A-Z for prospective students

From A for arriving to Z for finding a room - with this small guide, we from the Student Advisory Service would like to answer some frequently asked questions about Witzenhausen.

The study guide for the Bachelor's degree can also be found here.

When visiting Research for the first time, you should know that the university is spread over two locations. The large lecture halls, computer rooms and the library are located at the Nordbahnhofstr. site. The administration, the tropical greenhouse, the club and the FSR are located at the Steinstraße site on the other side of the Werra. First-year students are made very comfortable during the introductory week. After about 3 weeks, most of them feel amazingly settled in.

The state offers BAföG to help you get through your studies reasonably well. To qualify for this, you have to fall into a certain means test, be young and ambitious and in any case apply early enough. Tip: First check the BAföG calculator to see if you are eligible. In order to receive BAföG in time, an informal application in the first month of the semester is sufficient; any missing documents can still be submitted later. It is also worth visiting the Student Union, the AstA social counseling service or the student counseling service in Witzenhausen.

As the nightlife in WIZ is pretty sparse, the students founded the International Student Club e.V. around 20 years ago. The club has rented space in the adjacent building at Steinstraße University, where parties, concerts, events, cafés etc. can be organized on the students' own initiative. There's a club board in the hallway in Steinstraße where you can sign up when there's something to celebrate - and find out what's going on.

The Department of Organic Agricultural Sciences and the Hessen State Farm offer a dual study program in agriculture. Dual means that the agricultural apprenticeship and the bachelor's degree course in organic farming are completed at the same time. The aim is to closely interlink theory and practice. At the same time, the total training period (normally 2 years apprenticeship, 3 years Bachelor's degree) is shortened by one year to four years.

"Do I want to study organic agricultural sciences in Witzenhausen now?" No one but you can answer this question. Studying is a great thing, organic farming is possibly the best thing ever, so the most important thing here is the "now". The course is very practice-oriented, but still theoretical. If you want to experience organic farming for yourself "now", then do it! On the farm, at the market garden, in the community ... the door to WIZ is always open. If you want to get a feel for WIZ first, it's best to drop by during the semester, get a taste of a few lectures and talk to other students in the canteen.

In addition to BAföG, there are the usual options for financing your studies, such as student loans, scholarships etc.. In general, the cost of living is comparatively low, so you can get by with the rates of the above-mentioned options. The region itself is economically underdeveloped, but as a student it is generally not difficult to take on a small part-time job. At the university itself, there is the opportunity to work as a research assistant, these jobs are quite well paid, but also highly sought after! Students can also contact their student advisor first if they have financial questions.

There has been a cooperation agreement between the University of Kassel / Witzenhausen and the University of Göttingen for some time. Attending courses in GÖ is therefore usually recognized without any problems. If you have any questions, please contact the study coordinator Holger Mittelstraß

Holger Mittelstraß

There is hardly a better place to bring all your animals to study. Dogs should be used to being in a pack. For large animals, there are many options for accommodation in the area. Some WGs here also have their own herd ...

For prospective students, the university offers two information days during the semester in cooperation with the student group WOW (Witzenhausen - Ortsnah - Weltweit). This is a good opportunity to get to know the faculty and Witzenhausen. http://www.uni-kassel.de/fb11agrar/studium-allgemein/informationen-fuer-studieninteressierte/infotage.html

Studying with a child is the rule rather than the exception in Witzenhausen. There are numerous childcare options, a toddler group for student children, changing tables at the university, etc.. There are several shared flats with children in WIZ and the surrounding area, and a small house with a garden is also affordable. The Student Advisory Service has prepared information material if required.

Online information on the topic of dependent care during your studies / studying with a child can be found here.

The Werra Valley, the Kaufung Forest, Frau Holle Land, Cherry Town... You can find out more at the tourist information office on the market square. In short, the area is very beautiful: there are plenty of opportunities for hiking, cycling, swimming, canoeing and climbing. Study where others go on vacation!

