83 reviews
4.21 / 5 based on 83 reviews
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dechauxnicolas
Academic
Course recommendations
All the Adanced courses in Financial Maths are very demanding but extremely interesting (the professors are of a very high level : top 5 of Europe in Financial Maths in ETH Zurich
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My academic experiences
Interaction with teachers
Interaction with international students
Interaction with local students
Personal comments
The professors are not always easy to contact (a lot of the academic questions have to be asked to the teaching assistants which is sometimes quite frustrating)
The courses are in English of perfectly understandable German (Hochdeutsch), but sometimes the local students ask their questions in the Swiss German dialect which is totally impossible to understand for foreign students
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My opinion of the university assessment
Exams throughout the course
Essays and/or projects at the end of course
Essays and/or projects throughout the course
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dechauxnicolas
Languages
Language of instruction: German
Was learning German a key decision factor?
Yes, I wanted to improve my German
How much did you improve your German?
My level before: Everyday knowledge (shopping, directions, etc.)
My level after: At ease in most situations
Language difficulties
Administrative / Institutional
Personal comments
My academic semester at ETH Zurich let me improve my knowledge of both German (used in 2/3 of the University courses)and English (used at the student house with the other exchange students and for the finance-related courses)
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dechauxnicolas
Overall
I wish I had known...
I had already been in the French-speaking part of Switzerland (Geneva, Lausanne) and thought it would be the same in Zurich. But it is not, the "Roestigraben" between the french-speaking part and the german-speaking part of Switzerland is not an invention of guide books.
I did not believe that Swiss people were so proud of themselves and had so many "clichés" about other European countries (not France especially).
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In my opinion:
Most people loved it.
Important factors in my choice
(1) Unimportant – (4) Very important
Personal recommendation
ETH Zurich is a good choice if you want to meet students from all over the world and if you do not want to go too far away from France (less than 100 kms from French border, easy to go back to France if needed).
The academic level of the institution is very high (especially, Computer Science, Maths, Chemistry), equivalent of some of the best american universities in some areas of study.
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During my experience abroad, I ...
(1) Never – (4) A lot
Became familiar with another culture
Met people from other countries
Experienced a change in life
Advanced my studies & career
Final comments
Travel tips :
- better to be Ok with German before you go (quicker integration)
-Switzerland is at the center of Europe, a lot of travel opportunities (go to Lucerne, skiing in Winter week-ends, Oktoberfest in Munich and Bavaria, Italian coast is not so far (Venice)).
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dechauxnicolas
Expenses
Main source of funding:
An ERASMUS grant
Other sources of funding:
Family
Work opportunities:
I didn't explore any work options
Personal spending habits
Switzerland has not a reputation of a country where everything is cheap. This is true globally.
Compared to my former University in Nancy, France, Zurich was really expensive.
If you compare it to Paris, this is not so evident...
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Telephone, Travel, Nightlife, Overall:
was more expensive than at home.
Housing, Food:
was the same price as at home.
Accessibility of student needs
Second-hand household items
Personal comments
Health Insurance is expensive in Switzerland, as well as restaurants.
As regards travel, buy "Halbtax" and "Gleis 7" and you will save a lot of money.
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dechauxnicolas
Housing
Type of housing: student house
Arranged by: Host university
If returning, I would choose: Apartment/House
Why?
Personal comments
It was really convenient to live in a student house with other Exchange Students
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dechauxnicolas
Student life
Describe host city:
Students interact with the local community without much university involvement
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Nightlife, Activities: Takes place mostly within the university/student environment
Travel: Takes place both within and outside of the university/student environment
Personal social experience
Personal comments
Nelson Pub (Zurich centre)
Parties organised by ETH Zurich, including Polyball which is really amazing
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