Are you too busy with your current work or studies? Do you live far away from Switzerland? If you answered yes to one of these questions, it might be quiet difficult for you to attend our Open Day so this post is for you!
Being a Student Ambassador of Les Roches for the past two semesters, I had a chance to answer plenty of students’ and parents’ questions about Les Roches and its campus life. In today’s post I would like to share some of the frequently asked questions and answer them, so that everyone gets a chance to discover a little bit more…
The list of questions below covers very different topics, including such once as: typical weather and necessary clothes, school main features, activities in and outside Les Roches, and others.
Is there anything special about the weather in Bluche? Do I need to take any special clothes?
When going to live for at least 6 months in the Swiss mountains, you need to take into consideration that the weather here is very changeable, especially during autumn and spring. Sometimes, it can happen that in the morning, when you are going to school, it is rather cold and windy, with no sun; however only 5-6 hours later it can become very sunny and quiet hot. So I would recommend having several layers of clothes, so you could easily regulate your dressing upon the weather changes.
In summer the weather generally is nicely hot and sunny and in winter it might be really freezing. Therefore, make sure you take all possible types of clothes coming to Bluche.
What is special about Les Roches study rhythm?
Generally speaking, the study rhythm in Les Roches in all the semesters is pretty balanced. Talking about academic classes, throughout every semester in each subject there are multiple tests, quizzes, and assignments which are worth parts of the final grade. Then, at the end there are final exams that differ, depending of which year you are in, from 35 % to 50 % of the overall result per subject. This way we have a good opportunity to understand the course bit by bit, moreover, putting the theory into practice by getting involved in different projects, group works and presentations.
Concerning the first semesters which include practical weeks at school, the courses are organized in a very good way as well. All semesters is built from interchange of 2 weeks academic studies (e.g. Languages, Mathematics, etc.) and 2 weeks practical studies (e.g. Craft-Based learning). Following this rhythm, we have enough time to digest all the received information and straight away apply it in our lives.
Do I need to take any additional literature with me?
All the necessary for your course books are going to be distributed to you at the start of studies. I would only recommend to get some electronic dictionaries on your laptop, at least English and French ones (if those are not your native languages), as all the lectures and textbooks in school are in English and all the life around campus is in French.
Which computer is better to take?
Mostly that depends on your own preferences (usually, choice is between Mac and Windows Operating Systems), however it might be much easier for you to use Windows, as all the subjects are explained on this system, as well as Informational Technology (IT) subject that gives you profound knowledge of using Word, Excel, etc.
What possibilities are there to learn foreign languages in Les Roches?
If you are not taking additional English course, you need to choose a foreign language since the very first semester. Moreover, the language you choose you will have to keep for at least two semesters and only after coming to your third academic semester you can change it. The variety of languages offered is quiet wide: French, Italian, Spanish, German and even Chinese. However, for Italian and Chinese languages, you can take them only after completing the first two academic semesters.
Moreover, there is an online system provided by the school, “Tell Me More”, that allows you to learn multiple languages on your own and make a significant progress, also practicing your skills with you multinational friends.
What about the surroundings? How can I spend my weekends?
For the spare time activities there are plenty of great opportunities around, such as exploring Swiss beautiful landscapes, hiking, skiing, snowboarding, bike riding, etc… Furthermore, from Switzerland you can easily reach all the famous destinations of Europe as those in France, Italy, Germany, England and Spain.
How shall I search for my internship? Can I go anywhere?
First of all, as soon as you decided to join Les Roches, start to think about your career plan. Where would you like to work in future? What kind of experience you need for achieving this goal? Are you interested by working in Asia, Europe or United States? Would you like to work only in boutique hotels or joining your favorite hotel brand? You need to answer for yourself to all those questions and then decide what your first destination will be. Faster you apply, better it is, as you will obviously have more interesting opportunities.
Also you should take into consideration possible visa issues, as an example, being Russian makes it more difficult for me to obtain a training visa to England. So, before applying anywhere, make sure that you are eligible to go for training to the destination of your choice.
Can I choose my room and a roommate?
As soon as you accepted in the school, you will be usually added to a closed Facebook group which exists only for the new students. This way you will have a great opportunity of meeting online your future classmates, getting some friends, helping each other, sharing information, etc… This is also a way of finding a roommate, if you become friends with someone and want to share a room together, you will just need to contact the school about it and get the further explanation on how to proceed with your request.
Also, even if you don’t know who particularly you would like to share your room with, I would still highly recommend to request to have a roommate of different nationality from yours. This way you will have a great chance of deep cultural exchange and understanding, as well as practicing English or maybe other languages.
Concerning the choice of room, you still may try to request in which particular building you would like to have your room, but this is not guaranteed, as it is decided upon availability.
Are there any sport and leisure activities in school?
Sure! There are a lot of team sport activities, such as basketball, volleyball, football and hand ball teams. You can also join zumba, yoga, tennis, badminton or swimming groups, as well as attending school gym.
Talking about leisure activities, there are a lot of events and trips organized by school and students, such as a shopping day in Milan, or a visit of car show in Geneva, etc…
Is there anything else you would like to know?
These were only some of the most popular questions that I was asked during the Open Days and Campus Visits. I am sure that there are lots of other ones, so please do not hesitate to contact me in the comments below or directly by my email address: arkadiya.tertychnaya@lesroches.ch
