ETH Zurich, University of Amsterdam & University of Groningen

University of Amsterdam:

ETH Zurich:

Hi, I’m Siddharth and I’m a freshman at ETH Zürich. My goal with this piece is to draw attention to ETH which is completely overlooked at TISB, despite being one of the top-ranked STEM schools in the world.

Aside from rankings, the most important dry fact about ETH for me would be the fact that tuition fees at ETH are almost negligible. Other sky-high costs like textbooks are also unheard of here. 

So what series of complicated admission hoops do you need to jump through to get in? It’s actually really straightforward and specific: 38/42 in IB (without bonus points and some subject requirements) and a C1 certificate in German. There’s no essays or interviews and most importantly clear. I’d be glad to give anyone interested more details on the specific requirements, but that’s something easily found on the internet. I think the C1 certificate along with the fact that most first-year courses are taught in German is why ETH isn’t considered by most TISB students. But as someone who didn’t speak a word of German until the 10th grade, I can assure you that this isn’t an insurmountable hurdle. After a semester of classes in German and interacting exclusively with German speakers, I don’t need to internally translate everything from English to German. Although English is my first language and writing this piece would’ve been a breeze for the TISB-me, it proved a bit challenging because I haven’t used English on a daily basis in almost six months. I guess what I’m trying to say is that while studying and socializing in a different language might seem inconceivable, it becomes the new normal after a while. 

I chose ETH knowing that the language would be a challenge because of all the positives it has that other schools simply don’t offer. For example, I major in math and in my first year I had only one course not related to math or physics. Breadth requirements like those common in North America are unheard of here. Because of this, you can graduate with a Master’s degree 5 years after you start at ETH. While this intense focus on a single area might be a drawback for some, it was a major positive for me because I knew what I was passionate about and was comfortable committing to it. ETH also encourages independent research in the form of a bachelor’s thesis (think extended essay but longer, more stringent and without data manipulation). 

Although campus life might not be as active as in the US, people here are extremely friendly and will happily converse with you in English if you want. There are multiple events every year organized by Student unions and the individual departments. This includes a freshman weekend, usually in the mountains, which is a great place to make friends and party. There is also the freshman party, the Glühwein tents in the lead up to Christmas and ski weekends after the holidays. The university gym also offers free courses in almost any sport you can think of from kickboxing and jujitsu to basketball and volleyball. Throughout the semester there is a large range of student clubs that are very well funded by ETH. If all of that doesn’t convince you, the student union also offers a free coffee a day and a beer a week to all students. 

Overall I’d say that if you know the subject you’re interested in and you’re looking for a different experience than the traditional US college, I’d strongly encourage you to at least consider ETH. If you’re really interested and are able to, many department unions can set up a 3-day shadow program, which might help you can get a deeper insight into ETH. This really helped me because I realized that even my basic grade 11 German was good enough to follow lectures and converse with students. I’d be happy to answer any questions you might have regarding any aspect of ETH or Zürich. 

University of Groningen:

Name: Pooja Tadepalli
Year: 2nd year
Major: Chemical Engineering
Contact info: p.e.tdpl@gmail.com

Hi, I’m Pooja, I’m a sophomore majoring in chemical engineering at the University of Groningen(RUG) which is about two hours north of Amsterdam. I had never heard of this university at TISB but it’s one of the best known universities in Europe. Initially I had chosen to come here because of the high ranking program, diverse student population, and the fact that it was in Europe, somewhere I was not familiar with. Now that I’ve been here for almost two years, I am not sure if I would make the same decision again knowing what I know now. For TISB students who are frequently told about the US and UK college systems, the dutch system was a big change for me. These are some of the important things to know:

1. This is the ideal university for you if you are certain of your major and are interested in taking classes only related to that topic/major. If you are looking to explore different kinds of courses and classes, this will not be an easy process at RUG though it is doable.
2. All first year students have to obtain a minimum of 45 credits from a total of 60 in order to move on to the second year of the program. at this university is part of the faculty of science and engineering; one of the toughest faculties at the university. I would say this is the ideal university for you if you feel certain of what you would like to major in and are looking for the quickest way to get your degree. 
3. There are significantly fewer holidays and breaks compared to other colleges. We get two weeks of winter break (sometimes less) and about 2 months for summer. 
4. The tuition is way cheaper than the US or UK colleges! For international students here the tuition is approximately 10,000 euros a year (may vary slightly depending on the program)
5. There’s a huge student population in the city so there is always plenty to do. The university has sports centers all over the city as well as a cultural center with activities in the arts. Aside from that, there’s numerous clubs in each faculty (I have no idea where they’re listed though, I just see posters for their events all over all the time)
6. You’ll become proficient in a wide range of skills that pertain to your major; not just in one particular area. In just the first year we learned programming and analysis of chemical data, lab skills pertaining to organic chemistry and biochemistry, as well as some quantum physics and the necessary mathematical skills required to comprehend it. 
7. You don’t need to learn dutch in order to get by but it can be a useful skill that helps make your transition into the community easier. 
8. You can travel with ease throughout europe because of the extensive train and bus systems

When I applied in 2018 the requirements for chemical engineering were just that you had to get a minimum of 4 in chemistry and math (irrespective of the level at which you did it in IB) and pass the IB overall. In the last two years this has changed (so I’ve been told, I’m not 100% sure though). If you have any other questions or want to know anything else feel free to ask me.