Postgraduate Studies in Switzerland, Own Experience and Observations
In my post, I would like to talk about graduate school in Europe in the field of Computer Science - in particular, in Switzerland, based on my own experience of being here for a year and being a PhD student. First of all, I would like to tell more details about everyday issues related not so much to scientific activities as to everyday worries - like, what, why, why and what next.
So, to whom, it seems to me, it may be interesting - for undergraduate students and young professionals who have not decided on their career plan. I will not deny that I do not consider the PhD separately from the issue of immigration and life abroad.
Considering graduate school in isolation from the country, in my opinion, is not possible. Of course, the scientific component is important and depends already, mainly, on a particular professor, a laboratory - while the coolness of the university does not directly affect the success of your scientific work - and in ETH / EPFL (included in top 20) it may not be comfortable, and A university can simply be a brilliant project — you have to look at a specific laboratory and its composition. I will not write about the USA. Firstly, I know only by hearsay, secondly, from what I know - it’s longer there (6 years, the first two years of the courses / exams as masters, only then the test), the country is geographically further. Although, from the point of view of science and quality, there are opinions that American phd are stronger than European ones, and, as a rule, all researchers pass at one time or another in their careers through the States.
On Habré already wrote about the PhD in Switzerland here . At its core, graduate school, that here (Moscow), that here (Switzerland) differ little - projects, research, articles, review of existing approaches, new proposals, implementation, evaluation, work for the future, bibliography. It differs significantly HOW it is organized and WHERE it passes in terms of the country-city, working conditions and the surrounding reality and people.
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The application process is the same everywhere (except for EPFL, where there is an option when you can simply apply to the university without prior agreement with the professor) - you need to obtain the consent of the professor to be your teacher. The minimum requirement for this is to send a CV, motivation letter, a translated copy of the diploma. This I mean, IELTS, GMAT is not required. The formal requirement for admission is a higher education (specialist or master), the consent of the professor (I had a signed contract for the position of "researcher" - a loose translation "Doctorant assistant"). I must say that the availability of articles is not required. If they exist, naturally this will be a big plus, besides, we must bear in mind that in terms of prestige and scientific level, universities are very different, as a result - the expectations from students as well.
We turn immediately to the universities. There are two federal universities - ETH and IPFL - they are cool, they are very cool. There are also cantonal universities - the University of Geneva, Lausanne, Friborg, Zurich, Lucerne, Neuchâtel, St. Gallen, Basel - their website starts with uni *, the full list is here , we are interested in those where there are CS faculties - we look at everyone’s website, there and existing laboratories, the direction of research, admission conditions, all that is needed. There are also so-called high engineering schools, the University of Applied Sciences - these are schools of engineers, they do not do science there, but they actively cooperate with industry, there is no PhD (although there are professors). This area (engineering schools) is little known to me, it may be interesting for its close cooperation with the industry, the whole question is how serious and important problems the industry trusts to solve by these same institutions.
By the learning process itself - the training lasts for 3-4 years, at the end, first private defense (discussion and defense in front of a group of professors, 5-6 people) and then after a few months - public defense - gatherings and telling parents about the time spent. During the training - conducting practical classes for students (also, in general, like in our graduate school), compulsory lectures and exams - I heard that sometimes it happens sometimes, but more often than not anyone has them. The main thing, I understand, is not like in the US, where in the first two years graduate students pass the master's program and all the lectures / exams in full.
Well, about the daily bread, that is, what we live. The system is such that the university pays money for participation in projects and for student training (conducting workshops), as a result there is a salary (3000-4000 CHF per month after taxes, hereinafter all prices are in francs, the rate is 34 rubles per franc). There is no such practice that a student should receive a grant himself or somehow find money for his own security, that is, it may be there, but this is not the main one and most of the students simply receive a salary, which is quite enough (in Switzerland the salary is above average — in Austria, France, 1,500 euros, England — 1,250 pounds, for example).
Another option PHD, is when sent from the company - I have rarely seen this, perhaps it can be cool, but first you need to get a job at such a company. I know one guy, does PhD in microelectronics, works in Bosh.
