Rhodes Scholarship

The Rhodes Scholarships were created by Englishman Cecil John Rhodes. They have been awarded to applicants annually since 1902 by the Oxford-based Rhodes Trust, on the basis of academic qualities as well as those of character. They provide the successful candidate with two years of study at the University of Oxford in England, possibly extended for a third year.

Standards

The requirements for applicants are high. Rhodes' legacy specified four standards by which applicants were to be judged:

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

• literary and scholastic attainments;
• energy to use one's talents to the full, as exemplified by fondness for and success in sports;
• truth, courage, devotion to duty, sympathy for and protection of the weak, kindliness, unselfishness and fellowship;
• moral force of character and instincts to lead, and to take an interest in one's fellow beings.

Rhodes' legacy originally provided for scholarships for the British colonies, the United States, and Germany. These three were chosen so that "an understanding between the three great powers will render war impossible."

Related Topics:
British colonies - United States - Germany - Great power

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Rhodes, who attended Oxford University, chose his alma mater as the site of his great experiment because he believed its residential colleges provided the ideal environment for intellectual contemplation and personal development.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~