean, it didn't cover all of my living costs, but still it was one of the highest in comparison with students from other countries. I received 550 EUR for one month.

What is the student lifestyle like in Horsens?

There is a lot of exchange students in Horsens and the lifestyle is also in this way... It means you will be always surrounded mainly by students from different countries which are coming to Horsens for one or two semesters and spend time with them. You will not come to touch with Danish people and their lifestyle that much. Basically it is amazing full of parties, trips, events and new people. You will always remember it as one of the best period of your life.

Would you recommend the city and the University of Horsens to other students?

Yes, I would. For me it was really good experience, totally different school system than in my home University. You can go to school whenever you want, spend there whole night, organize some party there or just watch movies with your friends... Only one negative thing I have to say that Horsens is quite small town and sometimes there is nothing to do... So if you are planning to spend there long time, it is good to save money and travel across Denmark or whole Scandinavia to see something new... I definitely recommend to visit Arhus or Copenhagen to see also real city life of big Danish city.

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What is the food like?

Actually, I've never go to any restaurant to try some traditional Danish food (mostly because of the prices). First two months I used to eat in school canteen, where you can add anything what you want to your plate and then you will pay for it according to the weight of food on the plate. There are a plenty of vegetable, different types of meat etc. and you can choose whatever you want. It is tasty and it wasn't so expensive as an restaurant, but still quite expensive for me, as a student from Czech Republic.

I used to cook at home and take a lunch also to school to save some money for travelling. What I can recommend is Danish vegetable and fruits. It is really tasty and good quality. Danish have good agriculture.

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Did it cost you to find your accommodation in Horsens?

I found my accommodation through the organisation Drosselbo. They have an office in University and most of students in Horsens use this opportunity. It is quite expensive and at the beginning you have to pay huge deposit, but in the other hand it is really great because students dormitories is the best place to experience student life in Horsens.

How much does it cost to live in Horsens?

Depends on your lifestyle, how much money do you spend for eating, drinking, travelling etc.

Is the language easy to get to grips with? Are there language courses available at the University?

There is free Danish course in Horsens (it is not in school but you can find information about it there). Danish courses are free for people in whole Denmark, not only in Horsens. I didn't use this opportunity, main reason is that Danish language is not so easy to learn and if you plan to spend there only few months you will definitely forget it soon... but if you plan to stay there longer or if you have a passion for learning languages or just want to try it, go for it!.

What's the easiest or most economical way to travel to Horsens from your city?

From Czech Republic, the best solution is to use the night train, which travel from Kolding (Copenhagen) to Prague. But you have to book it really soon to get good price. Minimal price is about 50-60 EUR if you book it really soon. There is also a possibility to share a car. There are for example a lot of Slovak students who have own site of Facebook to find an offer to get home by car.

Where would you recommend to go on a night out in Horsens?

There are few clubs to go dance in Horsens, Crazy Daisy, Happy Viking and Hackenfeld. For VIA students it is typical to go to Crazy Daisy every Thursday... But this is not an everyone's cup of tea. Also Student bar in VIA University is good to meet friends and drink some beers. It is good to watch Facebook pages of VIA Students (DSR Horsens, VIA UC) - they organize a lot of actions, trips and parties for students.

And for eating? Can you recommend some good restaurants in Horsens?

I can't recommend any good restaurant, I didn't try it. My best advice is to invite all of your new friends in Horsens and cook together to discover cuisine of different countries.

What good cultural sites are there to visit?

DSR organization of VIA students who organize a lot of parties, trips and events.

To be honest, I missed a good cultural opportunity in Horsens because it is quite a small town (you can visit local Horsens Gallery or Faengslet Prison Museum but there is no big gallery). I recommend to go to Aarhus, which is about 30 minutes by train from Horsens. There is awesome gallery and also great opportunities for festivals, shopping, trips and other.

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Is there any other advice that you could give to students going to Horsens in the future?

Just be yourself and enjoy it. And travel a lot!