EXPECTATIONS VS REALITY

Of The 5th Semester

By Kari Grov and Tania González Horstmann

Before the summer we heard about five third-year students’ plan for the 5th-semester. Did reality meet their expectations? And what tips do they have for electives, exchange and internships?

Cecilia Zade Iseni

And how was it having Eddie Ashbee again?

Eddie was just as amazing as expected. He only taught online during my first year, so it was great actually getting to experience the famous Eddie Ashbee in person! As the class was small the lectures became very intimate and Eddie created an environment with lots of space for participation which I really enjoyed.

Do you have any tips for students taking electives?

Take the time to get to know the other IBP’ers who aren’t traveling during 5th semester and spend time with them! I wish I would have done more of this, I’ve really missed the IBP-spirit this semester.

First of all how has this fall semester been?

Great in so many unexpected ways! In August, I decided to postpone 15 ects to next fall in order to be able to focus on my volunteer work without compromising my studies too much (let’s just say I’ve made that mistake before:)). And it’s been the best decision I’ve made while studying! I’ve had a lot more time to get into depth with the courses I’ve followed and catch up on everything I missed while I was in New York at the beginning of the semester. While I was in New York, I also got a job offer, which was everything I wanted in a student job and just too good to turn down, so I actually changed jobs this semester as well. I moved in with my boyfriend at the beginning of the semester, so there has been a lot of change, which has made me extra happy about my decision to postpone courses. It’s been a blessing to actually be able to settle into a good routine at our new home and this feels like the first time during my studies it hasn’t been completely chaotic haha.

How were the electives? Fun? Challenging?

The two electives I took were two completely different experiences. One was a small class taught by Eddie Ashbee, which was super interesting and engaging. The other was quite a large class and taught by a professor whom I personally didn’t find very captivating, so I wasn’t too happy about that. But that’s pretty common I guess, we can’t be equally satisfied with every professor’s style of teaching.

And we must ask, how was it going to NYC as the Danish Youths representative UN General Assembly?

Amazing in every possible way. I had that “pinch me”-feeling several times a day from experiencing so many amazing things. We got to be part of the launch of Denmark’s candidacy for the Security Council, participated in the official meetings of the Danish delegation, and were invited to the ambassador’s residence for dinner with a group of Danish MP’s. I even got to go to a rooftop reception with the Crown Prince! The highlight of it all was writing and giving my own speech on behalf of Denmark to the General Assembly’s third committee - it was such a special and empowering experience. The trip was made even better by the fact that I got to spend time with a bunch of great IBP’ers who were on exchange or doing an internship in the US, as we linked up for an amazing weekend in NYC.

Lastly, were your expectations for the 5th semester met?

A lot of my expectations for the fifth semester were exceeded by lengths! Postponing half my subjects has allowed me to spend more with the people I love, living with my boyfriend is even better than expected and I am so happy about my new job. However, I’m a bit disappointed that I never got around to visiting my friends on exchange in Paris - the semester just went by so fast:/