Mount Holyoke College is a private women's liberal arts college in South Hadley, Massachusetts, United States. It is the oldest member of the historic Seven Sisters colleges, a group of historically women’s colleges in the Northeastern United States. With an acceptance rate of 38%, Alexandra is one of the international students studying there, experimenting, and starting programs overseas to help other communities. Her journey is nothing short of impressive and inspiring, and it was a pleasure meeting her and writing this story! - Mara, the journalist
A New Chapter Begins
Hi, my name is Alexandra, I’m from Romania, but I’m currently pursuing my Bachelor's in Economics at Mount Holyoke, US. In this interview, I’ll share my experience applying abroad, getting accustomed to my life there, and explaining how my achievements and failures built me.
My Leap of Faith
Why the US?
Firstly, the U.S. wasn’t my dream destination. When I was in high school, I was doing extracurriculars with the idea of moving abroad, but I never considered the U.S. It clicked when I met someone whose sister went to school there, and they said, “Yeah, you can get scholarships for it.” I was shocked that I, as an international student, could receive a scholarship at my dream college. Studying abroad wasn’t a very talked-about topic at my school, or in Romania in general at that time, and the industry was underdeveloped. I guess that’s what pushed me to research further about the U.S.
I talked to my counselor, and I was advised to consider the Netherlands and the UK—although Brexit made the UK expensive. There were also some American schools in Paris and Rome, so those were on my list too, but I still applied to the U.S.
I started crafting my application in 11th grade and worked on it through the first semester of 12th grade. I got accepted into Mount Holyoke in March. After that, all I had to do was study for my baccalaureate, which I passed with high grades.
I would say that studying abroad is realistic if that's what you want. You have nothing to lose by applying; and if you end up at a school you don't like, you can drop out.
I think everything in life comes down to self-esteem. If you don't see yourself as worthy, then no one else will either. “Talented” is a very subjective word, but everyone is talented at something. If you’re a great writer, that’s beautiful—we need writers. If you’re a good artist, that’s great. Not everyone has to be talented at the same things, you just need to find your thing and capitalise on it.
My Application Process
Among all the things I had to prepare for my application, I think the essays were the hardest part. I had to present myself in a non-academic way—talk about something important and representative of me. I was used to rigorous schoolwork, but those essays were personal and creative, so I had to step out of my comfort zone to write them. When crafting an application, you want to make sure it's holistic, and everything has to speak of who you are. Your extracurriculars also have to make sense—your whole application tells a story of your becoming and must mirror your achievements, interests, and lessons.
For the U.S. part, I only applied to schools that accepted international students and offered high financial aid packages. That’s a big decision for colleges (how much money they can give), and even if they say it’s not, these are capitalistic institutions and they want to profit. There are only two Romanians right now at Mount Holyoke, including me, and that’s because they have a limit for each nationality they can accept.
Personally, I don’t care much about school prestige; as an international student, it’s already very difficult to get in anywhere. Still, applying to an Ivy League college just because isn’t the best approach either. Every school has a very different culture, and not every culture fits everyone. Most students only look at ranks and prestige, but forget about the college community, and that their friends will share the same values promoted by that university. For example, Harvard is very different from Yale, while Stanford is different from both. It’s important to think about what you want from a college beyond the name—it’s a community you’ll be part of, and at the end of the day, it doesn’t matter if it has the best debate club if you don’t have any friends.
My application focused on themes like feminism and being a woman in society. One of my extracurriculars was being part of Girl Up, which impacted me a lot, and I also had a small business that I used to empower women. The essay topics were cohesive with who I am—trying to be a leader while empowering women.
I also talked in my essays about how I’m half Romanian, half Greek, and the main message focused on me being part of a community. For these personal essays, it's not just about stating facts about activities you’ve done; it’s more about sharing values, telling a story of growth—and I think that really connects with the American type of schooling.
What It’s Really Like to Study in the U.S.
Home away
The first person I ever met in the U.S. was Ana, my friend, a Romanian who was in her third year of study. She texted me: “Hey, I heard you got into Mount Holyoke. I’m here, I’m excited for you to come!” Honestly, if I hadn’t had Ana to guide and support me, my life would have been hell.
We were best friends from day one, and she introduced me to all her friends there. However, I was far from feeling fulfilled, and during the first week, I would cry every day. I was by myself, on a different continent—What was I doing here?
But time passed, and I became accustomed—I would speak Romanian with the Romanian community here, and having friendly teachers and good friends helped me a lot in finding my place. I think being in a supportive environment where everyone is creative and wants to start their own activities really helped me become more innovative.
All the things I’ve done are because I’ve seen my friends do them. Ana, who graduated, started the investment club on campus, and we started the consulting club together. The professors were also supportive—I think having support from your professors and your friends, and being inspired by them, motivates me to keep up and also create.
I couldn’t have afforded to study here if I hadn’t received financial aid. The tuition fee is $90,000/year, so in total it's $360,000 for all four years. I get 90% paid by the college, so my parents are not paying that much for this school compared to everyone else. Basically, I pay less than $10,000/year, which is great.
However, the U.S. is extremely expensive outside of tuition fees. My parents do have the financial means to support me, sending me money every month to get by. Besides the fact that you can work on campus for 20 hours/week, the internships are paid here. For example, depending on the field, you can get up to $50–$60/hour.
Inside the Classroom
We only get four courses per semester, and we choose all of them. You can take up to six, but that’s considered an overload because each assignment is hands-on, and the classes are mostly discussion-based. Everyone shares their opinions during class, and you’re even encouraged to contradict the professor, not just agree with everything.
