Dropped engineering for hospitality business programme, this student already runs 2 start-ups in Switzerland: Life in a Foreign University

I am a final-year student at Ecole Hôtelière de Lausanne (EHL) Hospitality Business and Hotel Management School in Switzerland. Besides pursuing higher education, I am currently working on growing my recent start-up which helps improve student life by connecting them with experienced tutors within their school and organising tutoring at lower prices.

Why Switzerland?

While my study interests changed from engineering to hospitality/business management, I have always been keen on exploring the world and learning about new cultures. Raised in New Delhi, I come from a family where only a few have travelled abroad, so it had always been a dream to be the one to change that.

Even though I received good grades in class 12 (non-medical stream) and received multiple scholarships and university offer letters, I initially decided to study engineering. However, it was not something I could see myself pursuing for the rest of my life. Therefore, I switched to hospitality as I wanted an industry that would help me gain exposure to the rest of the world and learn a variety of lessons that different cultures have to offer. As technology is taking over human jobs, I decided that I want a role that can not be easily replaced with technology and that for me is an entrepreneur/leader with well-developed soft skills.

I believe that apart from gaining mathematical and language skills, my school hasn’t really contributed to preparing me to study at a foreign university.

My decision to come to Switzerland was mainly for the exposure that an international university can provide, which is why I ended up at EHL Hospitality Business School, which has students from more than 125 nationalities.

While I thought settling in would be a difficult process, that wasn’t the case at all. Very quickly, I adapted to the new cultures. Also, the introductory week organised by EHL before starting the university was helpful to get information and meet other students.

Apart from that, I still had to adapt to the new environment. For example, most supermarkets close by 7 pm on weekdays and are closed on Sundays. Here, the public transport system is safe and punctual, and sorting out your accommodation may be tricky for non-European passport holders. However, there are reliable agencies and Facebook groups that make the process easier.

I studied at Mothers Global School in New Delhi India before coming to Switzerland. One of the major differences I have noticed in my life here is that academic performance might not be the only priority for students. At EHL, you are surrounded by people from all over the world, and this diversity offers a lot of learning opportunities. Because of the culture here, I was able to spend time on other activities apart from just academics.

Getting admission and scholarships

As this was my first time applying to an international university, the team at BigBenLanguages — a counselling service for university applicants overseas — helped me tremendously. With their help, I was able to go through the EHL admission process seamlessly. EHL requires the usual documents — a professional CV, motivation letter, high school transcripts, and certification to attest to your level of English. I also had to go through their unique admission process that consisted of an aptitude test and interviews, before finally receiving the acceptance letter.

During my studies, I was honoured to have been awarded scholarships on many occasions. The approach to obtaining a scholarship at EHL is quite holistic as they take the financial aspect into consideration but also the academic and extracurricular performance, the talent for service professions and the motivation. The suitable candidate must excel in both fields — academically and personally.

The process of applying consists of sharing several documents including a cover letter, your CV, two recommendation letters, all your student transcripts as well as financial information such as your budget and forecasted earnings. Finally, you may also think about how you plan to give back to society. I have been able to do so through my start-ups or personally, in the form of donation or support, big or small.

Some of the achievements during my studies that I believed tipped the scales in my favour, were: learning French from scratch and bringing it up to a B1 level, leading my teams throughout all semesters, launching my first start up ‘The Indian Table’, receiving high praise from my employer in Hong Kong during my administrative internship, and raising my second startup “FINDATUTOR.CH” to impressive levels during my final year at EHL.

Since, I was awarded honorary loans from EHL along with my scholarships, meaning that I could get a loan for zero per cent interest and pay it post my graduation back to EHL.

Food for hunger, brain — my entrepreneurial journey in Switzerland

During my second year of the degree at EHL, I started my first entrepreneurial stint and co-founded a dark/cloud kitchen that provided high-quality but affordable weekend meals to fellow students and locals.

While there are many advantages to being employed, I have always been inclined to build something of my own, as I feel that I can have a greater impact on the world as an entrepreneur than I am able to by being employed. During my first year at university, I noticed a gap between the demand and supply of affordable food options for students on weekends, and so I decided to solve that.

My second start-up, FINDATUTOR.CH, also originated in a similar way — more than a few students were interested in tutoring services, but there was no relevant supply, which is why I decided to step in.

Meanwhile, I have another start-up launching next month with which I expect to shake the local F&B market.

It can get demanding sometimes to manage your personal life, student life, and life as a business owner, but it is undoubtedly a rewarding journey worth all the sacrifices.

It has also given me more clarity on my life goals, and the plan needed for that. In addition to this, I also dabble in some part-time jobs.

Switzerland is one of the most expensive countries to live in. With the right mindset and budgeting, it is possible to lead a comfortable lifestyle while being a university student. For the first six months, my parents sponsored my living expenses. However, starting with my first internship, I could afford my living here and save up to 50 per cent of my salary on the side. Since then, I have taken different kinds of opportunities like working for “extras” or part-time jobs in the region. These opportunities can be waitressing at local restaurants, walking dogs, teaching peers etc. I regularly participated in some of these over the years, along with start-ups.

Hong Kong — fast-moving culture, but closer to home

The cloud kitchen experience helped me gain an internship in Hong Kong and work in finance for Black Sheep Restaurants.

Going to Hong Kong has been one of the best decisions in my life so far. I was working in the finance department for the restaurant group where I was able to dig deep into the world of food and beverage. During the weekends, I would also work in different restaurants for the same group as part of my job. Here, I also got to learn the art of storytelling, taking care of the guests, and, as the icing on the cake, I made some great connections and grew my network.

Hong Kong is a great location. During the week, I was living in one of the busiest and most dynamic localities in the world, and on the weekends, I would find myself on a beautiful white sand beach or on a hike in the forest on an island far from the busy city. Even though it is a small region, it offers various experiences that one can keep discovering for years, the culinary industry is full of incredible surprises and cuisines from around the world, for instance.

While I cannot compare the studying experience between the two locations, I can share the difference in the lifestyle. I find that Hong Kong has a very fast-moving culture while the one in Switzerland is a bit more relaxed. Working 12 or 15 hours a day might be normal in Hong Kong, but not in Switzerland for most companies. I personally found it easier to integrate with people in Hong Kong, as compared to Switzerland. However, once you integrate with someone in Switzerland, those relationships are bound to last long. Overall, I would say that Hong Kong offered me the dynamicity of my home in Delhi and brought me closer to nature, just like Switzerland.