"There was an unwritten rule that no first-year student was allowed on the board"

How did you join VIS?
During my studies, I was told that you have to completely dedicate yourself to studying at ETH. This worked for me and I spent a lot of time studying at ETH during the first years. Through study groups, friendships developed and a community formed. The VIS was a central platform of this strong community that encompassed students from different years. So I automatically became part of the VIS. Besides, I am someone who likes to participate and help. But it was especially because the VIS consisted of a community with personal friendships that the transition to the internal VIS was a smooth one for me.

What did you do there?
The first thing I wanted to do was organise a ski day. I was a passionate snowboarder and had previously led ski camps at the Kanti. Sports were always important to me and I wanted to bring that into the VIS. I got support and was able to organise the first ski day. Within my four years in the VIS, the ski day expanded first into a weekend and then into a week-long ski camp.

Besides sports, I was vice-president and then president, where I did a lot of different things. During this time, I was also editor for Visionen and webmaster.

What was very popular in VIS in those days?
The whole range of services offered by VIS was in high demand. For example, the contact party, exam collections and parties were very popular.

In addition, I believe that for the vast majority of students, the studies themselves were also popular. At ETH, the majority of students studied with passion and enthusiasm.

What worked well in VIS?
Due to our shared interest in computer science and the common experience of a challenging period in our lives, the sense of community in VIS was very strong. This was certainly helped along in part by the parties with beer and wine. At those, we got to know each other in an unparalleled way, in advanced conditions at late hours, which welded us stronger together. We also had some professors and employees of the administration who fully participated as recurring guests of honor. This created a respectful but personal atmosphere that I found very positive.

Was there anything that bothered you about VIS?
Basically, no. At the end of the first and second year of study, about 40% of the students failed the exams. There were some students who invested too much time in the VIS and too little time in the exams. As a result, there was an unwritten rule that no one from the first year was allowed on the VIS board. However, these were not problems of the VIS itself, but of the respective persons. Nevertheless, we wanted to avoid such cases.

Did you also have events for the first-years, such as the Ersti weekend?
There was no Ersti weekend. The first contact with the VIS was mostly through the exam collection or the Visionen. In the Visionen, we usually addressed the first-year students in an article.

Is there any advice you would give to today's students?
Study together and spend the good times as well as the bad times during your studies together! This creates friendships and is very valuable. Cultivate the cooperation with the department! And in general: live your enthusiasm! Find what drives you and live it. ETH offers you unique opportunities to live out your passion and dedication and to pass it on as a teaching assistant or on the VIS board.