Rhodes Scholarship facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Rhodes Scholarship
Rhodes House at the University of Oxford
Location	Oxford, England

The Rhodes Scholarship is a special award that helps students from all over the world study at the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. It's for students who have already finished their first university degree. This scholarship started way back in 1902, making it one of the oldest and most respected awards for graduate studies.

The person who created it, Cecil Rhodes, wanted to bring English-speaking countries closer. He also hoped to help future leaders become good citizens with strong character. The people who choose the scholars look for students who are good at school, enjoy sports, show courage and kindness, and have leadership skills. In 2018, they updated the rules to focus more on using your talents to help others. Getting a Rhodes Scholarship is very competitive, especially in places like the United States. Scholars get money for their tuition and living costs for one to three years while they study at Oxford.

Over the years, the Rhodes Scholarship has changed. At first, it was only for men from certain countries. But now, it welcomes women and students from many more places around the globe. There have also been discussions about Cecil Rhodes's past and how the scholarship can continue to support positive change in the world.

Discover the Rhodes Scholarship's Story

How the Scholarship Began

By the early 1900s, many scholarships already existed to help students study abroad. These awards helped students from British colonies travel to universities in the United Kingdom. The Rhodes Scholarship was created in 1902 by Cecil Rhodes through his will. It quickly became one of the most famous scholarships.

Rhodes had two main goals for the scholarships. He wanted to bring the British Empire closer together. He also hoped to improve relationships between Britain and the United States. He believed that if future leaders from these countries studied together, they would build a more peaceful world. Rhodes himself studied at Oriel College, Oxford. He thought Oxford's colleges were the perfect place for future leaders to connect.

It's important to know that Rhodes's will stated that no student should be chosen or rejected because of their race or religious beliefs. The Rhodes Trust manages the scholarships from Rhodes House in Oxford. Over time, laws have been updated to make the scholarship more inclusive.

Changes and Growth in the 20th Century

After Cecil Rhodes passed away, other scholarships were created that were similar to the Rhodes. For example, the Commonwealth Fund Fellowships started in 1925. These allowed British students to study in the United States. The Kennedy Scholarship began in 1966, letting British students study at Harvard or MIT. In 1953, the Marshall Scholarship was created as a gift to the United States. It was open to both men and women, unlike the Rhodes Scholarship at that time.

Cecil Rhodes wanted scholars to stay in touch and share their experiences. This led to things like annual letters and alumni groups. In 2003, to celebrate 100 years of the Rhodes Trust, four former scholars received special awards from Oxford University.

The Rhodes Scholarship in the 21st Century

In 2013, a large donation of £75 million was given to the Rhodes Trust by John and Marcy McCall MacBain. This helped the scholarship continue its important work.

Since 2018, the Rhodes Scholarship is open to students from anywhere in the world. This includes the new Global Rhodes Scholarships. Many scholars have used their education to work for human rights and social justice. Some have even spoken out about Cecil Rhodes's own history. The scholarship also partners with other groups to help address issues like access to education and fairness. In recent years, the scholarship has become even more diverse, welcoming the first transgender woman and non-binary scholars.

How Scholars Are Chosen

What the Scholarship Looks For

Since 2018, the Rhodes Scholarship looks for students who show:

• Strong academic and literary skills.
• Energy to use their talents fully.
• Honesty, courage, dedication, kindness, and a desire to help others.
• Strong character and leadership qualities, with an interest in other people.

The number of scholarships given out varies by country. In the United States, it's very competitive. In 2020, about 2,300 students applied, and only 32 were chosen. This means only about 1.4% of all applicants received the scholarship. This makes it one of the most competitive scholarships in the world.

During the First and Second World Wars, scholarships for German students were paused. Later, in the 1990s, scholarships were expanded to other countries in Europe.

What Scholars Get

Rhodes Scholars can study almost any full-time postgraduate course at Oxford. This can be a master's degree, a research degree, or even a second undergraduate degree. The scholarship usually lasts for two years, but it can be for one or three years. The Rhodes Trust pays for university and college fees. Scholars also receive money each month to cover their living costs. While at Oxford, scholars live in a college and can also use Rhodes House. This historic building has study areas, a library, and other facilities.

Where Scholars Come From

The Rhodes Scholarship started with 60 scholarships. Four boys' schools in South Africa were specifically mentioned in Rhodes's will to receive scholarships. These schools now also include students from their partner girls' or co-educational schools.

