ETH Zurich

Hey guys !

I want to apply to ETH Zurich, but I don't have any knowledge of the German language nor the Swiss-German dialect either. Anyone from ETH Zurich here ? Could you please tell me more about the place eg. the courses, the university, the work load, the type of people, the accomadation, the costs. I am mostly going to aim for either Mathematics/Applied Mathematics/Physics. Do they have any intensive German Classes or something like that ? How long would it take me to get to that level ?

Reply 1

dadude

are you talking about bachelor or masters degree? Because masters is in english, learning a language is gonna take you a while, although your not gona need to be a german shakespeare your gona need a minimum to be able to understand the lectures. The workload is around 70 hours a week, half of that by yourself. The first year is their "selection process" and its only about 50% of people that pass to the second year.

Its very different to studying in british universities however its a very prestegious university especially in europe and even in the states

Reply 2

dstevens

It seems that I'm in a similar position to you, CookieGhoul. I'm from the UK and hoping to study physics at ETH. I don't know of any courses run by the university themselves but there are other courses you can go on to improve your German. In case you didn't know, to be admitted to ETH, you need a qualification in German; level C1 with passes at "good" or better in every part of the exam.The C1 level exam seems pretty hard so don't underestimate the amount of work you'll have to put in; having said that, it's almost certainly an achievable target. If you can spend some time in Germany, you'll probably find that it helps your German a lot, I intend to do something along those lines this summer.

dadude, is German your native language or did you need to learn it before going to ETH?

Reply 3

mpc1

For those with AP's , ETH requires a reduced entrance exam (Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics, Physics) in addition to C1.

Has anyone attempted this exam? What are your inputs on the entrance test?

Also, how do you all rate University of Zurich (pros/cons) as compared to ETH with regards to natural sciences?

University of Zurich does not require the reduced entrance exam if the AP requirements and C1 are met.

Thoughts?

Thanks.

Reply 4

Vianna

Also, how do you all rate University of Zurich (pros/cons) as compared to ETH with regards to natural sciences?

I've heard ETH mentioned the most in conjunction with science related degrees. Other than that, no idea :P I'd be interested if anyone else knows more though...

Reply 5

dstevens

Original post by Vianna

Hey! I'm thinking of doing the same thing. Language-wise, I'm taking a year out next year when I'm going to do a Rosetta Stone course and hopefully spend some time in Switzerland/Germany. It probably wouldn't be that difficult to pick it up there as well (as long as you have the basics needed to get in). Total immersion in a language speeds up your learning unbelievably.

I've heard ETH mentioned the most in conjunction with science related degrees. Other than that, no idea :P I'd be interested if anyone else knows more though...

I found Rosetta Stone rather basic compared to the sort of level you need to be at in order to pass difficult exams in German. If you're starting completely from scratch, you might find it useful (even then I would seriously question whether it's worth the money) but if you've got some solid German knowledge already, you might want to look for something more advanced. With all due respect, I think you may be slightly underestimating the difficulty of the C1 exam we will have to pass before enrolling. I wouldn't worry though, there should be plenty of time to reach that sort of level before the 2012 applications deadline or if you're taking a year out, 2013 (as long as you have a reasonable amout of time to spend practicing your German).

Has anyone actually visited the university yet or are you planning on doing it if/when you get offers? I'm struggling to decide either way but if I go to Zurich this summer, it's likely that I'll take a look.

Reply 6

bwalex

I have been accepted for a Masters degree at ETH Zurich and will be studying there from September onwards.

I have been in Zurich two weeks ago to take a look at the city. As far as I can tell, pretty much everyone speaks English. That being said, I'm German myself so I speak german :smile:

Seems the biggest problem with ETH Zurich is actually finding reasonable accomodation. There is no student accomodation from the university itself, and most student halls have veeeery long waiting lists ( > 1 year ). The only options available are sharing a flat with other students, or getting a flat on your own, but that can be expensive.

Reply 7

tara06

Hey,
Can anyone tell me how many people are admitted into the Master's program in biology at ETH Zurich? I've applied for the Fall intake. And how hard is it to get in, if there is an approximate definition?

Reply 8

justMC1R

I have applied for a single honours physics degree to various Russell Group Universities in England. However, I am intrigued by the possibility of studying my masters (the forth year) in Zurich. I have relatives over there so accommodation isn't an issue. Could anyone discuss the requirements of getting into ETH and the likelihood of being transferred for the forth year of my course.
I'm new to this, any help would be great.

Reply 9

justMC1R

Original post by dadude

The workload is around 70 hours a week, half of that by yourself. The first year is their "selection process" and its only about 50% of people that pass to the second year.

The workload is certainly not seventy hours a week, not by some margin.

In the UK there's a typical twenty or so contact hours for a high workload course like mathematics or physics. So about 30/35 hours a week workload in total.

Reply 10

Elcano

Original post by justMC1R

The workload is certainly not seventy hours a week, not by some margin.

If you take the time spent in summer revising for the exams in August and redistribute that onto the two semesters, then yes, that comes quite close. There is a lot of work to do. Maybe still not quite 70, but definitely more than 30.