To many foreigners, Lucerne is known as one of the major tourist attractions in Switzerland. Attracted by landmarks such as the Kapellbrugg (The Chapel Bridge) or the Lion Memorial, visitors enjoy the atmosphere of this city in central Switzerland. In summer, people enjoy exploring the beautiful old town or taking a refreshing bath in the lake. In the winter time, when the city is often caught in a thick fog, since the Alps are only a short train ride away, it offers them the opportunity to spend an afternoon snowboarding, skiing or just enjoying the nice view from one of the sun terraces.
Not only does Lucerne have many advantages to offer to tourists, but it also hosts a variety of different high-level education institutions. One of them is the University of Lucerne, located in the center of the city close to the lakeside. Founded in 2000, the University of Lucerne is the youngest university in Switzerland. It offers programs for students in the fields of Social and Cultural Sciences to Theology and Law. Currently, 2,700 students are enrolled in the University of Lucerne. With this comparatively small number of students, the University of Lucerne is able to offer a very personal learning environment, which leaves a lot of space for personal initiative, interaction between students and professors and possibilities for active participation.
The courses are held in diverse forms. Some of them are conducted in seminar-style lessons while others are designed as tutorials and lectures. While the majority of the courses are still taught in German, there is a growing number of courses taught in English.
The main building of the University of Lucerne was opened only about a year ago. It is composed of the central library, sports facilities, the student’s cafeteria, the administration and the professors’ offices. The University of Lucerne has also started collaborations with different universities around the world. Exchange students from countries throughout Europe such as Spain, England, Norway or France as well as from countries outside of Europe like Canada, Argentina, South Korea and Singapore, have the chance to study at the University of Lucerne. While it may be considered as a disadvantage to study at such a young university, in doing so you may be able to actively take part in the forming of a relatively young institution with your own ideas and visions. Who knows? Maybe you will be the next one to make a contribution to let Lucerne become an even better place to study.

* Anna Sigrist is currently studying at Ewha as an exchange student.

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