Over the past 100 years, the trustees have added about 40 more scholarships. Some of these expanded the program to other countries in the Commonwealth. As of 2018, scholars are chosen from over 20 different areas around the world, covering 64 countries. In 2015, the scholarship expanded into new places like China and the United Arab Emirates. This was the biggest expansion since women became eligible in the 1970s.

What Rhodes Scholars Do

Many Rhodes Scholars have gone on to have successful careers. While few have "changed the world" in a huge way, most have done great things in their jobs and communities. Eight former Rhodes Scholars have even become leaders of their countries, including Bill Clinton, a former President of the United States.

Many scholars choose careers in education and teaching. Others work in law, business, medicine, and science. While Cecil Rhodes hoped scholars would work in government, only about 7% have done so.

Some of the most well-known Rhodes Scholars have become important voices for human rights and social justice. For example, Zambian activist Lucy Banda-Sichone was a prominent civil rights leader. Author Naomi Wolf wrote The Beauty Myth, which brought new ideas to feminism.

Making a Difference in Medicine and Science

Rhodes Scholars have made big impacts in medicine and science. Howard Florey was a scholar who, along with Ernst Chain, helped isolate and purify penicillin. This was a huge step in medicine. Robert Q. Marston, another scholar, led the National Institutes of Health in the USA.

Genetics and Disease Research

In 2014, Pardis Sabeti used advanced genetic tools to find the source of the Ebola outbreak in West Africa. She also leads an indie-rock band! Another scholar, Eric Lander, is a mathematician and geneticist. His work in human genetics helped create The Cancer Genome Atlas, which studies cancer.

Salim Yusuf researched heart health in developing countries. He found that changes in diet and city living led to more heart attacks and strokes. In Zimbabwe, A. Tariro Makadzange has studied HIV in children and adults. She also set up a new lab at the University of Zimbabwe.

Innovations in Surgery

After studying at Oxford, surgeon and author Atul Gawande became an advisor to Bill Clinton. He also created a helpful checklist to make surgeries safer. Other scholars have developed new surgical tools, like the GliaSite technique. This device helps lower risks during radiation therapy for brain tumors.

Many Rhodes Scholars have become neurosurgeons, who are brain surgeons. Wilder Penfield was a very influential neurosurgeon from Canada. Sir Hugh Cairns, another neurosurgeon, researched motorcycle helmets after treating Lawrence of Arabia.

Arts and Creativity

Literature and Writing

John Crowe Ransom was one of the first American Rhodes Scholars. He became a poet and critic. Robert Penn Warren, another scholar, changed how literature was taught in universities. Tasmanian scholar Richard Flanagan won the Man Booker Prize in 2014 for his novel The Narrow Road to the Deep North.

Music and Culture

Before becoming a Rhodes Scholar, lawyer Antonio Delgado (who is now the Lieutenant Governor of New York) made music. He used his music to talk about capitalism and fairness.

About 90 years before that, scholar Alain Locke used the phrase "keeping it real" in his book The New Negro. He used it to describe being true to African American culture. Locke's work inspired the Harlem Renaissance, and "keeping it real" is now a well-known idea in hip-hop music.

Science and Technology

Exploring Space

After studying how to power spacecraft at Oxford, Jennifer Gruber became a space engineer. She now helps coordinate missions between the Johnson Space Center and the International Space Station for NASA.

Understanding the Universe

Rhodes Scholar Brian Greene helped start a research center for strings, cosmology, and astroparticle physics at Columbia University. He has won awards for his non-fiction writing and made important discoveries in superstring theory, which helps explain how the universe works.

Other Scholarships Like the Rhodes

The Rhodes Scholarship has inspired many other similar awards around the world. These include:

• The Kennedy Scholarship for British students to study at Harvard University or MIT (started 1964).
• The international Yenching Scholarship for study at Peking University (started 2015).
• The international Schwarzman Scholarship for study at Tsinghua University (started 2016).
• The international Knight-Hennessy Scholars to study at Stanford University (started 2018).
• The international McCall MacBain Scholars to study at McGill University (started 2019).

Many of these scholarships, like the Gates Cambridge Scholarship and the Marshall Scholarship, are similar to the Rhodes. They often focus on leadership and public service. The Marshall Scholarship was created in 1953. Its founders wanted it to be open to women and married men, which was different from the Rhodes Scholarship at the time.

See also

• Marshall Scholarship
• Fulbright Program
• Gates Cambridge Scholarship
• Knight-Hennessy Scholars
• List of Rhodes Scholars