Orientation

You will meet your fellow students and your tutor during the orientation. You will also receive information about all sorts of practical matters, such as ICT, academic supervision and the binding recommendation regarding the continuation of studies.
Dear student,
It is our pleasure to inform you that you have been admitted to our Bachelor’s programme in English Language and Culture. Congratulations!
Utrecht University is closely following national and international developments pertaining to the corona virus. On Utrecht University’s corona webpage, you will find an overview of the course information with respect to the corona virus. In addition, the Faculty of Humanities provides updates on the Humanities corona webpage.
We would like to invite you to the programme’s orientation days in the first week of September 2022, during which we hope to make you feel as welcome as possible. By mid-July you will receive more detailed information. Before that, you can look up our student association, Albion, on their website, where you’ll also find all of the back issues of student magazine Phoenix to read. It’s full of culture, literature, student life and light entertainment; highly recommended! Furthermore, you can take a look at our programme’s page for new students.
Practical matters
- You will receive a separate message from our Central Student Administration about the completion of your enrolment and any previous education requirements you still need to meet.
- Have you decided not to start our with programme? If so, we ask that you unsubscribe from our programme in Studielink.
- If you have special needs, for example because you have a chronic illness or a disability, or if there are other circumstances in your life that may affect your studies, it is important that you let us know. You can apply for practical provisions via Osiris Student. Please also make an appointment with your study advisor. If you cannot log in to Osiris Student yet, make an appointment with your study advisor anyway. Any information you provide will remain confidential.
Questions?
Should you have any questions concerning the application procedure, please contact the Student Desk. If you have any questions concerning the programme, you can contact us at: OLCTLCEngels.gw@uu.nl.
We wish you a good summer and look forward to meeting you in September!
Kind regards,
Dr Anna Poletti & Dr Koen Sebregts
Programme Coordinators English Language and Culture
Utrecht University
Dear student,
It is our pleasure to inform you that you have been (conditionally) admitted to our Bachelor’s programme in English Language and Culture. Congratulations!
Utrecht University is closely following national and international developments pertaining to the corona virus. On Utrecht University’s corona webpage, you will find an overview of the course information with respect to the corona virus. In addition, the Faculty of Humanities provides updates on the Humanities corona webpage.
We would like to invite you to the programme’s orientation days in the first week of September 2022, during which we hope to make you feel as welcome as possible. By mid-July you will receive more detailed information. International students will also receive an invitation for the UU Warm Welcome. Before that, you can look up our student association, Albion, on their website, where you’ll also find all of the back issues of student magazine Phoenix to read. It’s full of culture, literature, student life and light entertainment; highly recommended! Furthermore, you can take a look at our programme’s page for new students.
For international students
- Check our Welcome to Utrecht website for practical information on your arrival, housing and student life in Utrecht.
- In spring and summer, Utrecht University will be hosting several pre-departure meetings online. These meetings are for all our future students and will help you prepare for your stay abroad, providing you with practical information about life in Utrecht and The Netherlands. You will receive an invitation.
- Want to connect with your future classmates? Check out the Goin’ App to get to know peers and experience the UU community before your arrival.
Are you not joining us?
Have you decided not to join our programme in September? That’s very unfortunate. To help us, and yourself, we ask that you cancel your application in Studielink.
Students with special needs
Utrecht University wants all of its students to be able to study without limitations. If you have a disability, such as dyslexia, that may affect your study progress or your access to our education, you can apply for special facilities and support.
You can apply for practical provisions via Osiris Student from July 1. Please also make an appointment with your study advisor. If you cannot log in to Osiris Student yet, make an appointment with your study advisor anyway. Any information you provide will remain confidential.
Questions?
Should you have any questions concerning the application procedure, please contact the Student Desk (if you have a Dutch educational background) or our Admissions Office (if you have a non-Dutch educational background). If you have any questions concerning the programme, you can contact us at: OLCTLCEngels.gw@uu.nl
We wish you a good summer and look forward to meeting you in September!
Kind regards,
Dr Anna Poletti and Dr Koen Sebregts
Programme Coordinators English Language and Culture
Utrecht University
Dear new English students,
The introduction days of the English Language and Culture program are taking place next week. This mail serves to inform you about the activities on these days. As mentioned previously, these activities will take place on Monday 5 September and Thursday 8 September. The Monday introduction will be focused on the program and the university, and the Thursday introduction offers social activities. On Monday, we will be expecting you in Utrecht at 9:00 a.m. We will provide you with the correct location ASAP.
The Monday program will take up the entire day. Lunch and dinner will therefore be provided for free.
