Student's Corner

Welcome to Student's Corner, something I have been meaning to do for ages..

Here is a place to share tips, advice and info on student's life in Switzerland.

Let's harp, vent, share successes, desperate moments, MOs to attack work load, compare libraries and free wifi places where one can peacefully sit and work for a moment. Let's compare attitudes and cultural differences one meets when studying, let's increase our chances to get those exams done, peptalking or being on eachother's backs.

Tips on cheap living, sharing apartments, fun student's cafes, rock clubs, life in dorms, inexpensive and high quality culture life are welcome. Practical info on exams, library closing times and other services are always good.

We have a bunch of students here, in all sorts of programs, it is intriguing.

Ok, I will start.

Zurich central library is fab, way more user friendly than say Geneva Bastions place. They did order me a book from Bern in Geneva, but it took them forever. Had to personally remind them a few times.The downpoint in Zurich is the reading/study hall closes at 8pm, which is way too early. One needs to request password for their wifi by cellphone. The staff speaks impeccable English. There are little cafes around, so one won't starve if you have to cram a whole day.

The campus at Irchel stays open later, the lib closes at 9pm, but it is a tad spooky there, unlit and remote. Summer studying must be easier.

Bastions in Geneva has a really nice vibe, it's a historical building, the study hall almost always full of super quiet, hard working cramming students. It stays open usually till 10pm, the only gripe I have with it is surrounded by a dark park and not a cop in sight. Wifi is available without password. The staff never spoke English to me. There are no vending machines, no cafes after the uni one closes, so if you need to cram long, bring a snack (food not permitted in the actual study hall).

After one registers with those libraries, you can easily find your books in online catalogue and order them, pick them up later the same day.

Download free books:

www.studentensupport.ch / www.bookboon.com

Student lodging portal: http://www.students.ch/

The best collection of top-quality free learning material on the internet:

ocw.mit.edu

This is awesome, thanks!

Jrspet, thanks for the resources, will definitely check it out.

I am now on PHinisheD.org, it's a really good place for those who are working hard on their thesis (whichever, actually, not only PhD) and need to stay focused and motivated, I do their Tomatoes with them. It's a time management technique, for intensive writing.

You log in, with a bunch of fellow students, and everyone is writing, within Tomatoes (time periods of either 10, 25 or 50mins, it's called Pomodoro Technique), then we clock in and share the progress. It keeps me on track when I have to do boring edits, finish for deadlines, publishing stuff, etc. It's genius for beating procrastination, since little steps done with others, and checked, will decrease the anxiety over the huge workload which is usually the reason people procrastinate. It's a well of wisdom for students.

The Uniturm of University of Zurich is a cool place to study. Awesome view on Zurich!! It has group places and also quiet place there.

I would point out my longish post on living inexpensively in Basel.

Thanks, that's a real gem! I will also find the living under 50fr a week thread, and other threads, cheap meals etc.

Being a student does not mean being poor, automatically, just that sometimes one has other expenses to pay for, books, etc. There are a bunch of students, also, who are employed while studying, juggling jobs and families while cramming at nights and on trains.

I second the recommendation for PHinisheD.org - especially when working from home / away from a university setting. It's good to know that one is not alone in this process... and that many others are facing the same hurdles and interrogations. I found it extremely motivating to connect to other people writing up their research, and the pomodoro technique is great productivity tool!

One resource that I found to be very useful is the Academic Phrasebank

This official website is useful for information on programmes, funding and lifestyle:

http://www.swissuniversity.ch/index.htm

My editing is draging, jebus. I also noticed I do way better at noisy places, trains, kitchens full of people, radio and other stuff on, teacher's lounge, waiting rooms...woot. I should feed my brain waves.

That made me laugh...

Anyways, what is everyone workgin on, these days...Anyone up for a study group meet up? LS or GE?

That's the theme this weekend, fuuuu...
One thing I know, it's really hard to get into heavily abstract stuff and cram, with raclette and a banana split sitting in my belly.

Any suggestions for quiet places with wifi access in Neuchatel to sit and study? Some place that stays open till about 2000?

Hi, Kosti,

before some Neuch guys chip in, and we do have some scholars here from there, not sure myself about where to study in your city. Try the university or municipal library, they all have really good reading hall, and usually open at least till 8pm.

Otherwise, weekends - not sure if they managed to launch the Starbucks they were talking about recently yet. MacDonalds also do free wifi these days, if you need to conect and close late. Not conducive to a lot of studying, but as a last resort would do.

One thing I'd like to stress for the University Students since I am blown away by how little known that is: the moment you are enrolled with your university (I know it for a fact in ETH, Neuchatel, Uni Züri, SG) you have the possibility to install a VPN which allows you to surf for free on all Swisscom based hotspots, i.e. most train stations and airports in CH.
Check it up on your uni website (reference for ETH here).

Also - since I'm writing most weekends, would love to meet up with others for reciprocal motivation. MusicChick if you're in Zurich drop me a PM!

How did I ever finish my thesis without free universal wifi?

I had someone else do it for me....

No wait...

:P

I definitely will, I travel back and forth, the uni lib is awesome. Anyone else up for a study group? I work better with somebody on my ass, team spirit and motivation are great helpers.

Free universal wifi and the disctractions it comes with is in fact killng my thesis...baaaah.

Off I go to count the Pomodoros.

As the corner is for more than one student may I suggest the title should be 'students' corner'.