"Learning and immersing myself into the Danish approach to healthcare is incredibly eye-opening, especially when it is compared to the United States administration. I am confident that this experience will help me navigate and one day hopefully correct barriers and flaws seen in our country’s healthcare system,” reflected public heath major Nicolette Peremen, who is currently abroad on the Danish Institute for Study Abroad program in Copenhagen.
Peremen’s core course is Healthcare Systems: A Comparative Approach, which allows her to examine how the Danish healthcare system differs from the one here in the United States.
“I found Copenhagen to be the perfect place to pursue my academic and career goals. At Ohio State, I am a public health major; it just so happens that Copenhagen is one of the public health capitals of the world,” she noted.
After visiting her sister studying abroad when she was 10 on the exact same program, Peremen was inspired by the experience and decided to pursue her own at Ohio State. Through her time abroad, she’s learned how to navigate living and going to school in another country.
“The biggest thing I learned is that ‘scary’ is a good thing. As excited as I was to be studying abroad, all the uncertainties worried me. Within moments of landing in Copenhagen, all of these fears started to melt away. Yes, I was still nervous, but now I felt confident that I would eventually find my way…and I did,” she said. “Truthfully, Copenhagen is one of the easiest cities to study abroad in because almost everyone also speaks English and they are incredibly patient and understanding towards travelers.”
Some of her favorite moments thus far have been taking advantage of her location and traveling to other European countries in her spare time. Still, Peremen appreciates her time in Copenhagen and will remember the experience for a lifetime.
“Studying abroad and flying throughout Europe has been the most incredible privilege and experience of my life."