Events
Swiss Government Excellence Scholarship holders can find an overview of events here, some of which they must attend. Platforms offering events for students or all ETH members are also listed.
Welcome & introduction meeting
- 21 August 2024, 15.30 – 16.45 (CEST, Zurich), webinar (link will be sent by email shortly before the event)
- Important: Mandatory participation.
- Content: Official welcome by the Reception Service at ETH, important information about your stay in Switzerland and at ETH e.g., health insurance matters, scholarship payment, public transport, and oncoming events for scholarship holders. Information session around one hour, then Q&A.
- Target group: All new incoming scholarship holders 2024/25
- Organisation: Reception Service at ETH
Orientation event for doctoral students
- 5 September 2024, 15.00 – 17.30, CHN C14 (building CHN, Universitätstrasse 16, 8092 Zurich)
- Important: Participation mandatory for FCS doctoral students (other groups: see below). Mandatory online registration prior to the event, see conditions of the Doctoral Administration at ETH. Inform your supervisor that you wish to participate in this event to be well prepared for your doctoral studies.
- Target group: For ETH doctoral students. FCS visiting students doing their research at ETH might also wish to learn more about ETH as an institution and its services. Postdoctoral students and FCS visiting students doing their research at research institutions are not eligible for this event.
- Content: Important information for newly arrived doctoral students to help them integrate into the ETH culture and administrative processes for doctoral students.
- Organisation: Doctoral Administration at ETH
City tour of Zurich
- 14 September 2024, starting at 10.15 (location see below)
- Important: Participation highly recommended. Registration required, link will be sent by email in August.
- Content: Guided city tour of Zurich followed by an informal meal with former and new scholarship holders
- Time: Meeting at 10.15, start of guided tour at 10.30, start of lunch at 13.00
- Meeting point for guided tour: external page Entrance of Swiss National Museum (external page Google maps)
- Lunch location: external page Restaurant Commihalle (external page Google maps)
- Target group: All scholarship holders
- Organisation: Reception Service at ETH
Intercultural competence workshop: Expand your cultural perspective
- 15 October 2024, 11.15 to 13.15, PBS Labs (RZ building; Clausiusstrasse 59, 8006 Zürich)
- Important: Registration required, link will be sent by email at the end of September
- Content: Successful and enriching transition to Switzerland. Insights into social norms, values, and cultural practices that define everyday life in Switzerland and at ETH. Learn to identify unconscious biases and to implement strategies to effectively mitigate them. A joint event with international Master's students and an opportunity to connect.
- Target group: New scholarship holders interested in cultural self-awareness, Swiss norms and values, intercultural communication etc.
Intercultural competence workshop: Expand your cultural perspective
- 17 October 2024, 17.45 to 19.45, HIT building (Wolfgang-Pauli-Strasse 27, 8093 Zürich)
- Important: Registration required, link will be sent by email at the end of September
- Content: Successful and enriching transition to Switzerland. Insights into social norms, values, and cultural practices that define everyday life in Switzerland and at ETH. Learn to identify unconscious biases and to implement strategies to effectively mitigate them. A joint event with international Master's students and an opportunity to connect.
- Target group: New scholarship holders interested in cultural self-awareness, Swiss norms and values, intercultural communication etc.
Official welcome evening
- 21 October 2024, beginning from approximately 17.00
- Important: Participation highly recommended. Separate invitation with instructions, exact time and location will follow. For the round of introductions, participants must send a high-quality picture by Monday, 30 September 2024. It should show something typical from their home country (nature, buildings, traditions, food etc.) that each participant will present to fellow students of the programme.
- Content: Official welcome with Prof. Dr. Ulrike Lohmann, Vice Rector for Doctoral Studies, and FCS delegate Professor Stefano Bernasconi. Round of introductions and dinner.
- Target group: All scholarship holders
- Organisation: Reception Service at ETH
Polyball
- 30 November 2024, approx. starting at 19.00
- Important: Self-organised. Must buy a ticket in advance (limited quantity). Ticket refund (student price) by Reception Service at ETH.
- Content: Biggest decorated ball in Europe, traditional event at ETH with several ballrooms according to the ball theme
- Target group: All scholarship holders
- Organisation: KOSTA foundation
Christmas event
- 7 December 2024, beginning from approximately 15.30
- Important: Participation highly recommended. Registration required, separate invitation with instructions, exact time and location will follow.
- Content: Visit to the external page Christmas market in Bremgarten followed by dinner at external page Restaurant JoJo together with the scholarship holders from the University of Zurich.
- Target group: All scholarship holders
- Organisation: Reception Service at ETH
Farewell event
- Between June and August
- Important: Participation highly recommended. Separate invitation with exact date and location will follow.
- Target group: All scholarship holders
- Organisation: Reception Service at ETH
- external page call_made ESN Zürich: The Erasmus Student Network organises events for FCS visiting students
- chevron_right VSETH events: The VSETH organises events for FCS visiting students
- chevron_right AVETH events: AVETH organises events for doctoral and postdoctoral students
- chevron_right Events at ETH (open to the general public)
- chevron_right ETH events tip: With the ETH App, you can see all the public events at ETH
- chevron_right Safety and security at ETH: Courses on safety, security, health, environment at ETH take place throughout the year
Your ETH department might hold additional events that are not included above.
Time management
Unpunctuality is perceived as very disrespectful in Switzerland. Therefore, make sure that you arrive on time.