Rhodes Scholarship*Gustavus Fellowships Office

Initial Gustavus Deadline: September 8, 2009 (noon)
Tentative Campus Interview: September 11, 2009
Final Gustavus Deadline: October 1, 2009 (noon)
Web site: www.rhodesscholar.org
Campus Contact: Alisa Rosenthal, Fellowships Coordinator

Description

The Rhodes Scholarships, the oldest international educational fellowships, were initiated after the death of Cecil Rhodes in 1902, and bring outstanding students from many countries around the world to the University of Oxford. The first American Scholars entered Oxford in 1904. Through 2006, applicants from more than 300 American colleges and universities had been selected as Rhodes Scholars.

Extraordinary intellectual distinction is a necessary but not a sufficient condition for election to a Rhodes Scholarship. Selection committees are charged to seek excellence in qualities of mind and in qualities of person, which, in combination, offer the promise of effective service to the world in the decades ahead. The Rhodes Scholarships, in short, are investments in individuals rather than in project proposals. Accordingly, applications are sought from talented students without restriction as to their field of academic specialization or career plans although the proposed course of study must be available at Oxford, and the applicant’s undergraduate program must provide a sufficient basis for study in the proposed field.

Benefits

All educational costs, such as matriculation, tuition, laboratory and certain other fees, are paid on the Scholar’s behalf by the Rhodes Trustees. Each Scholar receives in addition a maintenance allowance adequate to meet necessary expenses for term-time and vacations. The Rhodes Trustees cover the necessary costs of travel to and from Oxford. Election to the Scholarship is normally for two years but the Scholarship may be held for one year only, depending upon the degree program pursued by the Scholar. A Scholarship may be renewed, at the complete discretion of the Trustees, for a third and final year for those who were initially admitted to Oxford to pursue a doctoral degree.

Eligibility

• The candidate must be a United States citizen between the ages of 18 and 24 on October 1 in the year of application.
• Applicants must have academic standing sufficient to ensure the completion of a Bachelor’s degree before going into residence at Oxford in October of the following year.
• Scholars are expected to maintain a full-time status at Oxford for the duration of their degree program.
• Proven intellectual and academic achievement of a high standard is the first quality required of applicants, but they will also be required to show integrity of character, interest in and respect for their fellow beings, the ability to lead, and the energy to use their talents to the fullest.

Gustavus’ Internal Selection Process

Students are encouraged to read “Advice for Rhodes, Marshall, and Gates Cambridge Scholarships” in the Advice section of the GFO website for tips on putting together a competitive application. By the INITIAL GUSTAVUS DEADLINE (see above), applicants must submit five collated packets of the materials listed below to the Gustavus Fellowships Office. The Committee will review these materials and interview all applicants deemed competitive. Based on the submitted materials and interview, the Committee will decide which applications will receive Gustavus’ endorsement.

• Personal Statement (see below for details)
• Unofficial transcript (print off of WebAdvisor)
• Current resume
• Three letters of appraisal/recommendation (Please note that if you receive Gustavus’ endorsement you will need to submit between five and eight letters.)

Materials for Final Consideration

If you receive Gustavus’ endorsement, it is your responsibility to continue revising and collecting your material and to remind people writing your recommendations of all dates and deadlines. Please note that Rhodes’ guidelines require that you assemble and mail all components of your application, except for the letters of appraisal and institutional endorsement. It is advised that applicants obtain proof of mailing. Although Rhodes applications may be postmarked as late as the Rhodes Deadline, Gustavus’ endorsed candidates are expected to submit the following items by the FINAL GUSTAVUS DEADLINE:

• Formal institutional endorsement. The Gustavus Fellowships Office will coordinate the completion of this form and provide a letter of evaluation. The Office will send these two documents directly to the Secretary of the relevant District Committee of Selection.
• Letters of Appraisal. No fewer than five and not more than eight letters of appraisal are required; persons from whom the applicant has received undergraduate or graduate instruction must write at least four of these. The applicant must give each referee a reproduction of the “Request for Letter of Appraisal” form, and request that they send TEN copies of their letters directly to the Secretary of the relevant District Committee of Selection and ONE copy to the Gustavus Fellowships Office.
• Applicant Materials. TEN sets of the following materials with ONE set marked as ORIGINAL and containing the originals of each of the requested documents. The other NINE sets may be photocopies. (One additional copy must also be provided to the Gustavus Fellowships Office.) Each set of materials should be arranged in the following order and should not be stapled.
  • The completed “Application Blank” (Page A-5), signed in ink.
  • A signed short personal statement describing the applicant’s academic and other interests. This statement should describe the specific area of proposed study and the applicant’s reasons for wishing to study at Oxford, and it must conclude with the following signed statement: “I certify that this essay is my own work.” This personal essay must not exceed 1,000 words in length (approximately four double-spaced pages) and should be written in as simple and direct a manner as possible. It should be set in a typeface no smaller than 10 points. Selection Committees will place special emphasis on this personal essay, and it will be forwarded to Oxford colleges to which Rhodes Scholars-elect apply for admission.
  • A succinct pertinent list of principal activities and honors in college (including prizes, scholarships, offices held, athletic record, extracurricular interests and substantial activities) with dates. This must not exceed two pages in length, and should be set in a typeface no smaller than 10 points.
  • The applicant’s official college transcript. The Registrar or other responsible official MUST certify the copy attached to the ORIGINAL; the other nine copies may be photocopies. If an applicant has attended more than one college or university, one certified ORIGINAL and nine copies of all transcripts MUST be submitted.

In addition, the following materials should be included with the materials marked ORIGINAL:

• ONE photocopy of the applicant’s passport (preferable, if available), birth certificate, or other proof of age and citizenship.
• TEN copies of an unmounted head and shoulders photograph of the applicant (color or black and white, passport size or slightly larger, no photocopies) with the applicant’s signature on the back of each. The photos must not be stapled to the application but should be submitted in an envelope clipped to the ORIGINAL. Amateur snapshots will not be accepted.

Please note that applicants are responsible for all photocopying needed for the internal selection process and as required by the foundation.