Upvote:4
Those two visas are independent and there are no prerequisites, so in theory you could apply for each in any order you want.
However there are advantages to having your US visa before the Schengen one.
Having a student visa will show that you're much less likely to overstay your visit in the Netherlands because you have a rather strong obligation to be elsewhere and that you can travel out of the Schengen area.
It also lower your risk profile as the US visa process is more stringent and because travel history to certain countries like the US is taken into account and counts in your favour.