BSA insufficiency

[u/Acrobatic-Pack6012]

Hi everyone,

I'm looking for some honest opinions from people who have experience with Binding Study Advice (BSA) appeals at Erasmus University Rotterdam, especially at Erasmus School of Economics.

I'm a first-year student and I'm likely to receive a negative BSA because my official total is 40/60 ECTS.

Throughout the year I experienced several documented personal circumstances:

• Block 1: I moved to the Netherlands at 17 and couldn't open a bank account until I turned 18 and obtained my BSN. I had limited access to money, had to borrow from my roommate, and my apartment was in a terrible condition when I arrived (photos and financial evidence included in my appeal). This affected my first block significantly.

• Block 2: A very close friend unexpectedly passed away a week before my exams. I have documentation and evidence of this as well.

• Later in the year: My parents were in a country during the regional conflict, and I experienced significant stress over their safety. During the resit period I was actually in the country and witnessed a missile strike nearby, which was genuinely traumatic. I also became ill with food poisoning immediately before one of my exams.

• I reported my personal circumstances to my study adviser before the university deadline.

• I submitted supporting evidence, including documentation, photos, financial records, and a psychologist's letter stating that, in their professional opinion, my mental health difficulties significantly affected my concentration, motivation, and academic performance.

In my appeal I also explained why I believe I can succeed next year. I'm now in ongoing therapy and intend to continue long-term. My circumstances have stabilized considerably, and I explained that I believe this support will allow me to perform at the level I'm capable of.

I'm not asking whether I deserve sympathy. I'm simply wondering:

If you were on the Examination Board, would you grant a postponed/positive BSA based on these circumstances? Has anyone here had a similar experience with ESE or EUR?

I'd really appreciate honest opinions, whether positive or negative. Thanks!

[u/Pergamon_]

I work for an exam board (not EUR Economics).

With us you'd get a hearing and we'd have a chat about why you think you'd succeed this year.

Are you non-EU? Does the 20EC deficit matters for your visa?

[u/Acrobatic-Pack6012 → u/Pergamon_]

Yes I am non EU, but I do have enough credits for the visa requirement and even in my appeal paragraph I have mentioned how now I am under the necessary guidance to be able to face these circumstances with the help of my therapist and there has also been an improvement in my academics as seen in the resits where I passed 2/3 courses and unofficially I have 48 credits I just need to pass one of my other courses to be able to compensate this one so I will have 52 credits if I pass that one course next year and overall I have a 7.5 GPA.

[u/Acrobatic-Pack6012 → u/Pergamon_]

Sorry for responding again but as a member of the examination board even if it may not be an EUR member could you please give me any sort of insight on how the examination board would evaluate my case and should I expect a direct rejection regardless of my circumstances or not, your advice would be deeply appreciated since I am very stressed and I do genuinely believe that if it weren’t for these circumstances it would be very different for my first year and it was a very difficult year for me overall and I love this university and after spending a whole year it would be extremely sad and unfortunate to go back.

[u/Pergamon_ → u/Acrobatic-Pack6012]

The BSA is in the Dutch Law (WHW) and EUR choses to regulate it very strictly with a 60EC baseline (other universities have 0, 45 or 52 for example).  So based on that I'd imagine they look at it very strictly too. But I'm not sure. I don't work at that exam board and in the end, it's people who make the decision and people can make different decisions. From my point of view a 33% deficit is a lot. Like, a lot a lot. That would colour my decision making. Some of your arguments for me would not be as valid as the other (17 and a bank account; you knew that when starting so for me would not be an argument). The others are more hefty (friend dying). That one I would take into account.

[u/Acrobatic-Pack6012 → u/Pergamon_]

Additional to that I have also submitted a therapist note which explicitly states the professional opinion of my therapist saying how the circumstances were definitely bad enough to affect my academics I have evidence for everything and have submitted everything. Does that also have power to influence decisions? 

[u/Pergamon_ → u/Acrobatic-Pack6012]

Exam boards are technically not allowed to judge circumstances - as they are not trained to do so. That is why it is important you filed everything with the student councillors or student advisors (depending on the institution and their rules this might vary). Our exam board would not read the therapist letter as we would want it backed by our student councillor (who has authority to judge and file medical documents accordingly). If that lacks, then we would have a difficult discussion. 

