"We are happy to help!"
The Coronavirus pandemic affects us all and we need to adapt almost daily to new changes and rules. For students from abroad, these times are even tougher since their families and long-time friends are far away. Michael Aerni is the president of MoEB and knows what particular challenges international students encounter during this intense period.
For all of us, the current situation is very unusual and for many even unsettling. How are the international students of the department feeling?
When ETH Zurich announced its closure, international students had to decide where they should install their home office for the remainder of the semester: should they stay in Zurich or travel home to their families and complete the semester from there? Their questions were whether they are allowed to leave Switzerland at all and whether they would be able to complete the exams from abroad. Lastly, some were also wondering where the health system is better in case of them being infected by the coronavirus.
What are the special needs and questions of international students? Are there linguistic challenges, e.g. in understanding federal communication?
In addition to the new challenges that all students face with the remote lectures and exercises, some of the international students are far from home and worry about falling sick here in Switzerland. The situation is particularly challenging for the international Master's students who have joined ETH only recently and are now in the second semester of their Master's studies. Not all of them have a well-established network yet and are concerned that there will be no one here to help them if they fall sick with the coronavirus.
Fortunately, language is usually not a problem. Most of the department’s students from abroad understand one of the federal languages well enough to follow the official communication of the Federal Council. Moreover, the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) publishes its statements in English, too.
What measures does MoEB take to support international students during these challenging times?
VSETH, the association of students at ETH, is currently working on a special ETH-wide initiative with the goal of organising student help for other students during this phase where personal gatherings are not possible due to the coronavirus. More information on this solidarity initiative should be available soon.
Obviously, MoEB had to cancel all its social events and gatherings. We are currently looking to set up virtual online alternatives so that our students can connect and do not feel lost in their home office isolation.
We are also working on gathering more exams on Master's level in cooperation with VIS. While VIS disposes of a broad collection of exams on Bachelor level, the selection for Master's studies is still very limited.
What recommendation do you have for international students at ETH who feel lost or are looking for advice?
Reach out for help. Ask your colleagues and do not hesitate to with your questions. We are happy to help!
About MoEB
The goal of MoEB (Masterstudenten ohne ETH Bachelor) is to make the lives of Master's students studying computer science without an ETH Bachelor's degree easier by acting as a central point of contact, representing their interests towards the department, and better integrating them into the student community.