December in Copenhagen was so amazing! I truly enjoyed being there and seeing the great, bright skies. A Danish person will tell you winters are full of grey skies, scattered showers, and short days. This year, only one of those was true! The days are short, but the sun comes up. It was beautiful to be there when it was cold, crisp, and bright.
Classes pick up a lot at CBS during the December, if only because exams have finally come. It was so weird to go to school with no assignments or exams until the very end. I enjoyed the classes, but the motivation isn?t in full swing like it is at Texas A&M. I never thought I would ever say this, but I enjoy having exams throughout the semester. The best pro to this system is having a chance to improve when the next one comes around. But the final exam is all or nothing at CBS. It?s scary and nerve-wracking to have so much count on one exam.
Each of my four classes had a different style of exam. I thought they were all unique and had their own benefits.
1. The exam for my introduction to maritime economics exam was oral. Which means I went into a room, received questions, prepared my answers in a prep room, went back to the exam room and presented my answers. The examiners, one being the instructor for the course and one being an outside, impartial academic, would ask follow-up questions and prompt my answers. Following my presentation, the examiners deliberate my grade while I am outside of the room. Then they invite me back into the room to give the grade and some feedback about my answers.
2. The second exam I took for my economic growth and development course was something I was more familiar. It was a written, sit in exam. This means it was on pen and paper, which isn?t very popular at CBS. The exams there are more often given on a computer, but the instructor for this course petitioned the exam board for the class to take the exam on pen and paper. CBS has a special exam hall for students to take exams with many proctors and in a secure location, rather than just in classrooms.
3. Another exam style I took was simply submitting a research paper that was based on a case company. This was the format in social media management. The paper needed to be a maximum of 15 pages and answer a research question. This is something that can easily get away from you. I had all semester to write this paper, and of course I wrote it the week it was due. Don?t do this no matter how easy it is. Because more than likely your exams will be really close to your departure date. If you can submit your papers well before then, do it! The last days should be cherished.
4. My last exam was a mix of the oral exam from maritime economics and the research paper from social media management. For fashion entrepreneurship and business development I was to write a paper and present it in an oral exam. The paper was due about two weeks before the oral exam. Something different about this exam was that I wrote and presented the paper with a partner. I enjoyed writing this with a partner, because it allowed me to see another side of the world. My partner was from the U.K. and studies in London. We wrote the paper in British English, which was slightly difficult for me, but she carried a lot of weight in that account. The oral exam for this exam was simple, we introduced our paper for about five minutes and then heard questions about our research, our stance, and got to justify some aspects of how we wrote the paper.
These exam styles were really great, because they allowed me to feel like I was actually going to school. It sounds a little silly, but studying abroad feels like a big cultural experience, rather than going to class at Texas A&M everyday. I only had classes two days a week, which gave me so much free time. Most students in Denmark get student jobs for this free time, working as assistants at banks, government ministries, and other businesses. But I was able to experience life and every day joys of Copenhagen and Denmark.
It was cold, it was busy, and it was amazing.