Getting a taste of university life
On 6 and 7 September, over 5800 secondary school students from Switzerland and neighbouring countries visited the Information Days to explore the various Bachelor’s programmes offered by ETH Zurich. The Department of Computer Science was also present with information booths and presentations.
Before the start of the Autumn Semester, there is a sense of excitement and anticipation in the air at ETH Zurich, with many secondary school students flocking through the main building doors on 6 and 7 September to attend the Information Days. For some, this could be the first day at their future university.
The event serves as a bridge between secondary school and university, providing potential students with information about the Bachelor’s degree programmes at ETH Zurich. The Department of Computer Science is represented with presentations, information and project booths. Students, alumni, and faculty members provide information about the student experience, the different aspects of studying computer science, and potential career prospects after graduation.
Women in Computer Science
At the computer science booths, Dominic, Annika and five other Bachelor’s and Master’s students from the department share their knowledge with visitors. “I was asked about the gender ratio by both female and male students. That was a question that also concerned me before starting my studies: What if only male students are in my classes?” says Master’s student Annika. Her initial concerns about the gender distribution in her programme did not come true. Right from the start, she found female and male friends among her fellow students. The gender ratio at the Department of Computer Science is steadily increasing. In 2022, among the 427 first-year students, 74 were women.
Many women among the visitors are also interested in the computer science programme. “I could imagine that the threshold will continue to decrease, as many students now gain their first experiences in programming and algorithmic thinking as early as primary school,” speculates Annika. Initiatives like the Network of Women in Computer Science (CSNOW)'s trial study help interested female secondary school students to determine whether a computer science degree might be right for them. Over the course of one week, students gain their first experiences in programming and make friends with like-minded peers even before starting their studies.
Support for Future Students
Clemens, who is attending the final year at Kantonsschule Rämibühl in Zurich, walks out of the lecture smiling after hearing about potential career prospects. “I only accompanied a friend to the lecture and did not have computer science studies on my radar. But now I’m positively surprised by the diverse career prospects.” Due to his maths-focused curriculum in secondary school, he is not afraid of the mathematical courses in the computer science programme. However, he is curious about how he will manage to learn programming given his lack of prior experience.
Clemens signs up for the trial day offered by the Association of Computer Science Students (VIS). This allows interested secondary school students to accompany a computer science student for a day, ask them questions and visit lectures and tutorial sessions with them.
“Many interested students are unsure if they can keep up with mathematics or learn programming without prior experience. Through our conversations, I try to alleviate their concerns. Various support options are available during the first year and beyond, including tutorial sessions and exam preparation courses offered by VIS,” says Bachelor’s student Dominic. He emphasises that first-year students do not need prior programming experience, just the willingness and enthusiasm to acquire these skills.
Convey Enthusiasm for Computer Science
Annika, Dominic, and the other volunteers address the concerns of various visitors over the two days: some come to the information booths and presentations without a plan out of sheer curiosity, while others already have a connection to computer science through their parents’ or siblings’ professions. Some are still deciding if they should study Computer Science, Information Technology and Electrical Engineering or Mechanical and Process Engineering, while the choice of studies and university is already clear for others.
Jan, who is in the 13th grade near Hannover in Germany, has travelled to the Information Days with his father. He is confident that he will begin his computer science studies at ETH Zurich next autumn. “My passion for computer science arose from video games and optimising processes within them. I have been programming regularly for two years now and want to deepen my knowledge in my studies,” he explains. Jan participates in both Information Days, attends all presentations and takes the campus tour at ETH Zurich, aiming to gather as much information and as many impressions as possible.
Fabian is also determined to study at the Department of Computer Science. After completing his training as an application developer, he is now preparing for the “Passerelle” aptitude test at the Cantonal Secondary School for Adults. In his future studies at ETH Zurich, he wants to learn the theory and underlying programming concepts.
The Bachelor’s program comprises five areas: Theoretical Computer Science, Programming Languages and Software Engineering, Computer Systems and Data Engineering, Information Security, Machine Learning, and Visual and Interactive Computing. Given that Fabian is particularly interested in the last two areas, the two public lectures this year are a perfect match for him: Professor Barbara Solenthaler explains the programming of avatars, and Professor Florian Tramèr discusses the limits of machine learning. Both professors present their research areas with comprehensible slides and humour. Jan, Fabian and the other listeners in the room eagerly absorb their explanations and return home at the end of the two days with new knowledge about computer science studies.
