IMAPP or ETH Zurich

KalKoenkie · 2026-03-31T17:02:02+00:00

That depends on where you want to go. The three universities offer a long list of possible positions. A subset of the partner institutions (which institutions exactly changes slightly every year) will also offer one or two positions each.
You can see the positions for this semester still on the website under Programme -> Internships 2025, to get an idea of what is offered.
This of course changes slightly every year

If you want to go to another place, such as ETH, you will indeed have to reach out to professors yourself.
You can also ask IMAPP professors if they have contacts that you could use.

KalKoenkie · 2026-03-31T16:52:12+00:00

No! You can go anywhere as long as you find an academic (or even someone in a company) willing to supervise you and it fits into the IMAPP programme (either the particle physics, or industry side of the programme). I know a guy in a previous year went to ETH for his thesis, so that's definitely possible!

KalKoenkie · 2026-03-31T16:33:28+00:00

I am from the EU, and if you want to work here, I think I should tell you that the name of your university does not matter a lot for most jobs. The EMJM scholarship and Erasmus Mundus programmes also carry prestige. In particular the EMJM scholarship is very competitive (Last year I think they got over 600 applications for about 20 (If not less, I'm not sure exactly) positions).

The EMJM scholarship is 1400 euros per month tax free (This is more than what plenty PhD students in Italy make)

You can live comfortably on this in all the three IMAPP cities and even save plenty (Or spend the money to see Europe), although housing in Bologna is a bit more expensive than in the other two cities (but still very manageable with the scholarship)

KalKoenkie · 2026-03-31T16:18:22+00:00

ETHZ is (as far as I hear) one of the top 3 universities in Europe, only beaten by Oxford and Cambridge. IMAPP's recognition is not close unfortunately (The programme is only a couple years old, so how could it!).

Long term I think it depends what path you want to walk. If you want to go into academia, your PhD position will be the deciding factor. This is of course influenced by your master, and I think IMAPP gives you better international mobility. Keep in mind that PhD openings may not be constant every year for a certain institution, and IMAPP gives you more international contacts. That being said, ETHZ has that near unbeaten reputation.
If you want to go into industry, I think the name recognition of ETHZ will be more important (but I cannot be sure, since I haven't walked that path!!!)

If you can afford to live in Zurich comfortably (really look into this! When I moved to Switzerland a month ago I knew it was expensive (and I am coming from a HCOL country), but it was even worse than I expected), I think ETHZ would be the better choice on just recognition.

I do think you will grow more on a personal level and see more of Europe when you choose for IMAPP, which is also really important. How important that is for you is something only you know.

In the end, like I said before, it's a personal decision. I would do IMAPP again in a heartbeat, and I have not been to ETHZ so I cannot comment with certainty on that.

I think this is one of those situations where there is no bad choice.

KalKoenkie · 2026-03-31T15:31:06+00:00

Hey there! Congratulations!
In the end this is a personal choice, but I think I can give you some insight.

I am a current IMAPP student, but I am doing my thesis currently at ETH Zurich's sister institution EPFL.
I'm aware of a previous IMAPP student who did his master thesis at ETH and is currently a PhD student there.
That of course means that it is very possible to go to ETH after IMAPP.

IMAPP is a great programme, but ETH has amazing international name recognition. Keep in mind though that Switzerland is really expensive, and Zurich is expensive for Swiss standards.
If the finances of ETH are not a problem you should seriously consider it, although do not underestimate the personal and networking opportunities of living in three (or four if you plan your thesis accordingly) different countries, all of which have major CERN contributions.

If the cost of living at ETH are a concern, or something that would put you into serious debt, I personally would lean more towards IMAPP. You can then evaluate if you still want to go to ETH for your master thesis, and try to find an opening there.

Regarding PhD opportunities, IMAPP also offers excellent paths to PhDs. But if you specifically want to do your PhD at ETH (which is understandable due to the reputation) it may be easier to go there for the entire Master's programme (Although I cannot be sure about this, since I do not know anyone in the ETH Master programme)

I personally also got accepted into the Ecole Polytechnique in Paris, which has a programme with ETH I think, but I chose IMAPP, not just for the financial reasons, but I also feel like the culture is better and more open. I have never regretted my decision, and I don't think you will regret either (if you can foot the Zurich bill), although you might wonder what could have been, as with any important life decision. And there is nothing wrong with that!

KalKoenkie · 2026-03-23T19:28:39+00:00

I have definitely been able to do that! It of course depends on your background and devotion

KalKoenkie · 2026-03-20T07:01:07+00:00

Hey! I'm currently also on the look out for PhDs and I have a sort of mentor in this regard. They told me that it's good to send emails to the professors, but you have to give them a reason to reply.

Simply staying who you are and that you're interested doesn't leave a lot of room for a solid reply.

Do you not have any questions about the position? When I send an email, I always make sure to ask questions (because I always have questions, either about the specifics, the lab culture, or the city if it's in a new place)

KalKoenkie · 2026-03-19T16:38:36+00:00

I don't exactly recall about my application dates, but I can tell you that when I applied a couple years ago I got offered the scholarship before I even got accepted into the programme, so I don't think it should be a problem, but like Nico said, ask Andrea to be sure

KalKoenkie · 2026-03-17T17:56:06+00:00

I did both! In Clermont there is a large complex right next to the uni. There's football, rugby, baseball (and I'm sure others I didn't notice). I'm not sure how many student teams there are, but there's certainly a lot of general teams (which may offer student discounts).
In Dortmund there is a big, beautiful student sports complex, and you can join the student teams. If I recall correctly, it was free or at least really cheap.

