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Testimonials

• Inhalt ausklappen Inhalt einklappen Program & IUSP Team

  

  

  "The IUSP team was incredibly helpful throughout the program."

  "The IUSP team was extremely helpful and friendly. They really made me feel at home and not alone. They were all willing to help me even in the most simple and easy struggles during my experience abroad. It really made me feel so much better knowing that I have someone to count on if something goes wrong."

  "I always felt supported and if I needed anything, I was always able to contact someone via multiple platforms!"

  "What an amazing program! All my classes have given me a new perspective. I only wish that I did the full year program as well as had the intensive German class for the full semester. I've never learned so much in such a short amount of time. Thank you"

  "Awesome program. I am so thankful for this opportunity and the many friends that I made along the way. I was able to learn about Germany and its people in a very in-depth manner, which is exactly what I was aiming for. The IUSP provided me with an endless amount of resources, educational opportunities, but above all - love. The coordinators and staff love what they do and love their language and culture. They are there whenever I need them and are willing to go above and beyond to make sure my time here is as great as it can be."

  "Although there was a problem with my acceptance and enrollment the IUSP program took quick action to fix the problem and make me feel comfortable."

  "I thought the organization of IUSP was amazing. Everything was planned out for the students and they took care of as many things as possible for us. They were always very helpful. I wish my home university's international program was half as helpful as they were in Marburg."

  "Helping with visa applications was very much appreciated – it would have been incredibly difficult to do everything ourselves, so that was very, very helpful, as well as sorting out accommodation and other administrative things."

  "They provided many services to make things as easy for the students as possible."

   

• Inhalt ausklappen Inhalt einklappen Trips

  

  "I loved being able to travel to outside cities while I was here. It gave me time to enjoy other parts of Germany without having to find accommodations for myself.

  "Take advantage of your semester ticket. Travel!"

  "These trips were a blast - from being able to spend time with the other students to having the ability to have all of the neatest plans already prepared for us, especially some sites that I would never have thought of going to."

  "Don't forget to travel in Germany, as there are so many great places and things to do!"

  "Dresden was by far my favorite trip. The hike was beautiful and there were so many things to do."

  "The trips were fantastic and allowed for a broadened experience of German culture and regional differences within Germany."

  "All the trips were well planned out and culturally enriching. I loved the weekend trips and all the cities that we explored. The guided tours provided a great overview of the city and it was great that we were also given time to explore on our own."

  "Great accommodations, wonderful tour guides, and an amazing group. Who could ask for more?"     

  

• Inhalt ausklappen Inhalt einklappen In General

  

  

  "I was so happy I could participate in this program and study with other English-speaking students. That became the best experience in my life."

  "I liked it so much that I extended my stay."

  "My motto in Germany was 'why not'. It's all about gaining new experiences and the only way to do that is to put yourself out there. Why did I study in Germany? Why not? Don't be the why, be the why not."

  "Life in Marburg has definitely made me fall in love with German people, German language and German culture;so much that I’m making plans for an internship in Berlin next year, and potentially further plans to live and work in Germany on a permanent basis. Thank you so much!"

  "IUSP gave me a chance to really develop - not only with my academics (really improved in German language) - but I met so many amazing people that taught me so many things. Studying abroad changed who I was as a person, made me more independent and confident and I can say that I would not be who I am today without this experience!"

  "Time of my life. Marburg is an amazing international city. Will always hold a place in my heart as meine zweite Heimat! :)"

   

Tips from former students

• "Pack light because you will need that extra suitcase space."

• "Get a prepaid phone card. It’s very useful."

• "Make friends with German students to help you navigate and familiarize yourself with the school and city."

• "Remember to budget! You'll be buying groceries, personal care items, going on weekend trips across Europe. Make sure you are spending money on items or services that are worth it."

• "I would definitely recommend to budget and that it's fine to plan trips outside of Germany but take the time to have weekends in Marburg. It's good to just relax and look around the city now and again."

• "Yes, it is really hard to be abroad by yourself, but you will get over it and have a great time here in Marburg."

• "Enjoy every single second. Time flies! Be open-minded and travel."

