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• Student Life

 

Student Life in Marburg

Marburg offers a blend of activities and medieval history. Set in a river valley in central Germany, the town offers some of the best-preserved medieval architecture in the country. A classic university town where students make up nearly one-third of the population, Marburg offers plenty of cafés, restaurants and entertainment. BCA students have many opportunities to socialize with German students and to get involved in the community. Philipps University has a wide variety of extracurricular activities, including sports, art, music, and cinema (movie-going is a favorite pastime for many students, and Marburg has both the "commercial" and the "alternative/artistic" cinemas). Philipps also has a relatively small number of American students - usually less than 70 in a given semester - making it much easier for students to immerse themselves in the culture.

IKI Wien in Vienna, Austria Students will spend much of their time right in the heart of Vienna while attending IKI Wien for the intensive language training program. Located in the first district in Vienna, which is the historical center of Vienna, IKI Wien is at the doorstep of all the cultural wonders of the city including museums, opera houses, art galleries, restaurants and government offices. In addition to completing some excellent German language instruction, BCA students meet people from all over the world while attending IKI Wien. Student Perspective "There is never a shortage of things to do. IKI has a free program in which they take a group somewhere in or around the city every day. The activities vary greatly from museums to bowling, to breweries and boat tours. I would highly recommend participating in this program as much as possible. I probably picked up most of my conversational skills through speaking German with the other international students who participated on the group tours. Overall it was a wonderful experience." Matt Wynn, Wabash, 08

 

Housing & Meals

BCA Marburg students live and study side-by-side with local students, both in Vienna and in Marburg. Housing options include university and privately operated student dormitories— for the regular semester you can even apply to live in Marburg’s castle.

Other Accommodations

BCA arranges housing in various student residence halls in the Oberstadt (the historical old town of Marburg) that are run by the university. These residence halls are located near the castle and overlook the Lahn River Valley. The central location makes this a popular spot. Most BCA students live in the Oberstadt, but the housing options not in the Oberstadt also have their benefits. All accommodations include a private room with communal lounge, kitchen and bathroom.

All housing options except the Schloss have single rooms only. All student residence halls in Marburg are co-ed.

Students typically prepare their own meals, especially in the evening. You can purchase a healthy, inexpensive lunch at the Mensa and other locations throughout the town of Marburg. The BCA resident director will provide you with a meal stipend for the semester.

Computer Access

In Vienna, students live in student dorms that provide Internet access to their residents, usually for an additional fee to be paid by the student on-site.  Inexpensive Internet cafés are also easy to find in Vienna.
BCA students have full access to computer labs at the Philipps University during the regular semester. There are also several Internet cafés in town. Rooms in student housing do not come with Internet access, though you can usually make arrangements for such services on your own accord and at an additional expense.

Sports Facilities

BCA students in Marburg have access to an enormous course offering at the Philipps University’s Zentrum für Hochschulsport. They can also bike or hike the region’s nearly infinite trail system, both in the forest and throughout the river valley. Most students are amazed at just how much nature is at their fingertips.

Local Transportation

During the language training in Vienna, students can purchase for approximately 50 EUR a monthly public transportation pass valid for all buses, subways and trams in the city, and it is worth mentioning that Vienna has one of the world's best public transportation systems. 
Most BCA students in Marburg live within easy walking distance of shops, businesses, restaurants and entertainment venues. For the stuff that’s not within walking distance, BCA students have access to free rail travel within the state of Hesse via their Philipps University student ID, with easy connections to trains throughout the country.Check map.

See Europe!

Both Vienna and Marburg are excellent jumping-off places for exploring the rest of Europe. Vienna’s international airport and train stations make it easy to get both near and far, and Marburg is only 90 minutes from the Frankfurt International Airport, which is Europe's third largest airport. Marburg lies on the main train line between Frankfurt and Kassel.More about BCA Germany's location.

 

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