CAIRO, Egypt – On Sunday, three journalism students at the American University in Cairo shared their Danish study abroad experience with their peers and faculty. The panel discussion was an hour long and took place in the
Mary Cross Hall.
Ola Noureldin, Nour El Afandi and Yara Enany took turns introducing themselves and telling the audience about their experiences in a land foreign to them. They spoke candidly about their fall 2013 semester abroad at the
Danish School of Media and Journalism in Aarhus, Denmark.
Nour, the first to take the floor, explained that
Aarhus, the city in which the three young women stayed, is a student city that is rich in cultural and ethnic diversity. “You’re going to become open minded,” she said. “You’re going to deal with people who are completely different to you,” Nour added. She went on to say that, although she felt homesick at first, she adapted quickly and began enjoying everything her courses had to offer.
Yara, the first graduate student to go on this study abroad programme, spoke about the challenges she faced during registration. She explained that, although she initially had some issues finding accredited courses for her master's degree, it worked out to be a “brilliant experience.” Being the only graduate student, Yara’s time at DSMJ was slightly different to her undergraduate counterparts. She was given the opportunity to carry out “
risk reporting” in collaboration with the United Nations and the EU.
Ola, a senior, spoke about the teaching approach adopted by her professors at DSMJ. “The teachers don’t spoon feed you the information. They want you to figure out the right way on your own,” she said. She explained that the main difference between education there and education at AUC was the practical application of knowledge. In a post-interview, Ola said she would "advise (students) interested in study abroad to go for it. It's very enriching."
We spoke with audience member Malak Assad, a journalism student planning on going to DMSJ next fall. When asked what her overall impression was, Malak said, "I see how much (the students) grew there... I'm really looking forward to seeing it."
