ERIP Students’ blog
Summer in Lausanne – challenging and fun
Since this blog is mainly read by potential future interns I will focus on trying to give you guys a few general comments and tips. For a bit of context, I spent a bit more than two and a half months at EPFL working at LIONS on convex optimization. I had a great time both (…)
Adventures in Switzerland
My experience in Switzerland has managed not just to meet, but to exceed, everything I had hoped for in a summer internship in Europe. Let me preface my explanation by saying that I had already spent a year studying abroad in the UK before starting my internship at EPFL. When you come from the U.S., which is relatively homogenous, (…)
Work-life in EPFL
It wasn’t until my final day at EPFL when it suddenly dawned upon me — I have been here for 3 whole months, and I am now at the end of my internship. Everything felt (and still feels) so surreal. As I reminisce about my summer break, I thought to penning my thoughts into this (…)
Homage to Switzerland
There is a river running through the Swiss city Basel that is a popular place for a swim in the summer. The locals all have waterproof, floatable bags to store their belongings while they swim down the river but another intern and I decided to swim the river with our backpacks – stuffed with clothes, (…)
To Switzerland, or not to Switzerland?
I’m going to break with convention. I’m not going to devote very much time to sharing the narrative of my summer, nor am I going to spend very much time discussing my research. Instead, I’m going to talk about good reasons for doing such a program, and understanding what you can hope to accomplish if (…)
A summer in Lausanne
I was excited to receive my letter of invitation to spend the summer after my bachelor’s degree in the beautiful city of Lausanne, working at EPFL to improve my research experience and exploring Swiss culture. Coming from London, it was particularly nice to enjoy the scenic landscapes of the countryside, as well as the beach (…)
Switzerland, I will be back
After coming back to Singapore, all the 6 months I had in Switzerland was like a dream. All the breathtaking scenery, all the crazy things I have done, all the awesome people I have met, they are like existences in a beautiful dream and I finally woke up into the reality, in a hot rain (…)
Debating the existence of Switzerland
At the time of application for this internship, I knew of two things: one, it in Lausanne, Switzerland, and two, they spoke French there. Despite the weeks of research I did on EPFL I somehow forgot to google Lausanne. The acceptance letter arrived at the end of January. To my relief, I was no longer (…)
I have found my second home.
Upon arrival I was settled with a lovely Cypriote woman in St Prex who would become my second mom. Here’s why. On nights out with friends, I would occasionally miss the last train back home and she will be a call away to pick me up, something that not even my mom would do. Also (…)
Research and life in Confoederatio Helvetica
When I first saw the address for EPFL on paper: Route CantonaleCH- 1015 Lausanne I wondered, how C.H. could be an abbreviation for Switzerland? After some research I found that it stands for Confoederatio Helvetica. Which, still made little sense. Now, after spending the last 3 months in Lausanne, I understand. The latin name preserves (…)