Everything in Witzenhausen is very close and can be reached quickly on foot or by bike.
From the north train station you can reach Göttingen, Kassel, Fulda or Paderborn every hour with the semester ticket.

Information about the semester ticket

Witzenhausen is probably the best agricultural science location in terms of world improvement and creativity. Nevertheless, this is a natural science course, so you can't avoid basic lectures in math, physics, chemistry and soil science in the Bachelor's degree. On the other hand, there is already a high proportion of applied subjects in the first semesters.

A lot of interesting information is still spread by word of mouth in Witzenhausen. There are also notice boards at both campuses in the entrance area for announcements, housing requests and the like. But the people of Witzenhausen also exchange information online. The WIZ frog gives everyone the opportunity to stay up to date at all times. The Unibio forum is also very popular. We are currently looking for committed students who would like to set it up again.

Ok, a 13-week internship is compulsory on the Bachelor's degree course, but agriculture is not something that can be easily explained, let alone experienced. In order to be able to study in a relaxed but also intensive way, it certainly makes sense to gain further experience in agriculture before sitting down at your desk again.

In order to study for a Master's degree in Witzenhausen, you do not necessarily have to have studied agricultural sciences beforehand; a related subject is sufficient. As a career changer, you usually have to fulfill certain requirements. These include taking one to four modules from the Bachelor's degree in addition to the regular Master's modules. If you did not complete your Bachelor's degree in WIZ, you will also be assigned a lecturer as a mentor who will be on hand to answer any questions you may have about your studies.

A guide has been developed for Bachelor students at the Witzenhausen site of the University of Kassel.

Study guide for Bachelor students

The StudiGarten is a lively meeting place for garden fans and stone oven pizza lovers.

Practical applications of the course content can be tried out and put into practice in the StudiGarten. The student-organized community rents out garden plots for one year at the end of each year and welcomes new members.

Contact us

If you still have too much energy after the lecture, excursion, gardening... there's still too much energy left, the university sports center is waiting. In addition to classic sports such as volleyball or soccer, you can also attend the hula hoop group or a course in contact improvisation. Of course, you can also take advantage of all the activities offered by Kassel University Sports.
Overview

The best thing to do is to see Joke Town for yourself. Almost every other person here is part of the couchsurfing community and can certainly find you a couch for a few nights. Otherwise, you can also ask the student advice service.

To get into the city, there are hourly trains to Göttingen and Kassel. In WIZ and the surrounding area, local transport is unfortunately only for people with a lot of time on their hands. The best means of transportation here is the bicycle (with lights!). It`s countryside: during the week, cabs only run until midnight!

The cherry town of Witzenhausen may not be a metropolis, but it is a cosmopolitan city. The German cherry pit spitting championship and the crowning of the Cherry Queen are just a few examples of the town's global flair.

A lot of interesting information is still spread by word of mouth in Witzenhausen. There are also notice boards at both campuses in the entrance area for announcements, housing requests and the like. But the people of Witzenhausen also exchange information online. The WIZ frog gives everyone the opportunity to stay up to date at all times. The Unibio forum is also very popular. We are currently looking for committed students who would like to set it up again.

It's your turn! Student co-determination and self-organization are very important in WIZ. Whether university-related groups such as FachSchaftsRat and LeDoMo or other groups such as jABL (Young Farmers' Working Group) and Transitition Town, there are suitable opportunities for everyone to get involved for a better world or, alternatively, for even better studies.

The housing situation in WIZ is rather favorable. Numerous shared flats offer rooms for interim rent or for eternity. The standard varies greatly - from country flats with a bathing stove and single glazing to ecologically renovated old apartments with a garden, everything is represented.
The unibio forum (which needs dedicated people to get it up and running again) and the bulletin boards are a good place to look for rooms. The student halls of residence are a good place to make contacts and, for example, to set up a shared flat later. There is an international atmosphere, as many of the international Master's students live here. http://www.studentenwerk-kassel.de/87.html