My name is Tanya Pande, and I graduated from Neev Academy, where I completed the IB Diploma Programme. Before that, I studied under the CBSE curriculum at CMR National Public School, and I am currently pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology at the University of Amsterdam.
Throughout high school, I have always known I wanted to pursue a career in psychology. More specifically, I was (and still am) interested in two intersecting pathways:
- Business psychology— integrating economics and psychology to understand consumer behaviour, pricing, and decision-making.
- Clinical and child psychology— working with children using therapeutic approaches.
This dual interest is reflected both in my coursework and extracurricular experiences.
In the IB programme, I took Psychology, Economics, and Biology at Higher Level, which strongly aligned with my interests. Biology, in particular, prepared me well for the neuroscience-heavy components of university-level psychology. I also took Math AI (SL), which helped significantly with statistics—an essential part of the degree.
I completed my Extended Essay (EE) in Psychology and received an A from the IB ; it largely focused on one of my key interests: Child Psychology.
Extracurricular Involvement
My extracurricular profile strongly aligns with psychology, leadership, and community engagement. Although they are not a huge component of the university application to a place like the University of Amsterdam, especially compared to U.S applications, I think that they helped me develop my interest in Psychology and to know for sure that I want to pursue it. This was important because of how course-specific the European college system is.
Head of Community Outreach: Girl Up Neev Academy (2023–2025)
- Led coordination with government schools in Bangalore for educational sessions.
- Helped design a curriculum on Gender-Based Violence awareness.
- Developed social media graphics to enhance engagement.
Girl Up Neev Academy is affiliated with the United Nations Foundation and focuses on gender equality and empowering girls.
Volunteer Teacher: MEG Government School (2023–2024)
- Taught Spoken English to Grade 6 and 7 students at a non-profit institution operated by Jagruthi Trust.
Flashcard Developer: Word Waves (2024)
- Designed curriculum-integrated Spoken English flashcards for government schools.
- Distributed materials to the school where I taught.
Fortis Hospital Internship: Department of Mental Health & Behavioural Sciences (Summer 2023)
- Completed an online internship over my summer break.
- Learned therapeutic techniques and gained exposure to clinical psychology practices.
Behavioural Economics Research: The Collective, Pantaloons & Allen Solly (Winter 2023)
- Conducted consumer surveys for a research paper on price discovery.
- Analysed behavioural patterns to contribute to strategies for improving sales and profit generation.
These experiences strengthened both my interests in clinical psychology and business psychology.
Beyond academics and leadership, I was involved in:
Dance Club
Fashion Club (designed sustainable fashion pieces including a newspaper dress and crochet items)
Editorial Club (proofreading and contributing to the school newspaper)
Cookery Club (developed and presented 10+ non-fire recipes with nutritional analysis)
Founded a neighbourhood skating community during COVID to promote outdoor activity
Currently learning golf and independently improving technique
Most of my activities involved direct interaction with people, which is fundamental to psychology as a discipline. Which is why developing my people skills is a significant part of my hobbies and extracurricular activities.
Why the University of Amsterdam?
One of the primary reasons I chose this university is its global academic reputation. It has consistently ranked in the top 10-15 worldwide for psychology and is known for producing significant research in the field. The facilities are extremely advanced, including access to fMRI technology and cutting-edge neuroscience labs.
For me, studying abroad only made sense if I was attending a university with strong academic credibility. Otherwise, the “study abroad” label alone would not justify the cost and transition.
The “Numerus Fixus” Secondary Screening Process
Psychology (and Business) at the University of Amsterdam follows a system called Numerus Fixus, which is essentially a secondary screening process for admissions to the programs due to the extremely high demand for these courses.
Because the university is ranked so highly in these fields, roughly 3,000 applicants are competing for 600 seats.
The process works as follows:
You first submit your grades (IB, CBSE, or equivalent).
If you meet the minimum grade threshold (previously around 34 in IB, though this may vary), you become eligible to sit for the entrance process.
Applicants must attend a couple of university lectures (either online or in person)—I opted for online as many do because I was still completing my schooling in Bangalore.
You are given about one week to study the assigned textbook chapters.
You then take an entrance examination based on this material.