On Thursday 8 September, from 15:00 onwards, there will be multiple optional activities, including a picnic, outdoor games, and a pubquiz at the ICU, exact locations will follow. Lunch on Thursday is not included, but we will make sure there are plenty of snacks and drinks. Following that you can join for dinner at Humphrey’s for max. € 20 at 19:30. Please fill in this form (even if you are not joining), so we can arrange the right number of seats at the restaurant.
We look forward to seeing you!
Kind regards,
The Introduction Committee 2021-22
More information
To receive the latest updates and more (and fun) information, find us on social media!
Dear soon-to-be firsties,
This is a message to you from the Introduction Camp Committee of English Language & Culture. This September we will be taking you on a fun trip to Mount Olympus, where you can vibe with your divine parents and fellow demi-gods. You guessed it, the theme will be Greek Mythology! On the beautiful location of 'Het Mussennest' in Otterlo we will be staying for the entire weekend of 2nd to the 4th of September. Here you will get familiarised with the study association (Albion), the board of Albion, but most importantly each other. The weekend will be filled with fun activities and of course legendary parties in the evening. You will be expected to be there in the afternoon on the Friday and will be set free on the Sunday around noon. Unfortunately, the camp won't be completely free, you will be asked to pay a fee of € 40. Looking forward to getting to know what kind of social life English can offer you? Just sign up using this link! No worries, by signing up now you are not obliged to paying yet and you can still cancel. If you have any questions, do not hesitate to email us: albionintrokamp@gmail.com.
Much love,
Justus, Djoya, Tessa and Noah
KampCie 2021 - 2022
1. Log in at Osiris Student.
2. Click on the pencil and paper symbol: 'Enrol''.
3. Click on 'Show my enrolments'.
4. Go to the course Eng-Tutoraat Engels Basis (EN1V14001).
5. You can find your groupnumber under 'Seminar'.
Still having trouble finding your group? Use this instruction with screenshots.
In the Courseplanner you are able to see which books you need for each course. For all courses you are able to buy the textbooks with a discount via Studystore if you choose to become an Albion member.
For more information, please visit the Albion website.
Basic Grammar Test (TL1V19002) English Language and Culture
Knowledge of grammar and grammatical concepts
In order for you to be able to successfully participate in your BA programme English Language and Culture, you will require some basic knowledge of grammatical concepts and some basic competence in sentence analysis. It is important that all students start out with sufficient familiarity with linguistic concepts, so as to be able to communicate about language and linguistic expressions at a sufficiently sophisticated analytic level. However, it is our experience that not all students arrive with the same level of background knowledge in these areas. This divergence in the level of prior acquaintance with grammatical concepts and linguistic analysis tends to cause delays in the programme.
Obligatory grammar test
In order to avoid such problems, all first-year students English Language and Culture are required to take a basic grammar test. The purpose of the test is to assess your knowledge of basic grammatical concepts and your competence in linguistic analysis. Because this is an entry-level test, no ECTS are awarded for this test. However, the test is an obligatory part of the programme for all students pursuing a BA degree. You are required to pass the test in order to pass your BA exam.
Language of the test
As a student English Language and Culture you are required to take the test in English. You should bear in mind, however, that the questions on the test are not only stated in English, the test also deals with grammatical concepts from the Anglo-Saxon tradition, which differ from those in the Dutch traditional grammar tradition that you may be familiar with if you arrive here from a Dutch-speaking school system. And of course, the test will require you to analyse English linguistic expressions, not Dutch ones. We advise you to assess on the basis of the practice materials available in Blackboard how familiar you are with the concepts tested, and to take sufficient time to practice.
Preparation
It is important to review how familiar you are with the grammatical concepts as we test them, as you may have been taught slightly different uses for some of the terms. We provide a list of all concepts tested, with example sentences, in Blackboard. Select the Blackboard course for 'Basic Grammar Test (TL1V19002)' -> Course content -> Course materials for Basic Grammar Test -> Grammatical terms, example sentences and further reading.
If you find that some of the concepts do not seem entirely familiar, look them up in one of the online books and resources on English grammar listed in the document. You can also access lists with translations of grammatical terms in Dutch, English and various other languages in the course materials folder.
Practice materials for the test are also available on the Blackboard site. Navigate to 'Assignments' and choose the 'Practice assignments' folder. It is important to prepare well for the test during the first weeks of block 1. The practice assignments are at the same level as the assignments on the test. Please refer back to the recommended reading if you find that you have trouble arriving at the correct answers in the practice materials.
Taking the test
The test will be administered in block 1, probably in week 4 or 5 of the block. The definitive place and time will be announced as soon as possible via Blackboard (look under Announcements). The test is not administered in Blackboard but with dedicated test software (Remindo). You pass the test if you answer at least 70 out of 100 questions correctly. If you fail to do so, you will need to take a resit exam later in the year.
