Rhodes Scholarship
Princeton’s Deadline: September 17, 2008
Fields of study: Study at Oxford University
Advisers: Dean Frank Ordiway • ordiway@princeton.edu • Ext. 8-1998, and Professor Joshua Katz • jtkatz@princeton.edu • Ext. 8-3954
Description:
Rhodes Scholarships are given for a one-, two-, or three-year period of study at Oxford University in England. The 32 scholarships given each year to U.S. citizens are distributed according to a system of geographical districts. The scholarship pays all fees and tuition in addition to a personal allowance (currently at least £11,500 per year). For information about courses of study, refer to Examination Decrees and Regulations, located in the Reference Room of Firestone Library. All other sources of information are less complete.
Criteria for Selection:
Eligibility criteria have been established by the will of Cecil Rhodes, the founder of the scholarships, and by the various national Rhodes Trust Committees. For the American competition, a candidate must be a U.S. citizen, between the ages of 18 and 24 by October 1 of the year of application, and have received a bachelor’s degree before commencing study at Oxford. Note that Rhodes Scholarships are available to citizens of 17 countries besides the United States, including 11 Rhodes Scholarships from Canada. As of June 1995, marriage is no longer a bar to applying for, or holding, a Rhodes Scholarship. However, married candidates should bear in mind that the scholarship stipend is sufficient for only one person, and that the Rhodes Scholarship Trust takes no financial responsibility for the support of a scholar’s spouse. Moreover, spouses who are not citizens of the European Union will find it very difficult to obtain permission to undertake paid work in England.
The candidate should demonstrate wide-ranging academic excellence, as reflected in his/her overall academic record at Princeton and in other ways. Second, the candidate should exhibit qualities of moral leadership and social purpose. These qualities are not easy to define: not all strong candidates are traditional “campus politicians” or “student leaders,” although some are. In short, the candidate should exhibit outstanding potential outside the classroom as well as in it. Finally, the candidate should demonstrate “physical vigor.” The emphasis put on this final category—as does the definition of what activities are “athletic”—varies somewhat from committee to committee. It should keep no one from applying. There is a danger that potentially strong candidates who do not consider themselves the “Rhodes type” will fail to apply for this very attractive scholarship. There is no “Rhodes type,” as the extraordinary variety of Princeton winners in recent years amply attests.
Application Procedure:
Rhodes/Marshall applicants must attend two mandatory meetings, one on April 15, 2008, from 4:30–6 p.m. in McCosh 10 and the second, the Fellowship Open House on September 9, 2008, in 111 West College from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. We will describe the internal application procedures at Princeton during these meetings. Those who cannot attend should contact Dean Frank Ordiway for further information. It is necessary that you have the Princeton instructions, which will be available in 409 West College.
For a detailed description of the process to apply for the Princeton endorsement, which is required, refer to the separate Rhodes Handout available in 409 West College.
Applicants must be endorsed by the University. This endorsement process involves the submission of supporting materials, including a letter of endorsement and three other letters of recommendations to 409 West College by September 17, 2008. (These materials will not be returned. You should secure additional copies of any documents you will include in your official application should you receive a Princeton nomination.)
Selected students will be interviewed by the Princeton Rhodes Committee.
The Rhodes applicant must mail one original plus nine copies of the following to the appropriate district committee on or before the postmark date of October 6, 2008:
the completed application,
a transcript,
a resume, and
a 1,000-word essay.
Applicants must also submit
ten copies of an unmounted head and shoulders photograph (not less than 2” x 3”)
and a photocopy of a birth certificate or other proof of age and citizenship.
Applicants should have five to eight letters of recommendation (at least four from faculty members who have taught the student) sent directly to the secretary of the District Committee by October 14, 2008. Dean Ordiway’s office will only mail your Institutional Endorsement Form and letter, also due by October 14, 2008.
The (single staged) district receptions and interviews will be held on November 21 and 22. Two winners from each of the 16 districts will be announced at the end of the interviews on November 22 and will be posted at www.rhodesscholar.org/ by the next day.