Jason Sun

Fall 2014 - Exchange

Switzerland – EPFL – Swiss Federal Institute of Technology

Jason Sun

  • In Europe, exchange happens frequently and it would be beneficial to get in touch with the local ESN early on (Exchange Student Network), a student organization that organizes trips and activities for cheap.
  • I would definitely do it again if I weren't already a 4th year student looking to graduate soon.
  • I chose a one-semester exchange and would be interested on information following up to extend my stay for another semester. I feel like one semester is hardly enough time to get used to the environment before doing well on classes. 
  • I would recommend an exchange if you are looking for new experiences, but would recommend against it if you'd like to boost your marks up as the exchange would consume a lot of time and you'd be certainly distracted away from school work.
  • I had the opportunity of going to a hackathon at ETH Zürich, and it was very rewarding. I met up other UW exchange students to EPFL and partnered up with Jade and Ruoping. Together we created an iOS app and won a TA Digital Media prize, which was a free trip to Berlin to visit startups there.
    won a TA Digital Media prize
  • The school environment was very similar to UW except the students were more social and you'd meet other exchange students.
  • To new applicants: The exchange application process is lengthy and you should start well advance of the deadline, which is usually January.
  • During my stay at EPFL, certainly one of the most memorable moments was going on the ski trip. I made a video of my 2014 Skiing Trip @ Zinal, Switzerland (YouTube) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c8Njunw6pX8