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 international award. It helps students from around the world study at the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. This scholarship is for postgraduate studies, which means it's for students who have already finished their first university degree.

Started in 1902, it's the oldest scholarship of its kind in the world. Many people think it's one of the most important international scholarships. The person who created it, Cecil Rhodes, wanted to bring English-speaking countries closer. He also hoped to teach future leaders to be good citizens and strong in character. At first, only men from certain countries could apply. But now, it's open to both men and women from all over the world.

Many Rhodes Scholars have become famous in different fields. They include politicians, scientists, writers, and business leaders. Some have even won the Nobel Prize. Several scholars have become leaders of their countries, like U.S. President Bill Clinton. Other well-known scholars are scientist Howard Florey, astronomer Edwin Hubble, and musician Kris Kristofferson.

How the Rhodes Scholarship Started

Why Was the Scholarship Created?

By the early 1900s, many scholarships already existed. These often helped students from British colonies study in the UK. The Rhodes Scholarship was similar, but it quickly became very famous. It was set up in 1902 by Cecil Rhodes through his will.

Rhodes had two main goals for the scholarships. He wanted to unite the British Empire. He also hoped to make friends between Britain and the United States. He believed that if English-speaking people worked together, it would help keep the world peaceful.

Rhodes himself studied at Oriel College, Oxford. He thought that Oxford's colleges were the perfect place for future world leaders to meet and become friends.

Some people still discuss Rhodes's old beliefs about different groups of people. However, his final will for the scholarship said that no student should be judged because of their background or beliefs.

The Rhodes Trust manages and gives out the scholarships. Their office is at Rhodes House in Oxford. Over the years, laws have been changed to make sure the scholarship is fair. For example, in 1976, it became open to women.

Important Moments in the 20th Century

Other scholarships were created to be like the Rhodes Scholarship. For example, the Commonwealth Fund Fellowships started in 1925. These helped British students study in the United States. The Marshall Scholarship began in 1953. It was a gift from the UK to the US and was open to both men and women.

Cecil Rhodes wanted scholars to meet and share their ideas. So, there are special events and groups for Rhodes Scholars. They can connect with each other and discuss their experiences.

In 2003, the Rhodes Trust celebrated 100 years. Four former Rhodes Scholars received special awards from Oxford University.

The Rhodes Scholarship Today

In 2013, a big donation of £75 million helped the Rhodes Trust. This money came from John and Marcy McCall MacBain.

Since 2018, the Rhodes Scholarship is open to students from anywhere in the world. This is thanks to new "Global Rhodes Scholarships." Many scholars have worked for human rights and social justice. Some have even openly discussed Cecil Rhodes's past actions.

The scholarship aims to help more people get higher education. In 2019, Hera Jay Brown became the first transgender woman to receive a Rhodes Scholarship. Two non-binary scholars were also chosen in 2020.

How Scholars Are Chosen

What Do They Look For?

Cecil Rhodes did not want to choose only "bookworms." He wanted scholars who were well-rounded. He looked for:

• Good grades and academic skills.
• Being active and successful in sports.
• Good character, like being truthful, brave, and kind.
• Leadership skills and caring about others.

Rhodes had a point system to help choose candidates. He wanted students to be judged by their grades, their friends, and their school leaders.

In 2018, these criteria were updated. Now, they look for:

• Strong academic achievements.
• Energy to use your talents fully.
• Truth, courage, kindness, and helping the weak.
• Leadership and caring about other people.

How Hard Is It to Get In?

The scholarship is very competitive. In the United States, about 2,300 students try to get their university's support each year. Only 953 of them are officially supported. Out of those, only 32 are chosen. This means only about 1.4% of all applicants get the scholarship.

Globally, the acceptance rate is even lower, around 0.7%. This makes the Rhodes Scholarship one of the hardest scholarships to get in the world.

During the two World Wars, German scholars were not chosen. But later, the scholarships were brought back for Germany. Between 1993 and 1995, scholarships were also offered to students from other countries in Europe.

What Does the Scholarship Cover?

Rhodes Scholars can study almost any 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. It can sometimes be for one or three years.

The Rhodes Trust pays for university and college fees. Scholars also get money each month to cover their living costs and housing. While at Oxford, scholars live in a college. They can also use Rhodes House, a large building with study areas and gardens.

Where Do Scholars Come From?

When the scholarship first started, there were 60 scholarships.

Cecil Rhodes's will named four boys' schools in South Africa that would get a scholarship each year. Over the years, these have also opened up to girls' schools.