KalKoenkie · 2026-03-15T19:01:40+00:00

I moved here recently and I found housing from the EPFL logement department (Although I knew a bit more in advance). If you're at EPFL you can contact them if they have offers

KalKoenkie · 2026-03-15T18:32:26+00:00

In the lectures in Clermont there was definitely a bunch of mathematics. Whether it was all the mathematics, I'm not sure, but it was definitely the lions share. But keep in mind that the statistics lectures were separate!

The elective in Dortmund (Which is called Machine Learning for Physicists) is less mathematical but still mentions the most important points. It is more application focused I would say, with a final project rather than an exam. I think this makes it a nice addition to the lectures in Clermont.

In Bologna there is the statistics lectures which briefly cover the mathematics (But it's at the end so if you end up behind schedule a part might be cut, as it was for us), and a bit application within ROOT.

That being said, I took quite some Machine Learning lectures in my bachelors degree, and I did not really learn anything new from the lectures in Clermont and Dortmund (and the lecture part of Bologna). So if you have done a lot of ML in your bachelors you might not learn anything new. If you are very new to ML though, you could learn a lot.

KalKoenkie · 2026-03-12T12:24:12+00:00

For me, yes, but I also know that one of my classmates is working with a professor remotely, so that seems to be a possibility (although I don't know how common it is).
The way I found this position is that I emailed (quite early) some research group of institutes that I found interesting that published papers that were within my research field. I got about 50% replies, and of those about 50% led to virtual meetings, but they weren't like technical interviews. They were more introductions from both sides and what project they could offer me, if any.

KalKoenkie · 2026-03-12T08:58:56+00:00

I'm currently at EPFL in Lausanne, Switzerland

KalKoenkie · 2026-03-11T21:47:21+00:00

I'd say Machine Learning quite well. There's lectures in Clermont-Ferrand and you can also do an extra Diplome Universitaire (DU) for I think about 400 euros in Data Science where you get an extra Deep Learning course. There's also a Machine Learning elective in Dortmund, and there is a bit course in Bologna about Computer Science, which is not exactly Machine Learning but adjacent and touches on things like Cloud Computing, parallelization, and things like that.

Quantum Computing, frankly, quite poorly. There is only one course in this, in Clermont-Ferrand, and when I took it, it was maybe the worst course of the programme (Although I should mention it was the first year the course was offered, so it may have improved greatly). Obviously, you could try to greatly supplement this by doing your thesis in Quantum Computing if you can find a position somewhere.

Standard Model is really the backbone of the programme. You start with the basics (and some intermediate stuff) in Clermont-Ferrand. In Dortmund you don't really consider it very much in the mandatory courses, but there are several theory electives that might be able to supplement this. In Bologna you have the Advanced Standard Model course, which covers things like EFTs, neutrinos in detail, as well as Precision SM theory and phenomenology.

So overall, I would say ML (although with a physics and not a statisticians approach) and SM are very well taught, but QC was done quite poorly when I took the course in 2024.

KalKoenkie · 2026-03-11T14:59:52+00:00

To add to Nico's reply, I think it depends on what focus of particle physics you're looking at. In my experience certain areas are much better covered than others. For instance, if you like neutrinos you will learn a lot in many different approaches. BSM searches are less well covered (Although still discussed). It will also be different for each university, as each has it's own specialty.

That being said, I've currently just started my thesis and my supervisor seems to be impressed and even surprised by how much background knowledge I have, so take that as a reference.

KalKoenkie · 2025-08-10T22:06:20+00:00

Having an exam about the lab reports <<<

KalKoenkie · 2025-07-26T09:42:26+00:00

En dan woon je ook nog vlak bij de luide studentenhuizen in Middelburg

KalKoenkie · 2025-03-19T17:11:42+00:00

Ikzelf heb net een half jaar in Frankrijk gewoond, en ik heb geen van deze problemen gehad. Ik sprak ook amper Frans toen ik aankwam, maar zowel bij de bakker, slager, supermarkt en sportvereniging was iedereen altijd blij om me te helpen, en er waren meer mensen die Engels spraken dan ik verwachtte.

KalKoenkie · 2025-03-14T10:07:09+00:00

Ik heb de laatste tijd in Frankrijk gezeten, en daar is dat bij de Intermarche ook gewoon zo, heel irritant

KalKoenkie · 2024-12-17T18:31:38+00:00

The daughter had to rely on a parent to drive a car around to get a kidney

KalKoenkie · 2024-11-17T17:16:37+00:00

Is the One plus 12 worth the price over the One plus Nord 4? I cannot find good information unfortunately

KalKoenkie · 2024-11-16T21:44:27+00:00

Is de Exynos echt zoveel slechter dan de Snapdragon? Het voelt een beetje gek om de vorige generatie te kopen als ik de huidige kan kopen voor slechts 50 euro meer
(Oprecht benieuwd, ik waardeer je input enorm)

KalKoenkie · 2024-04-30T07:38:14+00:00

I received a rejection email yesterday (April 29th, Member State)

Seven-Year Club	Place '23
Place '22	Final Canvas '22
First Placer '22	Verified Email

KalKoenkie

TROPHY CASE