I will be an engineer!

This quadrilingual campaign (German, French, Italian and English) is the result of a close collaboration between the Education Outreach Department and the School of Engineering. It pulls together the story of six very individual journeys of EPFL Bachelor’s and Master’s students into one narrative: I will be an engineer!

A moment in a student’s life

Each story shows a different moment in the lifecycle of an EPFL student, providing an insight into their reflections as well as into what motivates them to study at EPFL and become an engineer. Not only do the six students come from different countries or linguistic regions of Switzerland, their academic backgrounds are also as diverse as EPFL’s study programs and community are.

I will be an engineer because …

… it allows me to alter materials to improve people’s lives.

… I can take an interdisciplinary approach, for instance in microengineering or in mechanical engineering.

… I can work in between disciplines, such as in electrical and electronic engineering that sits at the interface between computer science and engineering.

… robots can make our lives easier, for example in medical technologies.

… I want to help us transition to renewable energy.

This is what motivates the students of this campaign to study at EPFL, with all that it comes with. Some of them may have a classical MINT background (math, computer science, life science and engineering) or a biology and chemistry one, such as Jacopo. Others, such as Noemi or Luc in this campaign, may have a completely different background, ranging from visual design to modern languages. Still others, such as Pål from Norway, may even have previous work experience that motivated them to expand their theoretical knowledge and build a personalized curriculum.

A campaign with several voices but one single echo: I will be an engineer!

EPFL is not only an institution of academic excellence, providing students with a solid background in basic science and engineering. Thanks to the diverse baggage the students bring along from their previous education and experiences, EPFL serves as a place for exchange that fosters open mindsets and innovative thinking, both key elements to becoming an engineer.

The campaign also sheds a softer light onto more personal experiences of the students: How does Jacopo from Lugano, a first year Bachelor’s student, cope with the language difference and the integration into a new community? What differences did Juliette, also in her first year, notice between high school and EPFL? What did the MAN (Mise à niveau) teach Noemi in terms of personal strength? How does Luc, who as Noemi is from the Swiss-German part of Switzerland, strike a balance between work and fun and why did he become a coach in his second Bachelor’s year? Moving along the lifecycle toward the more experienced students, what do Arwen and Pål, both in their Master’s, find so fascinating with EPFL’s community?

Whatever their background and motivations, they all came to EPFL to explore their passion for engineering as well as to have fun thanks to all the extracurricular activities the School offers to encourage the development of well-rounded engineers.

They will be engineers!

Jacopo dal Ticino

Jacopo, from Ticino (Italian-speaking part of Switzerland), in his 1st Bachelor’s year in Materials Science and Engineering, tells us why with a high school orientation in biology and chemistry he chose this discipline and what motivated him to study at EPFL. He also speaks about big changes, what it takes to integrate well into a new environment, what he learned from it and what this experience gave back to him.

Watch Jacopo’s video (in Italian)

Juliette de Genève

Juliette, from the international city of Geneva, is in her 1st Bachelor’s year at EPFL and tells us about why she chose to study Mechanical Engineering. She explains what made her decide to study at EPFL and in what sense these studies are different from the high school ones. She also speaks about how she is meeting new people from her classes and why she decided to study in Lausanne instead of Geneva.

Watch Juliette’s video (in French)

Noemi aus dem Aargau

Noemi, from Aargau (German-speaking part of Switzerland), in her 2nd Bachelor’s year in Microengineering, tells us what motivated her for this discipline, how she settled in and how she experienced the MAN. Whilst she is passionate about drawing and has a high school background in visual design, her strong interest for engineering and interdisciplinary studies have drawn her to EPFL.

Watch Noemi’s video (in German)

Luc aus Luzern

Luc, from Luzern (German-speaking part of Switzerland), in his 2nd Bachelor’s year in Electrical and Electronic Engineering, tells us why he became a coach, how he decided on the language of the lectures and the reason he likes this discipline. Luc enjoys languages and communicating with people from different cultures, one of the reasons he decided to study at EPFL and chose Spanish as a high school orientation.

Watch Luc’s video (in German)

Pål from Norway

Pål, from Norway, doing his Master’s in Energy Science and Technology, talks about how he used to work at CERN in Geneva and how he had always wanted to go back to studying. He explains how, instead of returning to Norway, he came to EPFL for his studies, and why he is interested in the sustainability sector for a future career. He also expresses why EPFL is such an interesting place for him and how much he enjoys studying there.

Watch Pål’s video (in English)

Arwen de France

Arwen, from France, doing her Master’s in Robotics, talks about her studies at EPFL: how she came to visit EPFL and loved the environment, and how the little robot on the study program’s leaflet caught her eye. She also explains why she decided to pursue her studies in robotics and how robots increasingly are involved in today’s society and work, making our lives easier, for example for medical technologies.

Watch Arwen’s video (in French)