how it is to live there
- Life is good as long as you are fluent in the local language (German or French, depending on which part of the country you are in) and have a sufficient disposable income to cover high costs of living (they are comparable to those in LA or NYC).
how the universities and the courses are
- they are of upscale standard of teaching, though the amenities (sport centers, for example) may not be on par with lavish private US universities. To enter, one has to be eligible to study (meet the residence, language, and education requirements and, in German part: pass a rigorous admission (NC) test). The study lasts 6 years, but the threshold is high and some 10-30% of students fail on each given exam and may be in need to re-sit a year or two. The number of efforts to retake the exams is limited.
Overall, you won't have any problem with USMLEs after graduating from a Swiss university. There is less of the highly competetive, throat-cutting medical learning culture (speak hardline rotations) like in the US. The tuition is a joke, the campuses are clean and safe.
I can highly recommend all Swiss state universities.