In the last 100 years, about 40 more scholarships have been added. Some of these went to countries in the Commonwealth that were not in the original will.

As of 2018, scholars are chosen from over 20 areas around the world. In 2015, the scholarship expanded to new places like China and the United Arab Emirates. The expansion into China was the biggest change since women became eligible in the 1970s.

What Do Rhodes Scholars Do?

Many Rhodes Scholars have successful careers. While not all of them "change the world," most do great things in their jobs and communities. Eight former Rhodes Scholars have become leaders of their countries. These include Bill Clinton (United States) and three Prime Ministers of Australia: Bob Hawke, Tony Abbott, and Malcolm Turnbull.

From 1951 to 1997, many American Rhodes Scholars went into education (32%) or law (20%). Others worked in business (15%) or medicine and science (10%). Even though Cecil Rhodes hoped scholars would work in government, only about 7% have done so.

The most popular career for Rhodes Scholars is in education and universities. Many become professors or deans. Some have also become important figures in civil rights movements. For example, author Naomi Wolf wrote about ideas of beauty and power.

Rhodes Scholars have also made a big impact in medicine and science. Howard Florey was a Rhodes Scholar who 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.

Helping Others and Fighting for Fairness

Law and Justice

Even early on, some scholars challenged the founder's views. For example, Bram Fischer, an anti-apartheid lawyer from South Africa, fought for equal rights for all South Africans in the 1930s. He later faced serious consequences for his beliefs. Other scholars have also worked on difficult social issues.

Education and Child Welfare

After leaving Oxford, Jonathan Kozol became a teacher. He wrote about how unfair education was in America. Rhodes Scholars Marc Kielburger and Roxanne Joyal also work to help children. Their organization builds schools and educates children in developing countries.

Civil and Human Rights

Much of the work by Rhodes Scholars in civil and human rights has been in Africa. South African Justice Edwin Cameron worked for LGBT rights. Journalist Nick Kristof helped show the world about terrible events like the Darfur genocide. Rhiana Gunn-Wright helped create the Green New Deal, a plan for climate action.

New Ideas in Medicine

Genetics

In 2014, Pardis Sabeti, an Iranian Rhodes Scholar, used science to find the source of the Ebola outbreak in West Africa. She also sings in an indie-rock band!

Another scholar, Eric Lander, is a mathematician and geneticist. His ideas helped create The Cancer Genome Atlas, which studies cancer genes.

Understanding Diseases

Salim Yusuf, an Indian scholar, studied heart health. He found that changes in diet and city living in developing countries led to more heart attacks.

In Zimbabwe, A. Tariro Makadzange researched children with HIV. She also set up a new lab at the University of Zimbabwe.

Surgery

Surgeon and author Atul Gawande became an advisor to Bill Clinton. He created a helpful checklist to make surgeries safer. Other scholars have also invented new surgical tools.

Many Rhodes Scholars have become brain surgeons. Wilder Penfield, a Canadian Rhodes Scholar, was a very important neurosurgeon. Sir Hugh Cairns, another scholar, researched motorcycle helmets after treating Lawrence of Arabia.

Arts and Creativity

Literature

John Crowe Ransom, an American poet, was one of the first Rhodes Scholars. He helped start an important literary group. Robert Penn Warren, another scholar, changed how literature was taught in universities. Tasmanian Rhodes Scholar Richard Flanagan won the Man Booker Prize for his novel The Narrow Road to the Deep North.

Music and Culture

Before becoming a politician, Antonio Delgado used to make hip-hop music. He talked about capitalism and unfairness.

Long ago, Rhodes 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. This idea later became very important in hip-hop music.

Science and Technology

Space Exploration

After studying at Oxford, Dr. 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 create a center for studying strings, cosmology, and astroparticle physics. He has made important discoveries about superstring theory, which tries to explain how the universe works.

Other Scholarships Like Rhodes

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

• The Kennedy Scholarship for British students to study at Harvard University or Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
• The international Yenching Scholarship for study at Peking University.
• The international Schwarzman Scholarship for study at Tsinghua University.
• The international Knight-Hennessy Scholars to study at Stanford University.
• The international McCall MacBain Scholars to study at McGill University.

Like the Rhodes, many of these scholarships focus on public service and leadership. They also often allow students to study at only one specific university.

See also

• List of Rhodes Scholars
• Gates Cambridge Scholarship
• Marshall Scholarship
• Fulbright Program