For US and Canadian citizens, US permanent resident aliens, those from US territories, or those with US DACA status
Applicants for the Global Rhodes must submit everything, including Letters of Recommendation by 18 July 2024!
The following instructions pertain only to citizens, DACA, and permanent resident aliens of the United States and US Territories; Canada; or those who fall under the GLOBAL Rhodes rubric.
Step 1: Register/Create a Rhodes Application Account
IMPT: Only create the account at this time. DO NOT submit anything, including the names of your recommenders, until your application is approved by Dean Goldberg! This is VERY IMPORTANT. We cannot provide you with the necessary letter of institutional endorsement without first approving your application prior to its submission!!!!
Step 2: Submit the following materials to Dean Goldberg by the above noted deadlines (for US, Canadian, or Global Rhodes applicants) using the “Submit Materials” tab on our website.
THE NEW PERSONAL STATEMENT: In 1000 Words, please address the following 3 “prompts”:
Your essay should weave the 3 prompts into a personal statement that reflects on your experiences, influences and intentions through the lens of the Rhodes Scholar qualities: Energy to use one’s talents to the full; truth, courage, devotion to duty, sympathy for and protection of the weak, kindliness, unselfishness and fellowship; and moral force of character and instincts to lead, and to take an interest in one’s fellow human beings.
Please note: This is important. No one is allowed to provide you with feedback on your personal statement!
(1) Tell us how you overcame a challenge in your life. Which Rhodes Scholar qualities did you draw from? What did you learn from the experience? This is asking you to reflect on the Rhodes selection criteria, the unique Rhodes qualities Rhodes is looking for.
(2) What would you like to learn from and contribute to the Rhodes community in Oxford? Here Rhodes is asking you to reflect on the relationship between self and community, and to explore what YOU want to learn from the various communities you will join and encounter in Oxford, and how you hope to grow through that experience.
(3) From you place in the world, how will you use your energy and talents to address humanity’s pressing challenges? This aspect of the Personal Statement is asking you to look at the world from the place you are now, your specific context, and to reflect on what is missing in society, whilst considering the complexity and nuance of the world’s challenges. The Rhodes Scholarship Trust is seeking Scholars who aspire to make a difference and contribute in some way to “fighting the world’s fight”. As such, for this aspect of the essay Rhodes wants to know YOUR thoughts on what is most needed in the world.
The personal statement is your chance to tell your story in your own voice: Who are you? What matters to you? What are you hoping to do in the world? It complements your academic transcript, your curriculum vitae and your reference letters—these items (transcripts, CV and LORs) will provide the substantive detail of your commitments and accomplishments. The essay gives you the opportunity to cast the overarching narrative for the selection committee. You can find further guidance on the personal statement on the Rhodes Completing Your Application page of their website.
REMEMBER: Your personal statement should be entirely your own work, with no external assistance provided in its creation or editing.
THE NEW: ACADEMIC STATEMENT OF STUDY: In 350 Words:
The academic statement of study should, in a factual and concise manner, address the following:
(1) Tell us your reasons for wishing to study at the University of Oxford, what your chosen course(s) of study is/are, and how this fits in your academic trajectory. Furthermore, you may wish to explain how you hope to be stretched academically at the University of Oxford, and any academic support you imagine might be helpful.
(2) Demonstrate that you are able to, at a minimum meet or exceed the specific entry and other academic requirements of the course(s) you have chosen. Tell us how you are prepared for the course(s) academically and otherwise. It is very important that you have a firm idea of which courses are viable for you to study. IF YOU ARE LISTING A 1 YEAR COURSE, please give an indication of your intentions for the second year.
(3) If you wish to undertake a DPhil, provide a brief outline of your proposed research area, how it contributes to your future career plans, and list both the Department in which you propose to undertake your research and one or more researchers with whom you would like to work in Oxford.
It is a good idea to make contact with potential research supervisor(s) for both the DPhil and research master’s courses BEFORE submitting your application.
Please be sure to read the conditions of tenure before selecting a course of study. As you will see, you can apply for a second BA degree, 2 1-year taught master’s programs, a 2-year research master’s or a DPhil program (doctoral study). If you wish to undertake a research masters, you may want to include your proposed research area and explain how the course and research contributes to your future career plans.
It is important that you have a firm idea of which course / courses are viable for you to study at Oxford – not all University of Oxford courses are covered by the Rhodes Scholarship.
Additional sources of information are available online at http://www.ox.ac.uk/admissions, as well as on individual faculty/departmental websites.
If you are selected for the Scholarship you will have the opportunity to revisit your course choice
Remember: Do not submit anything using the Rhodes on-line application at this time! Work off-line until told to do otherwise by Dean Goldberg.
Step 3: This information is for your Recommenders.
Their draft LORs should be emailed directly to Dean Goldberg as WORD attachments and are due by the date noted at the beginning of this document (2nd Friday of September for US and Canadian applicants; 19 July for Global applicants).
Letters may be DRAFT/Preliminary letters, and are for the purposes of the Campus Selection Committee at this time. We ask that recommenders refrain from submitting their letters through the Rhodes electronic application program at this time. If, however, they mistakenly do so, please ask that they provide Dean Goldberg with a copy of their letter.
The reason we ask that they refrain from submitting their LORs directly onto the Rhodes application website is because this your application will probably be revised, sometimes substantially, after meeting with the Campus Committee and you will want your letters of recommendation to reflect your revised proposal. Even minor discrepancies can hurt your application.
Moreover, once a letter has been electronically uploaded into the application program, it is difficult to retrieve and revise that letter. The best advice, therefore, is to have recommenders refrain from officially submitting their letters using the Rhodes application until later in the application process.
Information on what scholarship committees like to see in letters of recommendation is available on the Rhodes website. Additionally, Dean Goldberg will be happy to speak with recommenders regarding their Rhodes letter of recommendation.
Remember: Letters are a critically important component of both the Campus Selection and Endorsement process as well as the regional/official selection process. If the letter is submitted on-line using the Rhodes electronic application system prior to the campus selection process, your application will be disadvantaged. Therefore, PLEASE, PLEASE have your recommenders refrain from submitting their letters directly to the Rhodes Scholarship until the Campus Selection and Endorsement process is completed!!!
Questions:
If you or your recommenders have any questions about the Rhodes Scholarship or campus application process, please do not hesitate to contact Dean Goldberg at goldbeja@lafayette.edu, externalscholarships@lafayette.edu, or 610.330.5067.