Zhuofei Song

Country: China
Subject of study: MSc Statistics
Year of graduation: 2007
Type/Level of study: Postgraduate

I chose to study at the University of St Andrews because it felt like a place where depth, reflection and independent thought truly mattered. The University’s long history and rigorous academic culture encouraged seriousness without pressure, allowing ideas to grow naturally.

The remote location of St Andrews, combined with Scotland’s sea, wind and ever-changing light, offered clarity and space far from the noise of the modern world. I turned 18 in St Andrews and, in many ways, I grew up there. Over time, Scotland became my home, and I still feel deeply connected to it. My experience at St Andrews remains one of the most beautiful and formative times of my life.

What I enjoyed most about my degree programme was the quality of the teaching. I was fortunate to learn from inspiring and dedicated academics who encouraged rigorous thinking and curiosity.

Although I now work in filmmaking, my education at St Andrews shaped the way I think. It trained me to approach creative problems with a scientific mindset – observing carefully, testing ideas and understanding cause and effect. Filmmaking may be an art, but it is also a science, and my degree gave me the intellectual discipline that continues to guide my work.

After graduating from St Andrews, I worked for two years at Beijing Television’s Sports Channel as a journalist and editor. During that time, I discovered my true passion for filmmaking. I then pursued an MFA in Film Production with an emphasis on Cinematography at Chapman University. After completing my studies, I spent the next ten years developing and making my directorial debut feature film, Best Friend, which was recently released. I am currently continuing to work in film, developing new projects as a director.

I believe this career chose me as much as I chose it. In many ways, it feels like destiny – something shaped long before I was aware of it. My grandfather was a painter, and from an early age I was surrounded by art and visual thinking. Filmmaking, to me, is the art of all arts: it makes literature visible, turns paintings into movement and allows music to travel with imagination. Few professions, no matter how powerful, can bring people into a dark room for two hours and transport them into an entirely new world. That power is what I love most about my work.

It made me who I am today – reshaping my way of thinking and living, refining me into a more genuine, open and grounded person who approaches both art and life with clarity and joy.

Enjoy every second of your time at St Andrews. It is a rare and beautiful chapter of life, and one day you will realise that you were living some of the most meaningful and formative moments you will ever have. I miss it every day, and there are moments when I wish I could return to be there again, even for a second.