Now, regarding the life and living conditions of the new graduate student
Prices - yes, they are very biting in Switzerland, especially transport or meat, but everything can be solved thanks to a good salary. The situation is very different from when people study in Switzerland and do not earn money (master, bachelor). For self-study (PhD) a nominal fee of 120 CHF per year. A living wage - you can live a minimum of 1000 CHF (alone in a hostel or rent an apartment with other students, cook yourself), for 2000 CHF it is already quite better, for 3000 CHF it is quite good. If in Geneva, Zurich, Lausanne to live, then CHF +500 per accommodation. Here it should be noted a completely different culture of the real estate market - it is difficult to remove something - the demand is large, there are few offers, prices are regulated by the state - they are not exorbitant, but still high, everything happens solely in an official manner from filing a package of documents - applications for renting housing . When looking for housing, first of all, find out well about the hostel on the university's website, look at the student forum, see ads on immoscout24 , anibis . So if you're lucky, you can rent a room for 400 CHF, if not, then for 600 CHF. You can live in a hostel - it is good, inexpensive and of high quality, only not enough for everyone. In terms of food prices - you can focus on prices in the ABC in Moscow, although it depends, as they say, you can buy chicken for 14 CHF kg, you can buy for 32 CHF kg, for a completely complete view of the price of food you can see leshop.ch . The rest of the prices, for example, are the entrance ticket to the museum - 5-15 CHF, the train ticket is Zurich-Bern, the distance is 130 km, the journey time is 1 hour - 23.5 CHF, i.e. 1 CHF 5.5 km, camping 15-20 CHF per person, fitness subscription 65 CHF half a year at the university, 5 golf lessons 100 CHF, horseback riding (5 classes) 100 CHF.
Quality of life - recreation and leisure activities are limited by the fact that, according to Swiss standards, the graduate student’s salary is lower than the average, therefore the quality of life is also lower than the average Swiss one. But this is the most “below average” Swiss comfortable “above the average Russian”, because everything is clean and tidy for all residents, the nature around is also available to everyone, there is an opportunity to plan trips, to play sports - skiing, golf and sailing :-) , not in a private yacht club, but in a university one, for those to whom it is valuable here to enjoy living as a graduate student.
Socialization - people of different culture and habits, speak another language - this is the main factor. It should be noted that the majority of students are not Swiss themselves, but foreigners from Europe, from all over the world, so it’s easier to communicate - all in the same conditions, all active and open people. Judging by my observations, there should be no problems with communication, but it is more difficult to get close, to establish trusting communication - the people are friendly, but they don’t let them come close. As a rule, you can find Russian-speaking colleagues at every university. In every major city there is a Russian-speaking community, the problem is that, it seemed to me, a very large part of this crowd is the wife of local Swiss, as can be seen from the topics of the ruswiss.ch and ladoshki.ch forums , which is very different from rupoint.co. uk for Russian party in England, for example.
Language - there is quite enough English at the university (for IT, for the humanities, definitely not, for the rest of the natural scientists - I don't know), in everyday life and for better socialization, the local one will certainly be a very, very big plus. A reasonable approach - good knowledge of English (including, for writing articles and presentations, I have 7 on IELTS - more or less enough, given the continuous improvement of writing skills - attended a seminar - how to write articles in English) and a desire to learn the local language , while studying, you can just learn French or German (75 percent of Switzerland is German-speaking, 15 percent is French-speaking, the distribution by employer is about the same, that is, German is much more). There is an opportunity to learn a language here, these are courses at the university and the environment itself. In state institutions, there are a lot of chances to meet an English-speaking employee - 60%. I more or less managed to resolve all issues related to obtaining a visa, and registering a car, and obtaining medical insurance, housing rentals, etc. People are usually very friendly, follow the rules, sometimes blinkered and do not crawl out of these very rules. It is also important that English is not a native language for everyone - as a rule, it is perceived more easily as compared to native speakers with all their phrasal verbs, great vocabulary and speed of conversation.
Free time - I live in a small town - 30,000 inhabitants, a theater, exhibitions and so on - not so much, but nature and sports - more than enough that I like very much, especially due to the presence of the university’s sports faculty, gym, sections, student camps (snowboarding, skiing, horse riding, wind surfing) - a description of all programs - a brochure with 20 pages. Well, also the size of Switzerland is 300 by 300 km, everywhere you can get there, you can eat somewhere in Europe, but of course - not the capital and not the center of the universe, like maybe London, Paris, New York. Yes, even in the same Zurich-Geneva propulsion is more, but I like it, everything suits.
What's next? Unfortunately, it is difficult to consider further prospects in isolation from the issue of a work permit, which at the moment postgraduate study does not guarantee, on the other hand, having a PhD already have some experience, connections, etc. I will write in 2-3 years - closer to the end.
