Lauren in Edinburgh: chapter one
I’m Studying Screenwriting in Scotland!
Hello! Quick intro to me-- I’m Lauren, and I recently moved to Edinburgh, Scotland from Tampa, Florida to get my Master’s degree in Screenwriting at Edinburgh Napier University. It feels surreal even typing that. I thought it might be fun to share my experiences as I go to film school abroad: like a less annoying spinoff of Emily in Paris called Lauren in Edinburgh. Which doesn’t really have the same ring to it…
But for now, here’s a little background:
So usually, people have a lot of questions when they find out that I moved from Florida to Scotland, which I get, it seems kind of random. I mean if I told my 10-year-old self I’d be living in Scotland studying screenwriting, she’d be like, “What!? That’s so cool! You mean you got over your fear of flying?” and also, “Where is Scotland again? I’m bad at geography.”
To which I’d say…
I fell in love with Edinburgh while I was visiting my boyfriend, who’s from Glasgow. From the Fringe to the International TV Festival, it just seemed like a really fun, creative place. Like a smaller, more gothic-looking American city you’d see a TV show about where a bunch of young 20 somethings move to as they, “try to make it.” I’d never lived in a city and even though living in a city had always been a dream of mine, I was definitely intimidated by the reality of actually moving to one. But Edinburgh didn’t scare me the way moving to Brooklyn scared me. I remember sitting in the Meadows for the first time and saying, “I could see myself living here.”
And now I do!
I knew I always wanted to get my Master’s in screenwriting, which I still sometimes feel a tinge of embarrassment about, just because I’ve seen a million and five Tik Toks from people saying that film school is a waste and yada yada, but maybe I’ll get into that in a future blog or vlog. Anyway, despite that, I felt like I had more to learn and so in my senior year of undergrad in 2019, I applied to screenwriting programs in Boston, NYC, and Chicago. I got into Emerson, Stonybrook, and LIU in Brooklyn and then chose LIU. But as the semester crept nearer, I felt more and more resistant to the idea. (Keep in mind there’s a global pandemic going on in the background). Was I ready to go from living in suburban Florida to living in one of the biggest cities? Could I afford it? Spoiler alert: not a chance, Lance.
Fast forward to my visit to Edinburgh. I guess it was a gut feeling, but once I found Napier and learned about their program, it just felt like the right choice. And don’t get me wrong, I was nervous, but not in an, “Oh no this isn’t going to be good” kind of way. Thankfully, I got in and was extremely fortunate to have gotten a scholarship too.
So now I’m here, sitting at the kitchen table in my little flat in Edinburgh as I type this. I’ve met some amazing people with similar dreams and I’m ready to see what happens!
I know that one day I’ll live in NYC, but at the moment, this is where I’m supposed to be. Oof, *barf* sorry for being so corny, but corn is good in moderation.