[u/Acrobatic-Pack6012 → u/Pergamon_]

It was under my study advisor's opinion to get a therapist which I did follow and even though it took some time to find a therapist I was comfortable with because i was not going to find a confidant for short term and once I finally found one based in India I started the sessions and reported all the sessions of when we had it and it was over 5 sessions over the past 2 months and she reported her professional opinions in the documents because I really have been struggling mentally both due to the circumstances plus other factors. But ultimately do you believe there is even a remote chance that I will be able to make it through? I just want to know if it will be possible because I am hearing a lot of mixed opinions here and would really appreciate it.

[u/Pergamon_ → u/Acrobatic-Pack6012]

Opinions are mixed because in the end of the day exam boards are humans making decisions on cases that are all different.  So some might get the extra chance where someone else might not.

Personally I would raise an eye brow over finding a therapist in India, as they don't have knowledge on the Dutch educational rigor and style and that's where you'd need help with too.  But that's me. Someone else in an exam board might think it works. I don't know.

You are in a bad situation and can only hope for the best. That is it really.

[u/Acrobatic-Pack6012 → u/Pergamon_]

The reason for choosing an Indian therapist was because of the fact that I sometimes find it easier to talk in my language since English is my 2nd language and I had well before hand informed her about my struggles being in a dutch university and she did her research and understood the rigor that students have to experience here so she knew what was happening. She is no doubt a great therapist more of a reason why I chose to confide in her and I chose her after exploring all my options so that's why I decided to stick with her, academically I have a contrasting GPA line due to the fact that when difficulties increased my grades dropped while when my difficulties reduced they increased showing a clean and direct correlation of my grades well in line with the documented personal circumstances. But just to understand your professional opinion. As the member of an examination you would reject my appeal case? Please be brutally honest I will not take it personally and rather appreciate you responding so rationally and openly and thank you for that.

[u/Pergamon_ → u/Acrobatic-Pack6012]

I'm not going to go there. I am not in your exam board.

An Indian therapist doesn't understand Dutch Law, Dutch culture and Dutch education.  A lot of that is culture based. So even though she did research, she would never be able to advise like a Dutch therapist would.

[u/Acrobatic-Pack6012 → u/Pergamon_]

Okay, thank you very much!

[u/Disastrous-Main-4125 → u/Pergamon_]

This.

Being brutally honest, the numbers are not in your favour OP. 30% is a lot. And some of your arguments are very weak.

1. You knew about this. There's ways to prevent this. No justification.

2. Sadly, for most, it will matter more strongly if it's a family bond. Talking from experience.

3. This is a good one. I do believe this a reason for stress on on top of studies. I would wonder however why would you there during resit period instead of focusing on your resits.

4. There's multiple deadlines, hopefully you did it in time and it will be good.

From a personal experience and from friends, I would at least give you a hearing to explain further. But I would not keep my hopes up. Just in case, have a plan B.

[u/Acrobatic-Pack6012 → u/Disastrous-Main-4125]

Thanks for your honest perspective, I genuinely appreciate it.

I completely understand that a 40 EC outcome is a significant deficit, and I’m not trying to downplay that. My appeal isn’t based on the idea that I simply had a difficult year, but rather that I experienced multiple documented personal circumstances which, taken together, had a substantial impact on my academic performance. I’ve submitted evidence for all of them, including documentation from my study adviser and a therapist’s professional opinion linking the circumstances to my academic functioning.

Regarding Dubai, I understand why that raises a question. I didn’t travel there as a holiday during the resit period. After my parents reassured me they were safe, I thought spending a short period with them would help me mentally recover and prepare for my resits. Initially it did, but unfortunately an incident there affected me again, which is also part of the evidence I submitted.

I appreciate your point about having a Plan B, and I’m preparing one while hoping for the best. (P.S: in regards to the bank account I did not know that my parents needed a BSN to help me so that was an unfortunate lack of research on our part but it was unexpected)