Every year Aarhus University takes in around a thousand international students from a diverse range of cultural and educational backgrounds.
As with any international student community, the question of integration with the indigenous student population often rears its head.
I set out to interview several international students from different countries about what they thought regarding their Danish counterparts in order to gain some insight into the way these visitors to Denmark view the natives:

What were your impressions or expectations of Danish students before you arrived?
“A friend who lived here a couple of years ago told me I should come here because he thought Denmark was much more pleasant than Italy.
He said the people were all really nice, but I think they're just like anyone else. He also told me they all spoke English, but I've found quite a few who don't – maybe I'm just unlucky!“

What is your impression of Danish students currently?
“I've found that those in my class aren't very talkative, and that they don't really interact with the international students. However, the Danes I've met at the bar and parties at my college have been the complete opposite – very friendly and sociable.“

Are there any important similarities or differences between students in your own country and Danish students?

“Students in Italy socialise more during the week than Danish students do – Danes tend to save their energy for the weekends, when there are usually huge parties. Maybe everyone needs the week to recover from the weekend, which might explain why classes are less social here! Otherwise Danish students are more hard-working – in Italy a deadline is much more flexible than in Denmark!“

What do you think about relations between international students and Danish students?
“Maybe there's not that much mixing, but that might be our fault as well – you can't just blame the Danes.“

What were your impressions or expectations of Danish students before you arrived?
“Blonde, blue-eyes – I knew some Norwegian people before I moved so I guess I thought Danes would be similar, but I've found the Danes to be a lot less open.
Maybe I was just lucky with the Norwegians.“

What is your impression of Danish students currently?
“I have mixed feelings about Danish students – on the one hand I'm dating one, but on the other I often feel like I'm ignored by the Danes in my class, and that they don't really try to socialise with the international students.“

Are there any important similarities or differences between students in your own country and Danish students?
“There's a huge difference – Spanish students are much lazier, but maybe if we were paid to come to university like Danish students are then we'd be a bit more enthusiastic!“

What do you think about relations between international students and Danish students?
“There's not much interaction – Danes are nice once you get to know them, but it can be hard to reach that stage. It's difficult to build relationships when we don't really socialise!“

What is the biggest difference between working here and in Russia?
After the collapse of the Soviet Union the standard of scientific work changed dramatically. In Denmark I found a very high standard – the way it should be.

What has been your biggest challenge as an international employee in Denmark?
The language. But it’s not a problem any more. For me, with my background and culture, it has been an easy transition. People here are very helpful – if you have problems you can just get help.

What advice would you give to a newcomer?
Don’t be afraid to be open. Get out there and learn to understand the Danish mentality. Then everything will be much easier.