How to be a BME Ersti

Welcome new Biomedical Engineering Students! For those of you who are new to ETH, this site contains helpful infos and tips on how to navigate this new life.

About the Studies

How to pick a tutor

  • Do a little research on your potential tutors background and pick one whose interests align with your own
  • Initially their advice is useful → they can really help you plan out classes that are most beneficial to your goals.
  • Doing a course that is not usually within your programme:
    • These have to be approved by your tutor.
    • Email them with a strong motivation behind your choice and ask if you could take that course and add it to your learning agreement. 
  • You may find that as you settle into the programme you will need your tutor’s advice less and less. They will still have to approve all the changes in your learning agreement, but as long as you have a good motivation they will approve everything.  
  • Eventually, your best source of information will be class mates, friends, random master students. Therefore, it is imperative to mingle and network with other students who share your interests → so go to social events!
  • Your learning agreement will change throughout the programme. Don’t panic if you don’t end up sticking to it. Of course, have some kind of idea of the courses you’d like to take and have the learning agreement ready by the deadline. But know that by the end of your programme the courses you take will not be the exact same as your initial learning agreement and that’s absolutely fine!

Semester and Research Projects

  • Finding a project for the first time can be a little daunting, but it’s easier than you think!
  • Many open projects are posted on the portal SiROP, where you can directly apply. Some labs post them on their own website.
  • Another option is to email a bunch of PhDs and/or postdocs directly. You can also email professors, but don’t rely on them for a fast reply!
  • Have a look at the labs you are interested in and single out the PhDs or postdocs with projects that peak your interest, contact them with a small motivation behind why you would like to do a project with them and attach your CV. Details like dates, length of project etc will also be helpful to them. 
  • Semester projects usually require a presentation and report at the end. These are always 12 credits.
  • Research projects can be 6, 12, 18, or 24 credits and need to be done full time. These can be done in a group and are pass/fail. Check with the professor what is required for your research project i.e. do you need to submit a report and/or prototype at the end.

Locations

Navigating at ETH can be a little difficult at the start. Two things are important to know:

  1. ETH has two main locations:
    • Zentrum: scattered around the centre of Zürich, there are many ETH Buildings. Their names usually do not start with H (except for HG, the main building).
    • Höngg: the second one is at Hönggerberg. Building names all start with H.
      Both locations are connected with the link, a free shuttle bus
  2. There is the Edu App, which has a map guiding you to the different buildings and also the rooms, as well as showing you your schedule.

Life outside of ETH

Public Transport

Public transport in Switzerland is great, but also expensive.

First thing to do is to get the Halbtax. This makes the prices somewhat bearable.

The night GA is an option to use all public transport after 7pm til early morning for 99.- a year.

Be aware that fines are high, and get progressively higher with more violations, and there are regular checks. So really get a ticket!

Food

Stores are usually open Monday to Saturday. On Sunday, only gas stations and stores at bigger train stations like HB are open.

If you look for a way to decrease expenses on food, consider the app TooGoodToGo. You can save food from being wasted for very cheap.

Leisure

  • ASVZ: ASVZ is the sports association for all students at universities in Zürich. The offers are endless, from sports like soccer, swimming, and volleyball to less known ones like surf-skating, but also fitness-oriented classes like TRX or muscle pump – everyone finds their sport. Look out for the second and third week of the semester, where a lot of extra offers are up, where you can try out any sport!
  • KulturLegi: Apply for the KulturLegi as a student and get nice discounts for all kinds of activities, like the local swimming pools, boulder gyms, but also other classes for pottery, sowing and more.
  • Student Project House: The makerspace in the SPH is the place for crafting, sowing, woodworking, doing repairs, 3D printing, lasercutting and more. There are two locations, one at Höngg, and one at Zentrum. Besides the makerspace, there are also exciting student projects to participate in. And you can also start your own project with support of the SPH!
  • Opera House Zürich: Go to the opera house in Zürich 90min before their evening show, and ask if they have tickets left. Show them your Legi, and you will get a ticket if there is a free seat for 20 CHF!

Further Infos

If you have any further questions, please contact us, we are happy to help!

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