Taking the resit exam
If you are prevented from attending the test due to illness or other circumstances, you are required to inform the course administrator (dr. E.G. Ruys) via grammaticatoetsMT.gw@uu.nl.
If you cannot participate in the test, or if you do participate but obtain a failing grade, you need to take the resit exam. You will be informed of this via Blackboard. Of course, students who fail the test are urged to read up on difficult concepts and practice with the practice assignments available on Blackboard.
For those students who fail the resit exam as well, we will organize an extra instruction session – the so-called remedial seminar – in December or January, followed by a final resit exam. If you do not attend the remedial seminar, you will not be eligible to take part in this second resit exam.
In the unlikely event that you should fail both resit exams, you will need to take the test again next year. In this case, you need to register for the course Basic Grammar Test (TL1V19002) in block 1 of the following year, via Osiris, during the regular enrolment period for blocks 1 and 2. In this case, you can take the test and resit exams again in the following year.
Students with a contract for teaching provisions (contract Onderwijsvoorzieningen)
If you are entitled to extra exam time or other provisions because of a disability or chronic illness, you are required to inform the course administrator (dr. E.G. Ruys) via grammaticatoetsMT.gw@uu.nl, at the beginning of block 1. If you are late in informing the administrator, it may not be possible to organise the necessary provisions.
Questions?
Should you have any questions, please contact course administrator dr. E.G. Ruys via grammaticatoetsMT.gw@uu.nl. Please state your name, student registration number and programme, as well as the year in which you started the programme.
Importance of passing the test in block 1
Finally, we want to stress again that it is important that you pass the test as soon as possible, preferably during block 1, because this will benefit the quality of your contribution to courses focusing on language acquisition, linguistics and literature, and the quality of these courses as a whole. It will also make these courses easier for you.
The BSA at the end of the first year determines whether you may continue with your studies. The BSA is a decision by the Board of Examiners about the continuation of your studies, based on your study progress.
Due to the corona crisis, the BSA standard for the 2021-2022 academic year has been lowered from 45 EC to 37.5 EC. This also applies to students who previously received a deferred BSA.
The BSA this year is determined as follows:
- positive BSA: at least 37,5 EC at the end of the academic year. Credits associated with exemptions or courses from previous years do not count.
- negative BSA: less than 37,5 EC at the end of the academic year.
You will also receive a positive BSA if you have completed the first-year program of your study at the end of this year. Both previously obtained results and exemptions are taken into account.
You will receive your BSA at the end of July at your students.uu.nl e-mailadress.
Negative BSA
If your binding study recommendation comes back negative, you may not enrol in the degree programme again for another four years.
Interim study recommendation
At an earlier point during the academic year, you will receive what is called the 'interim study recommendation'. This recommendation is not binding. It is issued in December or January of the first year of study, and is based on the results of the first study period. You will receive:
- a positive interim recommendation for 15 EC or more;
- a progress warning for 7.5 EC;
- a negative interim recommendation for 0 EC.
Terminating your enrolment before February 1st
If you want to drop out of your current degree programme and you terminate your enrolment before February 1st (through Studielink), you will not receive a binding study advice and will be able to make a fresh start with the degree programme next year. Please note that this only applies in the first year that you are registered for your current degree programme.
Students who receive a warning or a negative recommendation are advised to contact their tutor and/or Study Advisor. The tutor can provide additional information on study progress. The Study Advisor can help with a wide range of questions on faculty regulations and the more organisational aspects of the programme, such as drawing up a realistic study plan. Students can also make an appointment to see the Study Advisor to discuss any personal or social circumstances that affect their studies.
Stopping your degree programme
Students who wish to cease their studies (or who must do so following a negative BSA) are advised to discuss the matter with the Study Advisor. The Study Advisor can also provide information on options for studying something else at Utrecht University, or studying at a different institution.
If you know (or suspect) that you will not be able to meet the BSA criteria due to personal circumstances, you may ask the Board of Examiners to take this into consideration when making their decision. However, it is important that you report and present evidence of these circumstances to the Study Advisor as soon as possible after they appear.
Special circumstances include:
- illness
- pregnancy
- functional disorder
- serious family circumstances
- top-level sport
- management activities (for student organisations with full legal capacity, or as part of the organisation or management of Utrecht University, the faculty or the study programme)
Notifying the Board of Examiners
Further information on how to notify the Board of Examiners will follow in May 2023. Interviews with the Board of Examiners will take place in late June or early July 2023.
More information
Read more about the binding study advice (BSA) and special circumstances in Article 7.4 of the General Education and Examination Regulations for Bachelor's degree programmes.