About The Room

Sometimes I just wished for someone who could relate

I wondered why I sometimes felt so lonely with my thoughts and issues, even though I had people to talk to. Sometimes, it felt like they did not fully understand what I was struggling with or could not relate enough to really help. Empathy is not always enough. In some cases, what matters is the deeper connection that comes from sharing the same feeling, exchanging experiences, and simply being heard by someone you know has felt something similar.

I remembered talking to people and being surprised to find out that they had experienced some of the same things as me. We had only come across the topic by accident — through me sharing emotional thoughts or casually dropping some personal insights. But even these small moments of understanding and connection felt so relieving, so freeing from loneliness.

For a minute, I actually felt okay with myself and the world.

And this is why I randomly thought that night:

Wait a minute, hold my beer...

We often don't know who around us can relate

The problem with our thoughts, struggles, and experiences is often not that there is nobody nearby who can relate. There are plenty of students just a few doors away who have probably experienced one thing or another that feels familiar to us.

Sometimes we do know each other and still never talk about these things, so we never get the chance to connect on that level.

Often, there is simply no natural space for sharing what is actually on our minds. Sometimes it is something personal that makes us feel vulnerable. Sometimes it is a struggle we would like advice on. And sometimes it is just a random thought, a small frustration, a nice moment, or something that made us wonder whether anyone else feels the same.

So let's give these thoughts and experiences a place

CommonRoom is meant to make that first step easier. You can simply drop a thought into the community and see who relates. And when you want a more personal or deeper exchange, you can find someone whose experiences resonate with yours and talk anonymously 1:1.

An easy way to talk to people who actually understand where we are coming from, even if they are not trained to understand us.

Because this is another kind of understanding. It is an understanding that can convey companionship, support, and the feeling of sharing an experience with someone else. This is something professionals cannot always give us in the same way. But we can give it to each other.

Let’s do it ourselves!

“exam failed” “wrong degree?” “feeling lonely” “met a new study partner :)” “anyone else?” “need some advice” “exam failed” “I passed!”

Sometimes it's a struggle, sometimes it's just a thought

So, who is this website for? It is for every person studying at ETH.

If you feel like talking to someone, sharing a moment — big or small, nice or frustrating — getting another perspective, exchanging experiences, or if you simply feel lonely or lost, this space is for you.

You do not need to have a problem to be here.

If you have a random thought, a funny or awkward situation, a small win, something that annoyed you today, or simply a feeling you want to put somewhere — drop it off here. Someone will probably relate, have something to say, or simply be glad to know that someone else thought the same thing.

Let’s build a strong community. A community where everyone can anonymously be part of something. A cummunity of simply sharing thoughts and relating to someone else’s.

A community in CommonRoom.