As a result, I can say that I absolutely do not regret about my decision. Well, answering the abstract question - is it difficult - everyone who searched and wanted found it. It's more difficult to get into Google.
I am pleased to answer the questions of all concerned - also socialization.
So, to whom, it seems to me, it may be interesting - for undergraduate students and young professionals who have not decided on their career plan. I will not deny that I do not consider the PhD separately from the issue of immigration and life abroad.
Considering graduate school in isolation from the country, in my opinion, is not possible. Of course, the scientific component is important and depends already, mainly, on a particular professor, a laboratory - while the coolness of the university does not directly affect the success of your scientific work - and in ETH / EPFL (included in top 20) it may not be comfortable, and A university can simply be a brilliant project — you have to look at a specific laboratory and its composition. I will not write about the USA. Firstly, I know only by hearsay, secondly, from what I know - it’s longer there (6 years, the first two years of the courses / exams as masters, only then the test), the country is geographically further. Although, from the point of view of science and quality, there are opinions that American phd are stronger than European ones, and, as a rule, all researchers pass at one time or another in their careers through the States.
On Habré already wrote about the PhD in Switzerland here . At its core, graduate school, that here (Moscow), that here (Switzerland) differ little - projects, research, articles, review of existing approaches, new proposals, implementation, evaluation, work for the future, bibliography. It differs significantly HOW it is organized and WHERE it passes in terms of the country-city, working conditions and the surrounding reality and people.
')
The application process is the same everywhere (except for EPFL, where there is an option when you can simply apply to the university without prior agreement with the professor) - you need to obtain the consent of the professor to be your teacher. The minimum requirement for this is to send a CV, motivation letter, a translated copy of the diploma. This I mean, IELTS, GMAT is not required. The formal requirement for admission is a higher education (specialist or master), the consent of the professor (I had a signed contract for the position of "researcher" - a loose translation "Doctorant assistant"). I must say that the availability of articles is not required. If they exist, naturally this will be a big plus, besides, we must bear in mind that in terms of prestige and scientific level, universities are very different, as a result - the expectations from students as well.
We turn immediately to the universities. There are two federal universities - ETH and IPFL - they are cool, they are very cool. There are also cantonal universities - the University of Geneva, Lausanne, Friborg, Zurich, Lucerne, Neuchâtel, St. Gallen, Basel - their website starts with uni *, the full list is here , we are interested in those where there are CS faculties - we look at everyone’s website, there and existing laboratories, the direction of research, admission conditions, all that is needed. There are also so-called high engineering schools, the University of Applied Sciences - these are schools of engineers, they do not do science there, but they actively cooperate with industry, there is no PhD (although there are professors). This area (engineering schools) is little known to me, it may be interesting for its close cooperation with the industry, the whole question is how serious and important problems the industry trusts to solve by these same institutions.
By the learning process itself - the training lasts for 3-4 years, at the end, first private defense (discussion and defense in front of a group of professors, 5-6 people) and then after a few months - public defense - gatherings and telling parents about the time spent. During the training - conducting practical classes for students (also, in general, like in our graduate school), compulsory lectures and exams - I heard that sometimes it happens sometimes, but more often than not anyone has them. The main thing, I understand, is not like in the US, where in the first two years graduate students pass the master's program and all the lectures / exams in full.
Well, about the daily bread, that is, what we live. The system is such that the university pays money for participation in projects and for student training (conducting workshops), as a result there is a salary (3000-4000 CHF per month after taxes, hereinafter all prices are in francs, the rate is 34 rubles per franc). There is no such practice that a student should receive a grant himself or somehow find money for his own security, that is, it may be there, but this is not the main one and most of the students simply receive a salary, which is quite enough (in Switzerland the salary is above average — in Austria, France, 1,500 euros, England — 1,250 pounds, for example).
Another option PHD, is when sent from the company - I have rarely seen this, perhaps it can be cool, but first you need to get a job at such a company. I know one guy, does PhD in microelectronics, works in Bosh.
