4) The most famous recipient is Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton is probably one of today’s most famous Rhodes Scholars. He attended Oxford University on a scholarship in 1968 and graduated in 1970 with a degree in political science.
The following year, he was accepted to Yale Law School, also through a scholarship.
In 1973, he became an assistant professor at the University of Arkansas, where he taught until 1976.
The Rhodes Scholarship began in 1902 as a way for British elites to study abroad without interrupting their careers.
It’s since expanded to Americans but remains for postgraduate study only (meaning you can’t win it during your undergraduate years).
In recent years, there have been more female recipients than males: Of the 7 winners this year, 5 are female and 2 are male.
There have been 3 female winners so far this decade out of 9 total winners (about 33%).
Only 5% of applicants get accepted: Out of 5000 applicants this year, 50 will be chosen to go on with their studies at Oxford next fall.
The majority of these applications come from Ivy League schools like Harvard, Princeton, Yale, and Columbia.
Students must be under 28 when they apply and cannot have earned a bachelor’s degree yet.
Applications are due October 1st.
One letter of recommendation should come from a school counselor or teacher, not family members.
Previous winners include musicians Yo-Yo Ma and Quincy Jones, journalist Christiane Amanpour, former Vice President Al Gore, and former Director of National Intelligence John Negroponte.