The ETH Master Song

ETH Zurich wants to attract the most talented students in the world. But the three letters "ETH" aren’t as well known the globe over as in Switzerland. So now there’s a new hip-hop video out to catch the attention of those young people. A master of ceremonies guides viewers across the campus and raps with ETH students about the programmes. And as you’d expect after the ETH external page video trailer launched two years ago, this clip isn’t short on humour.

Addressing the right students

“We wanted a video that would stand out, entertain and yet convey plenty of content,” says Rainer Borer, Head of Corporate Communications. So ETH chose a hip-hop song, an absurd combination of bling-bling rapper meets serious university. “We’re looking to interest not just more students, but the right ones. And by this we mean those with excellent grades who can also think for themselves and reflect critically,” explains Borer. “Which includes being able to laugh at oneself.”

The real stars in the video, apart from the rapping students, are the great ETH Zurich locations and projects – from the anechoic chamber (yes, that's its name), and the robot ANYmal, to an electric racing car from the Academic Motorsports Club Zurich, and LUSETH, a test facility for reinforced concrete shell elements. Over 100 ETH members worked in front of or behind the camera to make this shoot possible.

So waste no time: put on your headphones, turn up the volume, and start the video. Ten out of ten for ETH Zurich? We’ll soon see whether the young people will like the clip and whether our message will get across. What’s more, by the end of the year a new video clip in German will be out to familiarise prospective Bachelor students with ETH Zurich. And just to keep you informed – the new Bachelor’s video will be radically different from this Master’s hip-hop one.