This simulates actual university-level academic experience. Based on our performance, we were ranked. Top scorers were directly placed, and others entered a lottery system depending on their ranking. It is highly competitive and functions as a rigorous academic filter beyond just school grades.
Results are typically released around April, and the testing phase takes place in January during Grade 12 (unless you are applying during a gap year).
Tuition and Cost of Living
For EU students, tuition is approximately €2,000–3,000 per year.
For international students like me,tuition is around €15,000–16,000 annually—nearly eight times higher.
However, the real financial challenge is housing. Amsterdam has had an ongoing housing crisis for many years now. Even with government interventions like price ceilings to make housing more affordable, the demand and supply market have not been able to reach an equilibrium point.
Dutch universities do not guarantee accommodation. Students must secure housing independently, often through lottery systems. I was fortunate to receive housing through the University’s lottery system.
My housing costs are approximately €1,200 per month (excluding groceries, travel, and other expenses). Books are also expensive. Commuting and daily living costs add up quickly.
If anyone is considering studying here, researching housing and transportation well in advance is essential. Also, know how to budget and keep track of your spending.
Academic Rigour at UvA
The academic rigour at the University of Amsterdam is extremely high.
Exams occur roughly every three weeks.
As soon as one exam ends, preparation for the next begins immediately.
Many classes require preparatory coursework before attending lectures.
Weekly assignments and research projects are common, like interviewing Doctors in psychology for example.
Exams often cover large volumes of material—my most recent course exam covered 15 chapters.
It is fast-paced and intensive.
A friend of mine who is studying Business Economics here also experiences comparable academic rigour, particularly with quantitative and analytical coursework. So this intensity is not limited to psychology—it reflects the university’s broader academic standards.
Interestingly, Neev’s system of continuous assessments every 2–3 weeks prepared me very well for this environment. Because I was already used to frequent testing and internal deadlines in the IB, the transition to UvA’s rapid exam cycle was challenging but manageable.
I think that opting into a system like IB, AP, or IGCSE—if you can—is a good choice because their deadlines, coursework and rigour help prepare you for university-level academics.
Social Life and Extracurriculars
Socially, the experience has been positive. Smaller classroom settings naturally help build friendships—often, even just sitting next to someone consistently leads to connections.
There are student clubs and extracurricular opportunities, though time constraints due to academic pressure made it challenging for me to fully explore them; I did apply to a medical student institute as an extracurricular opportunity, but the key thing as an international student is that language can be a barrier.
While student life in Amsterdam can be navigated in English, knowing Dutch becomes very important for internships and job opportunities. If someone intends to work in the Netherlands long-term, learning Dutch would be highly beneficial.
Another thing to consider is the degree specificity of the university; although I know of people who have changed their degrees before, if you do so, you have to start from scratch again. Hence, when you are applying, do so for a subject you genuinely want to study, so you do not have to go through the application process again and spend a lot of money.
Although my time in the Netherlands has been foundational to my academic and personal growth, I am currently considering pursuing my master’s degree in the UK or the US to broaden my international exposure.
Visa Process
The visa process is largely facilitated by the university, which is extremely helpful throughout.
After admission, the university provides access to an online portal to upload documents (financial proof, IELTS scores, etc.). The Dutch government reviews the application, and students then visit the embassy in their home country for biometrics.
Upon arrival in the Netherlands, students collect their residence permit within the first 2 months.
The university significantly reduces the administrative burden, though requirements vary depending on nationality. For my Visa I took the IELTS exam, where I got a band 8 score out of 9.
Final Advice
If I could offer advice to prospective applicants, it would be this:
- Time management is critical. Living abroad means managing cooking, cleaning, groceries, and finances alongside academics.
- Develop life skills before moving abroad. If you know how to cook, clean and budget, student life becomes substantially easier to pull through and aclimatize too.
- Choose IB (or any curriculum) subjects strategically—Biology, Psychology, Economics and Math (statistics) were especially helpful for me as someone who knew I was interested in Psychology.
- Be prepared for academic intensity—the system is structured, competitive, and fast-paced.
Ultimately, the University of Amsterdam offers an academically rich, research-driven environment. But it demands discipline, independence, and resilience—qualities that the IB helped me build long before I arrived.