Now, regarding the life and living conditions of the new graduate student
Prices - yes, they are very biting in Switzerland, especially transport or meat, but everything can be solved thanks to a good salary. The situation is very different from when people study in Switzerland and do not earn money (master, bachelor). For self-study (PhD) a nominal fee of 120 CHF per year. A living wage - you can live a minimum of 1000 CHF (alone in a hostel or rent an apartment with other students, cook yourself), for 2000 CHF it is already quite better, for 3000 CHF it is quite good. If in Geneva, Zurich, Lausanne to live, then CHF +500 per accommodation. Here it should be noted a completely different culture of the real estate market - it is difficult to remove something - the demand is large, there are few offers, prices are regulated by the state - they are not exorbitant, but still high, everything happens solely in an official manner from filing a package of documents - applications for renting housing . When looking for housing, first of all, find out well about the hostel on the university's website, look at the student forum, see ads on immoscout24 , anibis . So if you're lucky, you can rent a room for 400 CHF, if not, then for 600 CHF. You can live in a hostel - it is good, inexpensive and of high quality, only not enough for everyone. In terms of food prices - you can focus on prices in the ABC in Moscow, although it depends, as they say, you can buy chicken for 14 CHF kg, you can buy for 32 CHF kg, for a completely complete view of the price of food you can see leshop.ch . The rest of the prices, for example, are the entrance ticket to the museum - 5-15 CHF, the train ticket is Zurich-Bern, the distance is 130 km, the journey time is 1 hour - 23.5 CHF, i.e. 1 CHF 5.5 km, camping 15-20 CHF per person, fitness subscription 65 CHF half a year at the university, 5 golf lessons 100 CHF, horseback riding (5 classes) 100 CHF.
Quality of life - recreation and leisure activities are limited by the fact that, according to Swiss standards, the graduate student’s salary is lower than the average, therefore the quality of life is also lower than the average Swiss one. But this is the most “below average” Swiss comfortable “above the average Russian”, because everything is clean and tidy for all residents, the nature around is also available to everyone, there is an opportunity to plan trips, to play sports - skiing, golf and sailing :-) , not in a private yacht club, but in a university one, for those to whom it is valuable here to enjoy living as a graduate student.
Socialization - people of different culture and habits, speak another language - this is the main factor. It should be noted that the majority of students are not Swiss themselves, but foreigners from Europe, from all over the world, so it’s easier to communicate - all in the same conditions, all active and open people. Judging by my observations, there should be no problems with communication, but it is more difficult to get close, to establish trusting communication - the people are friendly, but they don’t let them come close. As a rule, you can find Russian-speaking colleagues at every university. In every major city there is a Russian-speaking community, the problem is that, it seemed to me, a very large part of this crowd is the wife of local Swiss, as can be seen from the topics of the ruswiss.ch and ladoshki.ch forums , which is very different from rupoint.co. uk for Russian party in England, for example.
Language - there is quite enough English at the university (for IT, for the humanities, definitely not, for the rest of the natural scientists - I don't know), in everyday life and for better socialization, the local one will certainly be a very, very big plus. A reasonable approach - good knowledge of English (including, for writing articles and presentations, I have 7 on IELTS - more or less enough, given the continuous improvement of writing skills - attended a seminar - how to write articles in English) and a desire to learn the local language , while studying, you can just learn French or German (75 percent of Switzerland is German-speaking, 15 percent is French-speaking, the distribution by employer is about the same, that is, German is much more). There is an opportunity to learn a language here, these are courses at the university and the environment itself. In state institutions, there are a lot of chances to meet an English-speaking employee - 60%. I more or less managed to resolve all issues related to obtaining a visa, and registering a car, and obtaining medical insurance, housing rentals, etc. People are usually very friendly, follow the rules, sometimes blinkered and do not crawl out of these very rules. It is also important that English is not a native language for everyone - as a rule, it is perceived more easily as compared to native speakers with all their phrasal verbs, great vocabulary and speed of conversation.
Free time - I live in a small town - 30,000 inhabitants, a theater, exhibitions and so on - not so much, but nature and sports - more than enough that I like very much, especially due to the presence of the university’s sports faculty, gym, sections, student camps (snowboarding, skiing, horse riding, wind surfing) - a description of all programs - a brochure with 20 pages. Well, also the size of Switzerland is 300 by 300 km, everywhere you can get there, you can eat somewhere in Europe, but of course - not the capital and not the center of the universe, like maybe London, Paris, New York. Yes, even in the same Zurich-Geneva propulsion is more, but I like it, everything suits.
What's next? Unfortunately, it is difficult to consider further prospects in isolation from the issue of a work permit, which at the moment postgraduate study does not guarantee, on the other hand, having a PhD already have some experience, connections, etc. I will write in 2-3 years - closer to the end.
As a result, I can say that I absolutely do not regret about my decision. Well, answering the abstract question - is it difficult - everyone who searched and wanted found it. It's more difficult to get into Google.
I am pleased to answer the questions of all concerned - also socialization.
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/137287/
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