Jakob Schjørring-Thyssen had the time of his life in the Visiting International Student Program (VISP), which gives international students a chance to study abroad at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Badger football games were unforgettable, unlike anything he’d experienced back in Copenhagen. He also loved the Memorial Union Terrace, where he’d socialize with new friends and listen to live music.
Jakob came to feel that Madison was his home away from home, and he missed it terribly after returning to Denmark. Hearing his stories about friendly students and professors, Jakob’s younger brother Anders decided to enroll in the Visiting International Student Program himself.
“I told Anders that every day he would have the opportunity to try something new,” Jakob says.
Lifelong Badgers
VISP students come for any term to take classes across the UW-Madison campus. They can join clubs, use the university facilities, and take advantage of student support services. Like Jakob and Anders, they commonly have transformative experiences and consider themselves lifelong Badgers.
“Campus life here is definitely one of a kind,” Anders says. “You have small classes, and you get to know your classmates. It’s really easy to meet people here.”
Madison reminded the Schjørring-Thyssen brothers of Copenhagen, only smaller. They liked the tolerant atmosphere and always felt safe.
“It’s the combination of a world-class academic institution and an incomparable college experience,” Jakob says.
See the video above for an interview with Jakob and Anders. For more information about the Visiting International Student Program, contact the VISP coordinators at VISP@dcs.wisc.edu, 608–263-6960; and check out the VISP Facebook page and Instagram account.