University College Utrecht

When you say you got a reply do you mean you got an admissions decision (acceptance/waitlist/rejection) or do you mean you got an interview? I had my interview 2 weeks ago and I'm waiting on the reply

When you say you got a reply do you mean you got an admissions decision (acceptance/waitlist/rejection) or do you mean you got an interview? I had my interview 2 weeks ago and I'm waiting on the reply

Hey guys! I'm applying at UCU, I got an email for and interview yesterday on the 15th. I'm really nervous. Has anyone already done their interviews and could give me some pointers?

Hi! I had my interview in January but still haven't gotten a decision :/ the interview was pretty chill. My interviewer started by asking me why I wanted to go to UCU, what I liked most about it, what I could contribute, etc. Then she referred to my motivation letter (why I want to study social sciences, what courses would I like to take, etc) She asked about a capstone project that I'm doing at my high school. There were some specific questions like what particular projects i enjoyed in certain courses and things like that. It was very informal. I had it over skype, the interviewer even said at the beginning that its just a casual conversation to get to know me better. Hope I helped some, good luck on your interview!

So I had my interview this morning. It was actually rather short, like only 30 minutes. I don't feel like I did bad, but I don't feel like I did good either. I just answered the questions, which were the same questions everyone else here got (why UCU, why liberal arts, campus life, etc). I kind of got the impression that my interviewer wasn't that interested in what I was saying, perhaps I was the last interview of the day and he had already done a bunch of interviews. I felt like I could have talked a lot more though, I'm feeling kind of regretful about the whole thing but the past is the past. Now I just have to wait and see if I get in or not.

where are you applying from and was it a skype interview? I'm sure you did well fingers crossed, good luck!

I'm applying from the US. It was supposed to be a Skype interview but we ended up doing the interview over the phone. Yeah I think I'm criticizing myself a bit too much. Thanks though

Hello everyone!

I've already had my admissions interview for UCU and it seemed to have gone quite well. I haven't received the decision yet, but the longer the better, I guess, seeing as the UCAS reply deadlines are still far off.

I was wondering whether any current
UCU students might be able to tell me how intense the social life is at UCU. I was more of an outsider in high school, mostly due the utter lack of intelligent or interesting conversation partners, and really, really dislike loud, juvenile parties and activities. I don't mean to sound arrogant, but I'm just more of an introvert and really like my privacy and sticking to my own schedule...the intense and varied academics are what make UCU so attractive to me, not the residential college system.

Sooo...can any of you assuage my fears by informing me that the UCU campus isn't just a slightly Europeanized version of an American university? Better said, is there a club of introverts I could join, should I receive/accept the offer?

Wow, really? That's so cool! I'm norwegian. Phone interview sounds quite scary! Post interview nerves are really normal, at least I get them really badly. I really hope I get an interview invitation. Hate waiting for things like this, so stressful!

Yeah I really hope I find out by March or early March. I hope you get your interview invitation soon as well! I think the interview being over the phone made me more nervous, as I've had a lot of in person interviews before and I was fine.

As for how UCU would be for introverts, I think uni in general is a better environment for making friends as you're around people who tend to be like minded and there's a lot of social events, especially on residential campuses like UCU.

Are there any early decision applicants who already know whether they are accepted or not? Had my interview three weeks ago but I am getting quite tired of praying every time I open mailbox haha.

Have you seen any stats on admission rates or anything? Want to know what my chances are.
About the introvert thing, I really think so too! Quite excited!

It's abut 25 to 30% for the admission rate. But it's still pretty hard to tell what your chances are as they look at your application as a whole, not just your grades.

Hello everyone!

I've already had my admissions interview for UCU and it seemed to have gone quite well. I haven't received the decision yet, but the longer the better, I guess, seeing as the UCAS reply deadlines are still far off.

I was wondering whether any current
UCU students might be able to tell me how intense the social life is at UCU. I was more of an outsider in high school, mostly due the utter lack of intelligent or interesting conversation partners, and really, really dislike loud, juvenile parties and activities. I don't mean to sound arrogant, but I'm just more of an introvert and really like my privacy and sticking to my own schedule...the intense and varied academics are what make UCU so attractive to me, not the residential college system.

Sooo...can any of you assuage my fears by informing me that the UCU campus isn't just a slightly Europeanized version of an American university? Better said, is there a club of introverts I could join, should I receive/accept the offer?

So I had my interview this morning. It was actually rather short, like only 30 minutes. I don't feel like I did bad, but I don't feel like I did good either. I just answered the questions, which were the same questions everyone else here got (why UCU, why liberal arts, campus life, etc). I kind of got the impression that my interviewer wasn't that interested in what I was saying, perhaps I was the last interview of the day and he had already done a bunch of interviews. I felt like I could have talked a lot more though, I'm feeling kind of regretful about the whole thing but the past is the past. Now I just have to wait and see if I get in or not.

Not the best odds then! Yeah, I guess so. I haven't seen any entrance requirements grade-wise either, so I don't know how high your grades have to be for you to have a good chance. Suppose I'll just have to wait until I hear back!

I'm also more of an introvert. Although I really want to try to push myself to be more social in uni (it is really nice after all, haha), an introvert club sounds really lovely! We could make one if we both get in, hehe

We definitely have our share of loud, juvenile parties and activities, but unless you choose to be a part of those they won't bother you much! There is A LOT going on on campus, and you will always be able to find things to do that you enjoy with people that fit your preference. There is no need for worry about attending events you don't want to, people respect that people have different preferences, and you will be treated the same, regardless of whether you're a daily party animal or you've never even seen a party. Make sure to keep an open attitude towards people and events, and go do things that seem fun.

In terms of intelligent conversation, that's very easy to find here, but it is by no means the daily norm, yet it is never frowned upon to change the subject to something more engaging. I hope this doesn't sound too blunt, but if you find yourself an outsider in school, remember when arriving at your university to be open and kind to people you meet, there is no need to force yourself, and if conversation doesn't flow that's not horrible, but try not to look down on people that don't seem interesting or intelligent.

Dutch degrees record the average school leaving grades for students. For UCU this is a 7.9 / 10 at the VWO. Which is the top 12.5% of people in schools, like AAA, or a first. I would not worry about it too much, my own VWO grades are a full point lower than the average here. Although I don't have any specific data on other grading systems, most students here are "the smart friend" before they came here, and the atmosphere can be quite intense, so if you get rejected over your grades, then the school probably wasn't a great fit to begin with.

I agree with trying to be more social at uni and as Fernandezz said, there'll hopefully be more like-minded individuals there. I guess I've just become rather cynical in that regard due to my intellectually traumatic experience at high school Nevertheless, the introvert club is a must

By the way, I'll paste some info from a post on page 5 here which lists some statistics from about 10 years ago concerning UCU's admission rates. It's likely hopelessly outdated, but I'm secretly hoping it isn't, as it would bode well for all of us interviewees.

"You asked about "acceptance rate at UCU""
Here are some statistics for you,

2005
Number of applicants :657
Interviews295
accepted261

2006
applicants681
interviews310
accepted225

2007
applicants544
interviews325
accepted233