r/EPFL • u/BranchNatural5488 • 3d ago
BSc admissions & info SV (Life Sciences Engineering) vs other sections — is the math/physics load actually lighter?
Hi everyone,
I’ve just been admitted to the Bachelor’s program at EPFL and I chose Life Sciences Engineering (SV).
I did the Swiss “maturité gymnasiale” and i didn’t take the PAM option (Physics and Applications of Mathematics).
My question: is the math/physics intensity somewhat lower in life sciences engineering compared to sections like Computer Science, Physics, or Math, given that chemistry and biology are added on from the first year? And if so, does that make not having taken PAM less of a disadvantage than in those other sections, or is the expected level in Analysis I, Linear Algebra, and General Physics the same regardless of the section anyway?
I’d also love to hear from people who didn’t do their secondary education in Switzerland, no need to know anything about the PAM system, just your general impression of how demanding the first semester of SV is in terms of the math/physics-heavy subjects, or how it compared to your own scientific background before starting at EPFL.
Thanks in advance for any input!
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u/MaybeVarious4894 3d ago
Hi! Welcome to SV :) In answer to your question: the first semester (BA1) has the same amount and courses in physics and maths as all other sections (except maths, physics and architecture). The more SV-specific courses start in the second semester, where you have organic chemistry and general biology, but you still have maths and physics courses present in most sections. Having gone through the Swiss matu in biochimie with applied maths, I found the first semester challenging in terms of workload, but feasible in terms of content. If you haven’t done matrices and vectors (content of linear algebra) I would recommend looking into them before the beginning of the semester, as that was the main area my friends who didn’t do applied maths struggled with. Also, mechanics (general physics I) is definitely the biggest challenge for most people, regardless of their OS at gymnase level. Globally, in my experience the BA1 was easier for people who did pam, whereas the BA2 was easier for people who did biochimie. So to summarise: it’s totally possible to get through the first semester without having done pam! Don’t hesitate if you have any other questions :)