How Angela Meraviglia is living her studies in Switzerland

Angela Meraviglia you are Swiss and grew up in Australia. Why did you decide to study in Switzerland?

In Australia, I completed my training as a florist but I always knew I wanted to study. I just never found the right subject. During a holiday stay in Switzerland, I discovered the study programme in Design Management at the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts. Initally, it was just an exciting idea that I had and not a firm plan. However, I applied. Thanks to my application dossier including my work, my high school diploma and my professional experience, I was accepted. Only when I received the official confirmation did I realise that my life would change completely within a few months.

Tell us more specifically about your Design Management degree programme at the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts.

The degree programme is entirely in English. I am now in my third and final Bachelor’s year. I particularly love the breadth of the field of study. It is not just about creating physical things or designing them, but it is always about the whole mind-set. That helps to understand complex problems, to communicate with people and to create solutions that are better for people and our environment.

What language do you speak when you are not in class? And how have you settled in in Switzerland?

I speak a mixture of English and Swiss German with my university friends and Swiss German, which I learned at home, with my relatives. Now I also want to attend a German course at university. Building up a good group of friends in Switzerland was more difficult than I thought. However, a small job in the hospitality industry helped me to get to know the local way of life and to make new friends.

Was the “small job” alongside your studies enough to cover the high Swiss cost of living?

I have always worked alongside my studies, in hospitality and now at a design agency in Zurich. However, the intensive studies do not allow me to work enough to be financially independent. I have been fortunate to receive a scholarship from my home canton of Zurich, which makes my life a lot easier. I also benefit from a reduced health insurance premium. Switzerland is expensive, but it also has quite a fair social support system.