Our finals are self-scheduled, which means you go to a room and take the exam by yourself, without a supervisor. That’s because we have an honor code, and you're not allowed to break it. I think that’s a really cool feature of such an intense event—it definitely gives you a comforting sense of control over the situation.
Speaking of learning methods, you’re encouraged to work with others, use the Internet, even AI sometimes—it’s all very realistic to how you’d work in a real environment, and we’re being prepared for that. I’m learning all the time, not just memorizing facts, which I haven’t done since 12th grade. Everything you learn is by doing, and it’s such a relief to build knowledge through interaction with your peers.
I’d say: be yourself. Don’t try to fit into a mold just to get into an Ivy League. Find your perfect fit in a culture that matches who you are. There are thousands of schools in the U.S.—find the one that suits your personality. Be resilient. It’s not the end of the world if you fail.
I think we’re conditioned to believe that if we don’t get in on the first try, we won’t achieve anything—which is such a toxic mindset. If you’re 18 and you apply to a U.S. college and don’t get in—try again next year. Take a gap year. So what? Your friends will be in college and you won’t—so what? You’re going to have fun trying again.
My Internship Experience as an International Student
I’ve had a lot of internships and jobs throughout the years. I didn’t feel prepared for most of them, but I truly believe that you live and you learn by doing. The first year is the hardest because everything’s new, but over time, you start to build your knowledge.
The first thing I ever did was a finance course called Girls Who Invest. I went through a lot of training, and that experience helped me get a remote internship—and then another one after that. When I was finally accepted to work in an office for the first time, no one expected me to know everything about workplace culture, habits, or daily routines. You’re not supposed to be an expert. You’re expected to be helped and taught on the job—not before.
As long as you're open to learning and you're someone people enjoy working with, you’ll be fine. My college has helped me a lot—we have platforms for job listings, and networking is a big thing. Having alumni the school connects us with is crucial. We even get taken to different cities for career exploration trips, just to expand our horizons and possibilities.
That said, it’s tough as an international student to get a job here. There's a lot of administrative work and money that companies need to invest in hiring international candidates. You could be the best at what you do, but if the right people don’t see you, it’s hard to stand out. It all comes down to when the right opportunity meets your level of preparedness.
You have to be intelligent and hardworking, yes—but also lucky enough to catch the right opportunity and bold enough to grab it when it comes. Personally, I’ve applied to hundreds of jobs and been rejected from hundreds, and I think that just proves how much interest and resilience this journey demands.
More Than Studying: My Life
Balancing academics, my personal life, and all the extracurriculars I take on is difficult. I work from 8 a.m. to midnight most days—but truthfully, I enjoy it. What makes it worthwhile is the people and the freedom of ideas. Here, you’re not crucified for failing; you’re encouraged to start over, reflect, and learn even more.
One habit that helps me is starting everything very early. I’m organized, and I like to do things little by little each day. That consistency builds momentum and keeps me from burning out.
In finance—or any competitive field—I think the most important skill you can have is resilience, and the ability to hold on to hope even when the world gives you every reason not to.
I remember when Bank of America came to campus. I had already applied to so many jobs at that point, and kept facing rejection after rejection. Sometimes I wouldn’t even get an interview because I’m an international student. When Bank of America gave their presentation, they talked about this amazing opportunity. And then at the end, they said, “We don’t allow international students to apply.”
I went home that day and cried so much. I called my mom and told her, “I’m never going to find a job.” But I kept trying. I applied again. And again. And every time I got rejected, I learned something new.
I feel like moving abroad in general—being an immigrant even—is very hard, because I don’t feel at home here, but I don’t feel at home in Romania either. It’s especially tough when so many students around me have parents who work in finance and can guide them. I started with zero experience, completely alone.
If something happens to me—if I lose my job, or can’t afford rent—I don’t have the safety net of going back to my mom. I don’t have a parent here with a spare room or a backup plan. I’m thankful, though, that I have friends who would take me in without hesitation. If I couldn’t find housing, I know they’d let me stay for months.
It was a risk I was willing to take—and despite all the tears and hurdles, I’m grateful for every obstacle I’ve overcome.
Empowering Girls Through Finance
In college, I started to realize just how much I didn’t learn in school back home in Romania.
I graduated from high school not knowing what a credit card was—or how investing worked. And honestly, that was embarrassing.
But I didn’t stop there. I started learning, asking questions, and digging deeper. And after a while, some of my professors said, “Why don’t you create a program where you teach others about financial concepts?”
At first, I thought, ‘‘Who am I to teach anyone? ‘‘ But the more research I did, the more I saw how damaging the lack of financial education in Romania really is. My passion for this topic is fairly new, but as a finance student, I thought: Why not bring that education back home?
So this summer, I’m collaborating with an amazing NGO in Romania to launch a financial literacy program. I'm genuinely excited for it!
I’m currently networking with students and members of the Romanian community in the U.S. The program is for everyone, but the target audience is young women between 14 and 18—high schoolers who are about to enter adulthood and deserve to feel confident when it comes to money. It will be online, accessible, and focused on empowering girls through financial education.
Well, around 80% of businesses fail, mostly because of the lack of good marketing.
However, at a conference, someone told us that in order to succeed you need ethos, pathos, logos, and timing. You need to have passion for it, to be talented, smart, but also you need the right timing.
For example, when Zoom launched, people weren't in the pandemic, and no one used it. And then Zoom dropped during the pandemic, and people were like: “Oh my God, this is beautiful.” I think it’s about the right time and the right product.
