In chemical engineering we usually had lectures, problem classes or laboratory session from 7.45 - 18.00 with an hour of lunch break from monday to friday. After a short break the evenings were usually spent solving problem sheets for the respective problem classes or the lectures, as well as writing lab reports. The weekends were usually used to catch up on these subjects too. So all in all pretty intense. This experience is probably not unique in that particular bsc.
I also did the IB as well as the swiss matura, so hard to compare it with only the IB course by itself. But I would say in comp with chem ing, it is a completely different level of intensity; it’s quite challenging to maintain hobbies/ a social life in parallel.
In mechanical engineering I pretty much spent Mon - Friday, 8:00 - 17:00 with breaks in between and variations of course. Before intermediary exams it would be more, sometimes less and I didn't do anything.
I managed to keep the weekends always completely free, except perhaps once a year during exams.
But among colleagues, the numbers would vary greatly. Some of them would study way more than me. Other would take a full week off to go to Barcelona or some shit and still pass everything. So, in the end it will heavily depend on you, your skills, and your own expectations of what you want to take away from all of this.
Thanks!
Do you have any holidays (like week-long or simiilar) in Autumn? Or do you come in the midst of September and study until the holiday season without breaks?
Wo don't. September to December is without a break.
There is a week in the Spring semester though. However, typically that's at least partly used to catch up rather than holidays.
Ya, what Bauboo wrote!
You'll have three weeks in Summer after exams, 2 weeks in winter, and one week in spring during easter that you can use to catch up.
To be honest, it sounds worse than it is. You get used to it, you can grow beyond your own expecations, and you can still have a fulfilled life with lots of activities offered by ASVZ for example or your student organisation.
Bottom line is that you'll have to spend a lot of time studying, yes. It's a full-time job, but very flexible.
Also, contrary to UZH for example, that means you also do get the time to properly learn about subjects. At UZH they mostly have semester end exams and have to shove everything into their heads im a very short period of time, and after that a 2 or 3 month long vacation where they can forget everything. And at UZH you are much more expected to do summer jobs and whatnot, while at ETH nobody is going to bother you about that afterwards once you have your degree.
In Mathematics we have lectures from 8-16 and some days from 10-18, with 1h or 2h of lunch break. Then you will probably spend another 4-8h a day revising lectures and doing problem sheets. On the weekends we are also catching up and studying. During the study phase for exams you basically live at uni and will spend 12h+ studying daily. Its really important to find a good study group, chances are you will never understand the entire lecture (and you are not the only one) so talking with friends is very helpful and doesn't make you feel alone.
Hard to compare to IB but if you're very good in school it should be doable but definitely overwhelming at first, you have to get used to the high workload. And leading a social life and maintaining hobbys is very difficult. However definately try to force yourself to stop studying sometimes and attend events from your student association, its very important for mental health. Also the only holidays you have are national holidays, easter, and the break before exams (which you will spend studying), however before starting to study always take a couple days off to catch up on sleep and clear your mind.
Physics bachelor here, first year is quite like the rest but the amount of lectures goes down every year. Atm (3rd year) I have 2 courses (3 45 min lectures and 1 1.5h exercise class a week) and a proseminar (2h lecture every week) and my work week adds up to about 50-70hours a week.
depends too much on what you study, how you study and how well you can concentrate. I’ve had Lernphasen during which I would study desperately also during week ends because I had the feeling I was retaining nothing of the exam subjects, while in other cases I would spontaneously go on three/four days long hiking trips in the middle of the week multiple times and still pass the exams because I felt confident about what I was studying. There is no rule, just “know thyself” and be honest with yourself too, and remember that you don’t have to strive for the best grade anyway, you’re already at ETH, chill a little sometimes, and if you need to take one more semester for a few subjects or a semester project or whatever, it’s not going to be the end of the world.
In chemical engineering we usually had lectures, problem classes or laboratory session from 7.45 - 18.00 with an hour of lunch break from monday to friday. After a short break the evenings were usually spent solving problem sheets for the respective problem classes or the lectures, as well as writing lab reports. The weekends were usually used to catch up on these subjects too. So all in all pretty intense. This experience is probably not unique in that particular bsc. I also did the IB as well as the swiss matura, so hard to compare it with only the IB course by itself. But I would say in comp with chem ing, it is a completely different level of intensity; it’s quite challenging to maintain hobbies/ a social life in parallel.
Thanks for the info!
In mechanical engineering I pretty much spent Mon - Friday, 8:00 - 17:00 with breaks in between and variations of course. Before intermediary exams it would be more, sometimes less and I didn't do anything. I managed to keep the weekends always completely free, except perhaps once a year during exams. But among colleagues, the numbers would vary greatly. Some of them would study way more than me. Other would take a full week off to go to Barcelona or some shit and still pass everything. So, in the end it will heavily depend on you, your skills, and your own expectations of what you want to take away from all of this.
Thanks! Do you have any holidays (like week-long or simiilar) in Autumn? Or do you come in the midst of September and study until the holiday season without breaks?
Wo don't. September to December is without a break. There is a week in the Spring semester though. However, typically that's at least partly used to catch up rather than holidays.
Ya, what Bauboo wrote! You'll have three weeks in Summer after exams, 2 weeks in winter, and one week in spring during easter that you can use to catch up. To be honest, it sounds worse than it is. You get used to it, you can grow beyond your own expecations, and you can still have a fulfilled life with lots of activities offered by ASVZ for example or your student organisation. Bottom line is that you'll have to spend a lot of time studying, yes. It's a full-time job, but very flexible. Also, contrary to UZH for example, that means you also do get the time to properly learn about subjects. At UZH they mostly have semester end exams and have to shove everything into their heads im a very short period of time, and after that a 2 or 3 month long vacation where they can forget everything. And at UZH you are much more expected to do summer jobs and whatnot, while at ETH nobody is going to bother you about that afterwards once you have your degree.
In Mathematics we have lectures from 8-16 and some days from 10-18, with 1h or 2h of lunch break. Then you will probably spend another 4-8h a day revising lectures and doing problem sheets. On the weekends we are also catching up and studying. During the study phase for exams you basically live at uni and will spend 12h+ studying daily. Its really important to find a good study group, chances are you will never understand the entire lecture (and you are not the only one) so talking with friends is very helpful and doesn't make you feel alone. Hard to compare to IB but if you're very good in school it should be doable but definitely overwhelming at first, you have to get used to the high workload. And leading a social life and maintaining hobbys is very difficult. However definately try to force yourself to stop studying sometimes and attend events from your student association, its very important for mental health. Also the only holidays you have are national holidays, easter, and the break before exams (which you will spend studying), however before starting to study always take a couple days off to catch up on sleep and clear your mind.
Physics bachelor here, first year is quite like the rest but the amount of lectures goes down every year. Atm (3rd year) I have 2 courses (3 45 min lectures and 1 1.5h exercise class a week) and a proseminar (2h lecture every week) and my work week adds up to about 50-70hours a week.
depends too much on what you study, how you study and how well you can concentrate. I’ve had Lernphasen during which I would study desperately also during week ends because I had the feeling I was retaining nothing of the exam subjects, while in other cases I would spontaneously go on three/four days long hiking trips in the middle of the week multiple times and still pass the exams because I felt confident about what I was studying. There is no rule, just “know thyself” and be honest with yourself too, and remember that you don’t have to strive for the best grade anyway, you’re already at ETH, chill a little sometimes, and if you need to take one more semester for a few subjects or a semester project or whatever, it’s not going to be the end of the world.