Alex Robertson will be attending Royal Holloway in the fall. The school is located in Egham, England, just 40 minutes outside of London, in what is England’s version of a college town.

“Royal Holloway is a castle, and that caught my eye,” Robertson said. “The school is so quaint, and the scenery is beautiful. I really wanted to apply, and be able to attend.”

The school has fantastic STEM and media programs, but Robertson plans on majoring in Film Studies.

“Applying was super easy,” Robertson said. “I basically just submitted my information and had to do one essay, and the application fee was only $50.”

With just a 14% acceptance rate, Royal Holloway is not an easy school to get into. So when Robertson received news that she got in, she said she was overcome with emotions.

“When I found out I was accepted, I just cried,” Robertson said. “I applied to five schools and Royal Holloway was the one I wanted to go to.”

Royal Holloway offers a great film program. One of the main draws is the school’s ability to  connect students with someone in the industry so that they are able to get a taste of what the real job is like.

“I’m so excited to meet new people, and I can’t wait to be near London,” Robertson said. “I get to go to this amazing city, and I get to learn about what I’m passionate about doing.”

While Robertson is excited to study in a new country, she knows that the change will be big and one that she’ll need to adapt to.

“I’m a little nervous; I don’t wanna sound stupid,” Robertson said. “They use different words for different things, and they use the metric system.”

But overall, Robertson’s opportunity to study and receive preparation for what she is passionate about has overcome the culture shock and fear of moving so far away.

“Royal Holloway is so trustworthy, and I’m not just gonna be a kid with a film degree,” Robertson said. “They have programs to make sure that when I graduate I am able to go into the industry.”