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Rhodes |
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Introduction
Rhodes Scholarships have been awarded annually since
1903 under a bequest left by Cecil Rhodes, for outstanding
students to study for two or three years at Oxford
University, England. These highly competitive scholarships
were originally awarded exclusively to men; 1976 was
the first year that women were able to apply. Thirty-two
scholarships are awarded annually to applicants from
the U.S.
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Quick Facts
| Field of Study |
Any |
| Type |
Graduate
or second undergraduate (2 years with possible
extension) |
| Place of Study |
Oxford
University, Oxford, England |
| Award amount |
Educational
costs; expense stipend; travel expenses |
| MIT Deadline |
September
4 |
| National Deadline |
October
1 |
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Eligibility
To be eligible you must:
- Be a U.S. citizen
- Be between the ages of 18 and 24 (as of October
1 of the year of application)
- Have competed an undergraduate degree before going
into residence at Oxford
In addition to the 32 Americans selected for scholarships
each year, scholars are also selected from Australia,
Bangladesh, Bermuda, Canada, the Commonwealth Caribbean,
Germany, Hong Kong, India, Jamaica, Kenya, Malaysia,
New Zealand, Pakistan, Singapore, South Africa, Uganda,
Zambia and Zimbabwe. Some (but not all) of these countries
welcome applications from students who are attending
colleges in the U.S. These applicants must apply through
their home country.
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Selection Criteria
Applicants are chosen on the basis of the criteria
set down in the will of Cecil Rhodes. The will contains
four standards by which prospective Rhodes Scholars
should be judged:
- Literary and scholastic attainments
- Energy to use one’s talents to the full,
as exemplified by fondness for and success in sports
- Truth, courage, devotion to duty, sympathy for
and protection of the weak, kindliness, unselfishness
and fellowship
- Moral force of character and instincts to lead,
and to take an interest in one’s fellow beings
“Satisfying [athletic] standard does not require
evidence of outstanding achievement in organized sports.
All applicants, however, should be able to demonstrate
the physical vigor which will enable them to make an
effective contribution to the world around them.
”
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Application (see official site for
details and forms)
Before beginning application, please review MIT's Distinguished Fellowships Office Policies
Please print out the following checklist and
submit with application
Candidates may apply in the state where they are legally
resident (as of April 15) or where they have attended
college for at least two years. Current MIT
students must submit four copies of their complete
application as described below to the Distinguished Fellowships
Office, 12-189 by the campus deadline. Applicants
must also send an original and ten copies of their
complete application to the Rhodes District Committee
where they will apply. Complete applications consist
of the following materials:
Provided by you (10 copies, includes one original,
to Rhodes District Committee, and one original with
4 copies to MIT):
- Completed Rhodes Application Form
- Personal Statement
- List of Principal Activities and Honors
- Copy of original transcript(s) from institutions
attended since high school
- Head and shoulders photograph
- Proof of citizenship (one copy only, send to Rhodes
Committee only)
Provided by your referees:
- Letters of recommendation from 6-8 referees (your
referees should send one signed, sealed copy to the
Distinguished Fellowships Office in 12-189, and ten additional
copies should be sent directly to the Rhodes State
Committee where you are applying)
Provided by MIT:
- Institutional endorsement (sent by MIT directly
to the Rhodes State Committee)
Because the application requirements, timing and selection
criteria are so similar, prospective Rhodes candidates
should also apply for the Marshall Scholarship at Oxford
University. You can greatly increase your chances of
getting support to attend Oxford from one of these
two prestigious UK scholarships by doing so. Rhodes
applicants who can identify a suitable program at Cambridge
University should also consider applying for the Gates
Scholarship, tenable only at Cambridge and aiming at
similar selectivity.
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Timeline
| Spring |
- Meet with a fellowships advisor.
Appointments can be made by sending mail to scholarships@mit.edu or
by visiting the Distinguished Fellowships Office
in 12-189.
- Send mail to scholarships@mit.eduto
be added to the mailing list to receive information
about upcoming workshops, fellowship deadlines,
etc.
- Read about the application experiences of
other applicants (this document is available
in room 12-189).
- Attend a workshop on Foreign Scholarships.
- Fill out a Rhodes
Pre-application Form. On receipt of this
form, the Distinguished Fellowships Office will
open a file for you. All applications
must be processed and endorsed by the MIT
Distinguished Fellowships Office
- Research and develop a plan of study and
draft a proposal. Faculty in your department
or in the field in which you propose to study
can likely provide you with academic contacts
at Oxford, whom you should contact before the
summer begins.
- Line up faculty and other individuals who
will write you recommendations (6-8 are needed).
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| May |
- Make contact with appropriate academic office
or potential supervisor in Oxford. (Oxford’s
spring academic term ends mid-June, but after
that date it may prove difficult to contact
many academic staff until beginning of the
fall term in early October.)
|
| Summer |
- Download an application.
- Draft 1000-word essay, assemble 2-page annotated “list
of activities,” and finalize your list
of 6-8 potential references.
- Provide your referees with all the information
they need, such as a copy of your filled-out
application form, a draft of your personal
essay, an indication of your proposed academic
program at Oxford, and a copy of your résumé,
in order to supply a recommendation letter
by September.
- Seek the advice of faculty, staff and fellow
students to increase the strength of your application.
Staff in the Distinguished Fellowships Office are
available to critique your essays.
|
| September
4 |
- Completed applications and letters of recommendation
due to MIT Distinguished Fellowships Office, 12-189;
required so that MIT may write you an institutional
endorsement.
- Sign up for campus interview.
|
| late-September |
- Applicants will be interviewed by two or
more members of the MIT Committee on Foreign
Scholarships, whose input will contribute to
the endorsement.
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| October
1 |
- National application going to Rhodes District
Committee must be postmarked by this date. You are
responsible for sending your application to
the appropriate Dictrict Committee. MIT will
send its institutional endorsement letter to
the District Rhodes Committee.
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| October
1 |
- Original plus 9 copies of your recommendation
letters to be sent by your recommenders directly
to the District Rhodes Committee.
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| November |
- 16 District committees review dossiers to
select applicants to appear for a personal
interview. Once the District committees have
contuced interviews, they then select two Rhodes
Scholars-elect.
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