• "Have fun, but also take classes seriously! You are still at university."

• "Don’t spend too much time contacting family and friends in the States. Have fun, travel, and speak German as much as possible!"

• "Always prepare for everything to be closed on Sundays and holidays. Take the bus alone in the beginning as much as possible because you learn how it works much faster. Don’t be afraid to use the trains by yourself."

• "Although you are in a new environment with new people, being away from things that make you feel comfortable, this is an experience of a lifetime! If you are feeling alone, I promise there is someone else that is feeling that same way, so make sure to try to find those people that you can connect with and make the most of this experience!"

• "Don’t purchase everything the first day you are in Marburg. Wait a few days until you can get the hand-me-down items from former participants."

• "Bring an open mind and a large backpack for weekend trips."

• "One regret that I had was that I didn’t journal my time abroad. If I could go back, that would be the one thing that I would have tried to make time for. Be aware of your surroundings and make the most of them. If you get homesick, involve yourself with the lifestyle around you."

• "Use your German! Get to know the people you live with and embrace the opportunities you are given. Cook for people you live with! Food is a great way to break down barriers."

• "The four months will go by faster than you think; make sure you make the most out of every single day you have."

• "Bring less clothes than you think, you’ll probably end up going to shops while you’re here."

• "The cobblestones in Marburg are hell for heels."

• "Make sure you pay lots of attention in Sprachkurs, and do a bit of self-study in German, too. It will be a while until the next time you’ll be able to learn German whilst in Germany."

 You would like to know more about Marburg and the university:

• Inhalt ausklappen Inhalt einklappen Marburg

  Marburg is famous for its medieval churches, especially the Elisabethkirche, one of the first purely Gothic churches built, as well as for the castle.
  Take the elevator to the old city center. In Marburg this is called the Oberstadt, which literally translates as the upper city. The Oberstadt is a labyrinth of narrow, cobblestone streets lined with picturesque, well-preserved samples of 17th and 18th century frame houses (Fachwerkhäuser). Walking through Marburg's historical center is like travelling into the past.
  The city is stimulated by an infinite and spirited source of creativity and ideas - and that in a broad range; from classical music to theatre, from museums and archives to open-air festivals, from literary circles and socio-cultural centers to the prize-winning movie cinema scene.
  Marburg is located in central Germany, in the middle of the state of Hessen. Frankfurt am Main is only one hour away to the south, and from there one can connect to virtually anywhere in Germany and the rest of Europe, either by train or airplane. The Frankfurt am Main Airport is a major international airport. In terms of passenger traffic, Frankfurt is by far Germany's busiest airport and the third busiest airport in Europe. It serves virtually all international destinations, so Marburg is only a short journey away from major European cities such as Prague, Barcelona, Paris, Brussels, London, Oslo, etc.
  
  Did you know that ...
  > Marburg has more stairs in its alleys than in its houses?
  > Marburg does not have a university, Marburg is a university?
  > the most beautiful illustrations of the Grimm Brother Fairy Tales were completed in Marburg?
  > some of Marburgs houses can be reached only through a skylight?

Philipps-Universität Marburg

• Inhalt ausklappen Inhalt einklappen "Other cities have a university, Marburg is a university."

  The University of Marburg is not only a German university steeped in tradition, it is also the world's oldest university founded (1527) as a Protestant university. The Uni Marburg – as locals often refer to the Philipps-Universität - has been a place of research and teaching for nearly five centuries.
  Marburg has approximately 86,000 residents. With 20,000 students and 6,000 people working for the university, the saying goes that, while other cities may have a university, Marburg is a university. The majority of students in Marburg come from all over Germany. The Philipps-Universität also has more than 30 international partnerships and exchange agreements with other colleges and universities worldwide. There are some 2,000 scientists and scholars teaching and performing research at the university in Marburg, and more than 400 of them are professors and university lecturers.
  Five Leibniz Prize recipients, a new clinic, as well as many notable research projects and prominent institutes and facilities across all disciplines vouch for an excellent scholary reputation. Emil von Behring, who founded the Behring Works in 1904, was not only the first Nobel Laureate for Medicine (1901), but also a professor of Medicine at the Philipps-Universität.
  Its broad range of arts and humanities, and its experimentally challenging scientific work, constitute an ideal platform for interdisciplinary cooperation. The university relies on innovative teaching methods with short course durations and networked research, offering students from all around the world a broad range of courses. And studying at Marburg is particularly easy for individuals with disabilities, especially for the visually impaired. As a result, Marburg's university has by far the highest number of visually impaired students of any of Germany's institutions of higher learning. The Philipps-Universität is also currently working on measures to help provide an even more family-friendly work environment. These self-imposed commitments have been awarded the Family-Friendly University seal, which is very rare in Germany. And last but not least, the Marburg University also offers a wide range of leisure activities in sports, music and culture.

