How is studying in Switzerland?

I remember my first day of classes; I was nervous and somehow worried about how would it be to study in English, the methodology, the professors and so on. The first day of class I could immediately notice that the entire class seem pretty international, I sat next to a girl that looked Hispanic, but I wasn’t sure from where. Minutes later I asked her where she was from and yes! She was from Cali, Colombia; it thrilled me to find someone from my home country, specially when I am thousands of miles away. Later on, I met the rest of the group, a mix of many nationalities, Swiss, African, Philippian, Greek, Slovenian, etc.

It was not my first time studying in an international environment, but cultures are different and we need to learn to adapt to them. Therefore, with time I had to learn how to do certain activities different, like preparing for an exam, organizing my time, etc.. this process was challenging and it took some time, reason why I’ve decided to write this post and give you some tips and an idea of how it will be when you are studying in a Swiss University.

1. Time

•   As you might have heard or read in my previous postings, Swiss make not only amazing watches, they also follow them! Punctuality in Switzerland means being on time, maybe even 5 minutes earlier.
•   When it comes to deadlines, you must deliver according to schedule. The chances that the deadlines change are rare.
•  Swiss are very organized. When there are a lot of team projects, I recommend you to make a semester plan in Excel including the assignments, the descriptions and due dates. Additionally, use apps as Asana and Trello, which are pretty helpful to organize time, projects, assign tasks and much more.
•  In some cases students work and study. Therefore, it’s essential to schedule a group meeting in advanced to make sure it works for all the group members and can be written on the personal calendars. Also, If you can’t make it to the meeting, please inform ahead of time and don’t leave the group waiting, which is a very unpleasant behavior.

2. Dress code

•   We all come from unique backgrounds, some like to dress more formal or informal than others. In my experience what I have seen is that Swiss like to keep it casual, clean, and modest; nothing that’s too extravagant or draws too much attention.

3. Communication

•  Swiss like to communicate easily and directly to the point.
• Swiss don’t seem to mind about titles, but for respect it’s always pleasant to address them according to the title.
• Between Friends and family, the usual is to greet with three kisses.
• Emails should  be answered, usually within 48 hours.
•  Swiss are friendly, but they still like that you respect their personal space.

4. Class presentations

• Keep It clear, there is no need to decorate the words, Swiss mostly like to keep it to the facts.
• Time is important like any other country in the world, but please prepare your presentations for the amount of time required.

5. General behaviors

•  Don’t speak loud, speak clearly and with respect.
• Use the right recycle bin when throwing away your garbage.
• Calls should be done until 20:00 pm, from friends until 21:00
• When there is a critic, don’t take it as an offence.
• When Swiss invite to have some lunch, it doesn’t mean is an invitation where they will pay, It’s just for a time to socialize.
• When drinking alcohol, look at the other people’s eyes when toasting.

6. Exams

This is one of the most challenging ones for me.

• Make sure you know how it will be structured, the different types of questions and so on. I don’t mean it in a simple way, you must make sure that you understand how is the procedure to answer the exam, the style, the time, if is open book or not, etc..
• To prepare for the exam you are given some days, that at the beginning might seem enough, but it’s not always like that.
• I recommend you to take notes and make a summary during the semester, that includes information from slides, readings and class notes, so at the end of the semester you can print it (if preferred) and start studying.
• During the exam, everyone is so focused on not missing time that sometimes students even have a stamp with their names on it, so they can save time…. sounds crazy, eh !
• Swiss friends can tend to show care and text you wishing good luck, and later to ask you how you did in the exams. Which I find really cute 😊

7. Looking for a job

• This could be sometimes a bit tricky. Make a very professional CV, a cover letter that is concise and describes you the best and ask Swiss classmates or friends for tips about the job market.
• Continuously check in the different platforms and also ask people you know to inform you if they hear about job openings.

8. Writing a paper

• This part requires a lot of practice, I recommend you to take notes about what does the university require, the format, word count, pages, etc.
• Plagiarism, like everywhere else in the world, is a NO -NO.

Thanks for reading me! If there is anything you would like to know about studying or living in Switzerland, leave a comment below and stay tuned!

Would you like to compare your country with Switzerland?

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Do you plan to study or live in Switzerland? check the links below –>

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