Lucerne, in Switzerland, is famed as a tourist destination. But it can also be a great place to study destination. Lukas Ritzel explains why...
Every day thousands of tourists stroll around beautiful Lucerne, sipping coffee after extensive shopping or after a nice walk along Lake Lucerne's shoreline.
Lucerne has established a reputation as a worldwide tourism hub and its monuments, such as the modern KKL building and famous wooden medieval Chapel bridge, are well known all over the world. Lucerne, like no other city, really represents the 'chocolate' side of Switzerland.
Heart of Europe
Lucerne is perhaps less known for its educational capacity, but this will change over the next few years. Not only is Lucerne a great place for a Swiss holiday experience, it's also perfect for any international student who wants an experience of studying in Switzerland and to be well prepared for an ever changing global economy.
This beautiful, lively city, embedded in a dreamlike natural environment, is a fun place for young people to enjoy a fresh drink at any of the restaurants along the lake and river.
At the same time, they can work on their projects by accessing the internet through Lucerne's unique and free wireless city internet. Because of the many tourists, it is usually easy to communicate almost anywhere in town, since most locals are able to speak at least some basic English.
Being at the true heart of Europe, Lucerne is an ideal starting point to explore other European cities. A five-hour train trip brings you to Paris, and a flight with any budget airline can bring you to London for as low as US$30. Access to various traditional, as well as extreme sports like mountain biking, sailing, skiing, all kinds of watersports and more, ensures that not only the brainwaves are kept active.
You may think that the German language could be a problem for your studies, but more and more international schools are available in the Lucerne area. As a result, English has become an important second language, even in the local primary schools where it is replacing French. All of the international schools have a 100% English curriculum. Students in some cases can join intensive English language courses to prepare them for further studies.
Value for your fees
Although studying in Switzerland seems more costly compared to other countries, Switzerland is famous for its value for money. Moreover, the educational system in Switzerland is among the best in Europe - ranked 8th out of 30. International schools in Lucerne attract not only students but also renowned international professors who always love to come to Switzerland for educational assignments and guest lecturing.
Most international schools around Lucerne are working in close relationship with Luzern Tourism and such relations enable many collaborations and greater access to fieldtrips in addition to project and research work. Because Lucerne is an international tourism hub already, local people are open to foreigners in the city and treat them fairly and warmheartedly.
If all the above reasons are not enough to contemplate international study in Lucerne, consider the fact that Lucerne is one of the safest places in the world. A 2007 survey from the largest Newspaper BLICK, ranked Lucerne first as the cleanest, as well as the safest, city with the highest level in social care among all other Swiss cities. If you're looking for an international undergraduate education in a safe and beautiful environment, look no further than Lucerne: www.studyinlucerne.com.
The author: Lukas Ritzel is Webstrategist at IMI University Centre Luzern, CoFounder of Change Management consulting company Prasena. In 2004, his company received the Purple Cow award of companies who "make a difference" from the FAST company. He is a specialist in Creativity, eLearning and Knowledge Management. Lukas Ritzel is also Switzerland Chapter President of the Digital Workforce Education Society. A speaker (both real and virtual) at many international conferences, his presentations can be seen at Slideshare (tagged: lritzel).