• Inhalt ausklappen Inhalt einklappen Famous Lecturers and Students

  The names of Marburg scholars are associated with milestones in science and medicine as well as with important schools of thought in the history of ideas. Among these are the inventor of the steam engine, Denis Papin, the philosopher of the Enlightenment era, Christian Wolff, whose lectures on all subjects drew many students to Marburg - including students from abroad, and the polymath Johann Heinrich Jung, also called Stilling, founding member of the Institute of Political Science. The law historian Friedrich Carl of Savigny started his career in Marburg, while others, such as the world-renowned chemist Robert Bunsen (for whom the Bunsen burner was named), came to Marburg when they were already famous.
  Other great thinkers associated with Marburg include the neo-Kantian philosopher Hermann Cohen, the physicist Karl-Ferdinand Braun, inventor of the Brownian tube, and the geophysicist Alfred Wegener, who developed the theory of continental shift at Marburg. Emil von Behring, the inventor of serum medicine, was awarded the first Nobel Prize for Medicine (1901) as a Marburg professor and used the prize money to found the Behring works. Just as influential are the existential philosopher Martin Heidegger and the New Testament theologian Rudolf Bultmann, the leading advocate of the demystification of Christianity From the great circle of Marburg students who have become famous, the most outstanding are the composer Heinrich Schütz, the Russian mathemetician and subsequent founder of Moscow's most renowned university, Michail Lomonossow, who married a woman from Marburg in 1740, the Brothers Grimm, the Spanish philosopher Ortega y Gasset, the poets Boris Pasternak and Gottfried Benn, as well as the architect of standard German spelling Konrad Duden. The chemist Otto Hahn, the surgeon Ferdinand Sauerbruch, the theologian Karl Barth and the politicians Wilhelm Liebknecht and Rudolf Breitscheid all studied at Marburg, as did Gustav W. Heinemann, who was later a good friend of the world-famous political economist, Wilhelm Röpke. And Gertrud von Le Fort, who was one of the first women admitted to study at a university after 1908.

  Take a look at the list of the Nobel Prize winners. 

• Inhalt ausklappen Inhalt einklappen Cultural Life

  There is more to life than just work. For this reason, the Philipps-Universität also promotes other talents. The language center offers qualified courses as well as a self-study center. The university leisure sports program offers more than 30 different disciplines including numerous water sports at the university boathouses on the Lahn River and Eder Lake, as well as martial arts and disease prevention classes with Yoga and Shiatsu. In addition, the guesthouse Hirschegg, which is owned by the Marburg University Association, can be used for skiing and hiking trips in the Austrian Alps.
  As in sports, so in music: students and staff sing together in the uniCHOIR or play music together in the Student Symphony Orchestra (SSO), the Young Marburg Philharmonic or the student Big Band. The music house in the botanical garden can be used for practice. And the more eloquent speakers of the university meet in the Marburg debating club.
  Those who prefer to enjoy culture passively can visit the university museums and exhibitions: the art museum, the antiques and casts collections, the mineralogical, religious and ethnological exhibitions as well as the "Anatomicum" museum. The main tourist attraction, however, is the castle. It is Germany's largest secular Gothic building still in existence, and it contains the University Museum of Cultural History. The old and new botanical gardens do not only attract visitors in the summer months. Tropical greenhouses and botanical exhibitions can be visited all year round.