Psychology (EN)

Psychology was especially useful, as it gave me a strong foundation in key concepts, theories, and research methods, making the transition to university-level Psychology smoother. History and English also proved valuable, as they helped me develop essay-writing skills, which are crucial for writing research reports and engaging with psychological literature.

About the programme and my expectationsSo far, the programme has met my expectations—it is intellectually stimulating, well-structured, and challenging in a way that encourages independent thinking. The lectures are engaging, with a combination of theoretical discussions, practical applications, and research-oriented coursework. However, the workload can be intense, particularly with the large amount of reading and the statistical analysis required for research methods courses. Statistics is one of the more difficult aspects for many students.

What makes the programme special is that from the beginning, students are encouraged to think scientifically, question existing theories, and engage in academic discussions. The international environment is another highlight—there are students from all over the world, which creates diverse perspectives and a dynamic learning experience.

The teaching style at university is quite different from secondary school; there is much more emphasis on self-study and independent learning, rather than just memorising content. Lecturers provide guidance and foundational knowledge, but it’s up to the students to engage deeply with the material and take initiative in their studies.

Life as a student Socially, there is a lot more freedom to meet people, join clubs, and participate in different activities. I live in accommodation with two other students, which has been a great way to gain independence and build friendships. I’ve also joined VIP (Psychology Study Association) which has helped me meet people within my programme and get involved in student life. Balancing extracurricular activities with studies can be challenging, but with good time management, it’s definitely possible. I often meet students from different programmes, whether through student organizations, social events, or just living in Groningen.

The city itself is amazing—it’s small enough to feel cosy but big enough to always have something happening. There are plenty of cafés, bars, cultural events, and study spots, making it a perfect place for students. The bike-friendly nature of the city also makes getting around easy and convenient. Overall, studying in Groningen has been an incredible experience, both academically and socially, and I’m really enjoying my time here.

All these processes of how we decide what is good or bad for ourselves, the environment, and others is a network of several psychological disciplines. In the end, psychology is everywhere. That’s why I decided to study Psychology, as I could then go into any other field after my studies.Next to that, the city and the high ranking of the programme were big factors in choosing to study Psychology in Groningen. As I grew up in a big city, Groningen was a good compromise between living in a familiar environment and a smaller city. I also knew some students who really liked the programme because of all the different disciplines it includes. This would allow me to find out what I actually like.One course I enjoyed was ‘Working with Psychology’. The course combined learning about different job directions in Psychology together with practical exercises such as group work and presentations. For example, we designed a new Nestor environment and explored how we could implement different features. At the end, we presented our plan and gave the reasons for our design and interface.For students who consider studying Psychology in Groningen, I would advise taking part in as many activities as possible. I really enjoyed the Diesweek introduction event which was organized by the Faculty of Behavioural and Social Sciences at the start of the programme. During this event, you can meet people and make new friends within your programme. In addition, I joined the Erasmus Student Network (ESN), which allowed me to connect with people from other study programmes and different faculties.

We learned how to use body language and to lead the conversation, what to do and not to do. It was so much fun!Another course I am following is Social Psychology. In this course we learn how to view ourselves and we learn about the importance of social comparison. I think this is really interesting because it is something you always can relate to in real-life. Back in the days there has been done a lot of research on this topic. It is nice that you still can gain knowledge for example from an article in 1980 about people falling in love.Before applying in Germany I considered studying the programme in the Netherlands. I thought it would be quite appealing to study the programme in English and thought going away from home would help me grow as a person. I also considered Enschede, Amsterdam and Utrecht but eventually decided to go to Groningen. When I first came here I just loved the city and heard good things about the university. I’m still very happy with my choice. Next to my studies I am also a member of the study association VIP. This is great because it allows you to meet new people already in the first week of the programme.If you consider to study this programme my advice would be to believe in yourself and go for it. There are so many people who don’t get into the programme and might think it is too hard because of statistics. Personally I was never very good at these topics in school, but in Groningen you get good guidance. I remember I was very uncertain about applying and now I know it is the best thing I've ever done.

I spend the other days of the week mostly working with technology in education, locating issues and trying to solve them efficiently. There have been many developments in the past few years when it comes to digitalization in education.

I have a cross-faculty research Master’s degree in Behavioural and Cognitive Neuroscience, as well as a Master’s degree in Cognitive Psychology from this faculty. My original plan was to pursue a PhD; I applied but nothing came of it. I then applied for a teaching position here and soon realized that I actually prefer teaching about research instead of conducting research.

The thing I like about the course units I teach is that the Teaching Unit has a sort of omnipresence: every student must follow our course units. My colleague lecturers and I at the unit teach students the basics of academic learning, academic writing skills, giving academic presentations or carrying out empirical research. This lays the foundations for an academic future, so that students can decide where their interests lie in the more specialized departments. Specifically, I tend to focus on developing on critical thinking.

Psychology ties in nicely with the concept of the Teaching Unit; you put it to good use anywhere. It’s a very broad concept, so it’s not only useful in psychology itself, but also in lots of smaller fields. Learning from each other about all the different disciplines and understanding the links between them is great fun. I think that for many people, a Bachelor's degree in Psychology together with a master’s degree in a subject related to psychology forms a solid basis for a career. Psychology covers so much ground, whatever your specialization and whatever you plan to do.

Prospective students can expect an international learning environment, as we teach the bachelor’s programme in Psychology in both English and Dutch. Students are given a lot of freedom; they can compile their own package of course units, and new initiatives and ideas are welcomed. Finally, they can look forward to living in a beautiful, young, vibrant city.

Thanks to first-year Statistics I realized that I could use statistics to work out what the optimum number was! I was using it not only for knowledge but in my everyday life.What are my research passions? My field actually acts as a kind of umbrella science – statistics is the means that is used to help many different fields draw conclusions. It is very important that it is done properly and I always try to make that clear to students. I think I succeed in the main – there are always fanatical students who want to continue in statistics.In the Psychology degree programme, Statistics is used for the social case studies we work with. In principle you can use statistics for just about everything, it’s simply the method you use that varies. Psychology is incredibly broad. You can research many different topics. For example, I have researched ‘speedy decision-making’ – how do people make decisions under time pressure? Psychology can be used to deal with many different themes, but when it comes down to it it’s all about ourselves.Compared with other psychology degrees in the Netherlands, the Groningen programme is very research-oriented. This means that students get a relatively broad training in statistics. The biggest advantage of this is that if your ambitions lie in academia, you’re in the right place.