Hi everyone. I hope all of you are having a good day. I am an international prospective master's student, waiting for application decisions. In the meantime, I wanted to learn a bit more about campus life. So if any current master's students and alumni can give some insight, I would greatly appreciate it 😄
-It seems that the campus has a strong international population, but I feel nervous not knowing the local language. I am excited to learn French, but is it easy to make connections and be socially engaged with others on campus without any French knowledge?
-I have been working in research since getting my bachelor's, so I am interested in joining lab groups early on. Is it usually possible for an incoming student to be involved in research from the first semester?
- I read a post from a few years ago about average monthly expenses. I am wondering what the current cost of living is for a student. Is it manageable with a part-time job on or off campus? How easy is it to find jobs?
-Lastly, how active are the student organizations? The EPFL website advertises that there is a decent amount, but do they have a strong presence on campus? I am particularly interested in art, board games, and robots.
Thanks!