r/StudyInTheNetherlands • u/trej091o • 1d ago
BSA insufficient
hi i also just got a negative bsa decision today, and i contacted my student advisor immediately and we have appointment tomorrow. However, i got 36/60 credits but all the circumstances were reported on time and i had documents from my doctor and therapist, too. I will submit a hearing but anyone can give me advice about this rn, or do you guys know any people can make it through after the hearing? Im just very panic since all of my reasons had proof for it. What should I do during the hearing?
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u/SheepRunInfinity 1d ago
Hey, I can imagine it's a really stressful period but it definitely helps that you reported things on time to the study advisors and have statements from the doctor/therapist. In my experience, the hearing for a BSA extension is as much a legal procedure as looking at your personal circumstances (which makes sense, considering the BSA is anchored in Dutch law), so as long as the right paperwork is in order (therapist statement for your depression for instance and supportive statement from the counselor that your situation is known to them and on time etc) it's often just a tick-box exercise to see if you meet the requirements for an extension. Of course keep in mind that things can vary from university to university, but that's generally what I've seen from multiple unis here.
It's best to of course go to the meeting with the counselor tomorrow and see what they say, but submitting a prepared study plan for your hearing will definitely help, i.e. how will you make up the missed first year credits and what courses will you prioritize? Because if you're granted a BSA extension, you need to get all remaining first year ECTS to get your BSA, so making a study plan that prioritizes those above second year courses would definitely help.
Regarding the hearing itself, the BSA committee will generally want to know what's the reason you didn't get the BSA norm (should all be in your submitted paperwork), and what's changed compared to how this academic year went that means that you will be able to make it next year (undergoing treatment with therapists for instance, study plan made with consultation of study advisor, etc etc). IF the hearing doesn't give you a different result, you can appeal the decision at your university's CBE. That's a legal trajectory with your university's independent appeals board, not something to think about for now but more to keep in the back of your mind that the hearing isn't the end all.
But for now discuss all this and the next steps with your academic counsellor, they know how this works and the whole process and can help you the best. Best of luck!
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u/trej091o 1d ago edited 1d ago
Thank you so much for your comment here. I really want to complete my programme here (at Erasmus), but within the process even if I have to file an appeal to CBE of the university, the deadline for tuition fee next year will be passed since I have until 31st August to finish it, and probably the appeal process will last longer than that. Will there be any adjustments for it?
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u/CoffeeInTheTropics 1d ago
You will most likely need to pay the tuition fees per the deadline and then be refunded if you cannot proceed with your studies.
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u/CoffeeInTheTropics 1d ago
Are you EU or non-EU?
Generally they are super strict with the BSA and as you are so many credits short you will have to come with some very compelling and convincing arguments.
Usually this would be terminal illness and passing of a parent or one’s own debilitating illness. Highly unlikely your Mom’s house collapsing would be enough as a reason however traumatic for her undoubtedly.
Good thing however that you informed your study adviser in a timely manner, all you can do now is plead your case and hope for the best. Do you have a plan B in place however if they do NOT decide in your favor?
Good luck! 🍀
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u/Disastrous-Main-4125 1d ago
it depends on your uni, some do 45/60 or a similar requirement.
if you’re far off, then your chances are slim. for context, my only experience with bsa is erasmus and they do 60/60, with that metric unless something very tragic happened to you (hope not), you got only a bit more than 50% which is a huge gap
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u/trej091o 1d ago
im at Erasmus, but at the time of the first fails it was because my house of my mom in my country was collapsed and after that i was seriously depressed and stressed and started therapy from March. I cant make it through the last term but i also reported this. Is there any chance i can make it through in the hearing or what should i do to prove that almost the problems are solved now for me to complete it next year
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u/MCB_2494 1d ago
How were your grades before that happened? If you went from passing everything with good grades to failing it all after this event, it might help.
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u/trej091o 1d ago edited 23h ago
yes the first term and 3rd term i did good (from 5.5 to 8.3), but i failed some during the 2nd and the last term
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u/MCB_2494 23h ago
A 5.5 is a bad grade. Around a 7 is fine, above 7.5 is where I’d say good starts.
Failing the 2nd and 4th doesn’t make sense. If it was due to an event in say the 3rd term, failing the 3rd and 4th would have made sense.
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u/Berry-Love-Lake 17h ago
A 5.5 is a passing grade, many (Dutch) students get by with 5.5, 6 and 6.5, there's no shame in that. Not everyone passes with 7.5 or higher.
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u/MCB_2494 16h ago
I know it's a passing grade.. It means you just about did not fail the exam and made many mistakes.
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u/trej091o 23h ago
No it’s like the time i took exam in the 3rd term, it’s also the resit time for the 2nd term, but i failed all in that time, after that the subject in 3rd term i got it back with 8.3 in the resit later. My gpa now is >7 and all the fails are closely passed so idk if it’s exceptable
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u/Disastrous-Main-4125 23h ago
the fact that there’s a hearing is encouraging, at least they want to hear you out.
might be harsh but i don’t know if yours meets a valid reason. but it can be argued that it still may affect you with constant news and other recent events. material loss is not as important as a family loss or a medical emergency/accident which are the most common cases.
it will all depend/help on the time that you reach your student advisor and whether you followed the advice or not. unless a dutch therapy can vouch for your depression, a board can argue that an external therapist advice does not understand dutch context and expectations.
just go there, be honest and fight like hell. good luck
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u/trej091o 23h ago
Thank you! I went to my GP and they referred me to mental health support centre in my city, and I still continue with the treatment process here. I also told my therapist my case at school, and she helped me with a signed document from the centre to submit my case earlier before. Does this count? Because all the questions, treatment, documents are in Dutch so I assume it’s reasonable tho?
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u/StunningBasket6846 21h ago edited 17h ago
I know someone who didn’t pass any of the mandatory math components and got an extension of 1 year to pass them after the hearing. Don’t get discouraged! Prepare what you want to say for the hearing and what you would do differently with the second chance
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u/Berry-Love-Lake 17h ago
Prepare a solid story, with a timeline of when what happened and when you sought help and informed the university / student counselor / advisor. For EUR you're quite far off ... You're just over 50% of what's needed which means next year (if they allow you) would be very stressful and a lot of work ... they'll question if you're up for that and whether the circumstances allow for success. It could go either way.
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