A day in a life of a student

What to expect

Before moving to Denmark, I had a lot of questions and concerns. One of them was that I had no idea what my life would look like once I start studying there. But fear not, because I got your back with an overview of my typical day. Of course, some things I mention don’t always happen at the exact time every day and some days are out of the ordinary, but this is approximately what you can expect as a student at Business Academy Aarhus:

7:00 Wake up and have some coffee

My apartment is 15 min by bike away from school. Living close to school has its benefits - like not having to wake up super early and being close to your school friends who probably also live in a nearby area. However, in corona times when teaching is online, things are a bit different. I really miss my commute to school now so I am trying to squeeze in some morning yoga or just cycle around my neighbourhood a little to clear up my brain and mentally prepare for the day ahead.

8:20 School start

Danes are very punctual people, so our teachers start the lessons at that precise time every day. One program usually has 3-4 teachers from different areas of study. Normally, we have only one teacher giving lessons each day. This keeps the studies focused and allows us to really go in-depth into the subject of the day.

11:30 Lunch break and some more coffee

One thing that was extremely strange to me were such early lunch breaks. This goes both for schools and workplaces. If you are anything like me, and usually have lunch at 2 or 3 PM, this will take some time to get used to. There is a canteen in the school where you can buy a salad, a sandwich or a warm meal. Though it’s very common that students bring their own lunches to school. After the lunch break, we go back to the class that usually lasts until 13:00 or 15:30, depending on the day.

14:00 Working on your project

Students at BAAA have dedicated time to work on their own projects (usually in teams). This is a time to meet with your team, discuss important decisions and do some hands-on work. It’s a really important activity for you as a student, and sometimes the teachers will extend this project work to the entire school day (and have no lessons at all). This way you have enough time to brainstorm, come up with solutions, and test them with real users.

15:30-18:00 Danish lessons or Working (depending on the day)

Danish lessons are often the most fun part of the day. Even though I’m usually exhausted by this time of the day, these lessons are always so much fun that it would be a shame to miss them. Danish lessons are free for all internationals and the physical teaching was held right here at the school’s building so it was always convenient to come right after the lessons. We have these lessons only twice a week. Other days at this time I work in my part-time job. Sometimes I work at the weekend as well to do at least 12 hours of work weekly. As an EU citizen, this gives me the same rights to SU (Danish student grant) as a Danish student.

18:00 - Bedtime

Evening hours are the most flexible time of my day. Some times I still feel energetic so I am working out or going for a walk. Other times I arrange dinner parties with my friends. This is the time when I reflect on the day thus far and try to fulfil any need that I still have. Is it creativity? - then I paint. Is it sleep? - then I watch Netflix and take a nap!

I hope this painted a clearer picture of what student life is like in at the Academy and in Denmark? If you have any other questions about studying in Denmark feel free to send me a message!

Written by:

Marija T, Bachelor top-up Innovation and Entrepreneurship.

About Marija: Loves to read a good book while travelling, or staying flexible with some yoga.