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 being a Coxi. This infodump is quite long but please read it thoroughly, since you will get a lot of important information here.
Pre-courses & semester start
The semester officially begins on October 1st, however lectures won’t start until October 13th. However, there are plenty of activities you can get involved in during the weeks leading up to the lectures.
- From 29.09. – 02.10, there will be a Computer Science pre-course. More information can be found here. Registration for this pre-course is not necessary.
- From 22.09. – 26.09., there will be a Mathematics pre-course. It is a good idea to attend this course, as mathematics is usually one of the topics that is troubling for a lot of students. More information on the mathematics pre-course can be found here. You have to sign up for this pre-course until 16.09.!
We are excited to already offer socializing events throughout the pre-courses:
- Coxi Socializing during the Computer Science pre-course: September 29th from 17:00 – 22:00 at Schlossgarten (SchloGa) (follow the sign) or room 11/211 (if it is rainy)
- Coxi Socializing during the Mathematics pre-course: September 22nd from 16:00 – 20:00, also at SchloGa or room 11/211 (if it is rainy)
These early interactions are a great way to ease into Coxi life as you navigate the pre-courses together and get to know your future fellow students. And then there is of course arguably the most important event to get you settled for your upcoming first semester:
Freshie week
From October 6th – 10th, 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 all 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, how to find the right courses, and you will learn about Coxi-life around the university. And, of course, you will have a huge, ginormous, all-bells-and-whistles, decked out boatload of fun!!
You will get the exact schedule of the Freshie week in a later email. For now, just be aware that there will be many events throughout the week, including a campus rally, pub crawl, cafe tour, hike, bike tour, bouldering, big party, game night, in-person tutorials to get you up to speed on everything you need to know to study Cognitive Science at our university, and more, so keep your schedule as free as possible during the week 🤩
Welcome talk
On Monday, October 6th, we will meet at 10:00 am for the Welcome Talk. We will meet in person on Campus Schloss in Building 15, room E10 (15/E10). If you have trouble finding the building, paste the following coordinates into your maps app of choice: 52.27112462288738, 8.045530346186835. You can also join online on BigBlueButton (the conference call software of our university), click on THIS LINK to join.
Should I attend Freshie week?
Attendance at none of the Freshie week events is 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 procedures. Here you will learn how to navigate StudIP, which is “the” university website here in Osnabrück that you will interact with a lot throughout your studies. These tutorials will be particularly important to you as you will be studying under the new 2024 study regulations which came into effect last winter semester. While other Coxis will always try to be helpful, many people above the 3. semester study under different regulations and may not be able to give you the right information!
Generally, we do advise you to join the events in person, if possible. The Welcome Talk and the tutorials can be attended online, too.
During the Freshie Week, we will share slides and information via the Stud.IP event Cognitive Science Freshie Week – WS25/26. If you have set up your university account already, 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!
Staying connected
Firstly, there are two vital newsletters for every Coxi:
- The IKW’s (our institute) mailing list. Sign up HERE if you’re a Bachelor’s, and HERE if you’re a master’s student. 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. They are the amazing people who, for example, organized the Freshie week. You will learn exactly what the student body does during the Freshie tutorials, but for now rest assured that it is a good idea to sign up for their newsletter, HERE (:
For changes in the Freshie week schedule, please check your university emails regularly (after signing up for the institute’s mailing list), or check the schedule on this website.
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) and follow THIS LINK.
There are also other Telegram groups, like the big Intergenerational Chat with all Coxis in it, for which you will get the link during the Freshie Week.
Ludo / Freshie Weekend
Twice a year, we organize a “class trip” to a castle in the middle of Germany and you are invited! We are having our most amazing Coxi-weekend from 28.11 – 30.11, 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 general information here, but this will be mentioned in the Freshie tutorials again, so don’t worry about missing the event!
What if I can’t attend Freshie week at all?
This is super important: If you are unable to attend the Freshie week at all, please write an email to the Mentoring Team (cs-mentoring@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’re here to support you. Please feel free to reach out to the Dean of Studis Dr. Gregor Hörzer at gregor.hoerzer@uos.de for guidance and assistance with catching up on important information and getting settled into the program.
We’re committed to helping you transition smoothly into university life! 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).
Actionable Plan
We know this was a lot of info, and to get a sensible list of things you should do now before the Freshie week starts:
- Decide whether you want to attend the computer science and/or math pre-courses (and in case of the math pre-course, sign up for it!)
- Try to be present in Osna and try to free your schedule for the week between 6.10. – 10.10.
- Join the 2025 Coxi Freshies Telegram group
- Join the IKW and CogSci Student Body Mailing Lists
As a thank you reading all the way to the bottom, enjoy this super cute picture of a duck. It loves you!
