A supportive and Innovative Learning Experience at VU Amsterdam- A balance between exploration and exploitation

Stockholm University

8.7(1 Reviews)

Reason for choosing my college

• Amsterdam is a city filled with opportunities and people with different diversity, opinions and unique ideas. The atmosphere in the university is very positive and everyone optimises for learning over getting marks.
• I can develop a driven and positive mentality with encouraging mentors. Everyone in Amsterdam speaks in English as well so it is an added benefit.

KTH Royal Institute of Technology

7.8(9 Reviews)

Reason for Rejection

• The basic requirements were too high and I couldn't match the minimum credits as I have a bachelor's degree in electronics. VU Amsterdam accepts students from different fields and shapes their future. There were language issues in other parts of Europe.
• I had decided upon Europe as I thought I could learn a lot from the different cultures. The weather conditions in the Netherlands are much better than in other parts where it could be really cold.

• Share the motivation and drive to learn and improve the current state of applications. It could be limited to an industry like health or could be more general but the drive is required. And decent amount of projects and related work.

• The Netherlands is a very beautiful country with lots of opportunities. I can carefully do my journey with the right amount of exploration vs. exploitation.
• VuA has a decent academic ranking, and in my opinion it is very underrated compared to other universities in Europe and lacks the recognition it deserves.
• The artificial intelligence program is very advanced, and I have heard good reviews about mathematics, psychology and the neuroscience department as well. Many career opportunities in terms of networking mediums, tech fairs held at universities, interesting theses and projects, and a good foundation for startups.
• Student life is excellent, and there is a good balance. We can choose and register for any number of courses we want to and explore as we like.

• 3-5 classes depending on the number of courses in that period. Timings can be between 9 a.m. and 19:15 pm.
• Strength in AI class varies depending on the class. It could range from 20 to 150 students.
• There are 10-12 Indians in my class 1-3 hours a day after class is good enough to be on track and complete assignments.

• Faculties have office hours where we could approach them and ask clarifications or share ideas. The professors help in formulating the ideas for us and discuss concepts beyond classwork.
• The professor for human interactive agent learning, Kim Baraka, has been a mentor and I like his teaching methods. He connects the concepts of imitation learning for robots and we can draw deeper meaning and learn to find a balance between exploration and exploitation in life.
• Faculties can help in academic fields mostly in terms of referrals for projects or theses/phds.

• The campus has 6-7 buildings that have a welcoming atmosphere. There are lots of self-study and silent/group study places, along with a 12-floor library.
• There is a sports centre near the campus with a gym, tennis, football and other sports. The university buildings have multiple ping pong tables and associations that host meetups, borrels and parties to promote networking.
• Campus name: Uilinstede. There is a STORM association for AI/CS people who keep holding parties and career events.

• Indians prefer working as interns or TAs as it is technical, but a huge number of students work in supermarkets like Albert Heijn, Dirk and Jumbo and also in bars and cafes.
• The minimum pay is 15 euros per hour and it can go up to 23-26 euros. It is not difficult to get part-time roles and it takes care of monthly expenses.

• TA/RA roles are easily available on campus. They have regular notifications about it and it can include different duties like correcting papers, setting assignments, teaching project work, and helping in research work. The typical pay is between 18 and 23 euros per hour.
• It is comparatively difficult to find internships and jobs but it is possible with hard work. It would differ with different branches. Maximum work hour per week is 16 hours.

• Around 40–60 percent of students find it easy to get a job in the Netherlands or other parts of Europe with a few months of searching. Most of the students are well equipped to find a job in their home country, if not in the Netherlands.
• The average range of salary could go from 50,000 to 90,000 euros in a year. Students find jobs at a higher rate through networking and building good contacts. LinkedIn and other websites work as well.