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Dear Freshies,

Welcome to Cognitive Science in Osnabrück. Congratulations on being offered a place in our course of study this semester! We are delighted to inform you about the first weeks of the new semester. This email is quite long but please read it thoroughly, since you will get a lot of important information here.

Before the semester starts

The semester officially begins on October 1st, but lectures won't start until Monday, October 28th. However, there are plenty of activities you can get involved in during the weeks leading up to the lectures.
From October 9th - 11th, there will be a Computer Science pre-course. More information can be found on their website, registration is not necessary.
From October 14th - 18th, the Mathematics pre-course invites all those who want to get a head start. It is a good idea to attend this course, as mathematics is usually one of the topics that is troubling to a lot of students. More information on the mathematics pre-course can be found on the website (please sign up until 7.10., if you intend to attend).

We are excited to offer socializing events throughout the pre-courses already, specifically designed to help you connect with fellow freshies before the semester begins. These early interactions are a great way to ease into university life as you navigate the pre-courses together and get to know your future fellow students!

• CogSci Socializing during the Computer Science pre-course: October 9th from 16:00 - 20:00 at Schlossgarten (SchloGa) (follow the sign) or room 15/130,
• CogSci Socializing during the Mathematics pre-course: October 14th from 16:00 - 20:00, also at SchloGa or room 15/130

And then there is already the arguably most important event to get you settled for your upcoming first semester:

Your Freshie Week

From October 21st to 25th, we will welcome you to the CogSci program and introduce all the important facts, tools, and places to you: The Freshie Week is intended to give you the information you need to successfully study Cognitive Science. You will learn to use the various university tools, you will be advised on how the study regulation works and how to find the right courses. And, of course, you will learn about Coxi-life around the university!
The schedule and more information on the individual events can be found on the Student Body Website. Please note, that some events are still subject to change, so you will receive an up-to-date schedule and Freshie Booklet again shortly before the Freshie Week.

On Monday, October 21st, we will meet at 10:00 am for the Welcome Talk. We will meet in person on Campus Westerberg in 35/E01. If you do not know your way around the Campus yet, do not worry! There will be “buslotsen” (our friendly, experienced Coxis who will guide you from the bus directly to the room, you will recognize them by their large signs) picking you up from the bus stations Campus Westerberg and Botanischer Garten between 9:30 and 10:15.

Attendance at all of these events is not mandatory, but we highly recommend at least attending the Freshie Week tutorials, as they are the only proper way to get information on course selection and university procedure. They are essential for you to get the most up-to-date information and the best recommendations for your course choices. Here you will also get all the necessary information on how to register in StudIP, which is the tool for signing up for courses.
This is particularly important as you will be studying under new regulations that will be put into effect from this winter term onwards. While everyone will do their best to help you navigate these, other CogSci students (aka non-Freshies) usually study under different regulations and may not be able to give you the right information. If you want to get a headstart, you can already familiarize yourself with the new regulations here.

Generally, we do advise you to join the events in person, if possible. The Welcome Talk, the tutorials, the Institute Welcome & Lightning Talks, and the Game Night can be attended online, too. To join online, you can use this link.

We will share slides and information during the Freshie Week via the Stud.IP event Cognitive Science Freshie Week - WS24/25. If you have already set up your university account, feel free to join this event. If you do not know how that works or have not set up your account yet, do not worry, we will help you to do so during the Freshie Week tutorials!

Important:

If you are unable to attend the Freshie Week, please write to the Mentoring Team (cs-mentoring(at)uos.de) as soon as possible, so we can figure out when to set up a meeting to get you started for your first semester.
If you have any questions or concerns that cannot wait until the Freshie Week, please also send an email to the Mentoring Team.

If you're a Master’s student joining us late due to visa issues or any other delays, don't worry - you haven't been forgotten! We understand that the start of your studies may be challenging, and we are here to support you. Please join the Freshie Week hybrid events, in particular the tutorials! For more guidance and assistance with catching up on important information and getting settled into the program, please contact the Mentoring Team.

Staying connected

Please sign up for the institute’s mailing list with your new university mail address (Bachelor students: list.serv.uni-osnabrueck.de/mailman/listinfo/ikw-stud.bsc; Master students: list.serv.uni-osnabrueck.de/mailman/listinfo/ikw-stud.master). This mailing list is the only official way to communicate with you, as your mail addresses are protected by privacy law and we are only allowed to use them to send you information concerning the Freshie Week! If you do not sign up, we will not be able to contact you anymore.

There is also a mailing list from the student body (the amazing people who are also organizing the Freshie Week), so if you want to be a part of it, it’s useful to join this mailing list as well: portal.ikw.uni-osnabrueck.de/mailman/listinfo/fachschaft

For changes in the schedule, please check your university emails regularly (after signing up for the institute's mailing list).

Most communication within the student community happens via Telegram. We have set up a group for you, where you can ask Freshie-related questions!  You only need to install the Telegram App (or use the Browser version). The link to the group should be in an email that we sent to you with Freshie information. In case you did not receive it, you can request it from the CogSci student body or Mentoring Team.

Freshie Weekend

Twice a year, the student body organizes a “class trip” to a castle in the middle of Germany and you are invited! We are having our most amazing Coxi-weekend from December 13th to 15th 2024, so we will have two cozy and cuddly nights at our very own stronghold, lots of food, fun workshops, and plenty of socializing!
You can find more information here.


That is all for now! See you all soon!

All the best,

your CogSci student body,
the CogSci Mentoring Team,
Laura Krieger, coordinator for individual study planning, (laura.krieger@uos.de) and
Dr. Dr. Gregor Hörzer, Dean of Studies, (gregor.hoerzer@uos.de).