The pursuit of a premier award like a Rhodes Scholarship requires an application that gets the attention of the Selection Committees, well beyond 4.0 GPAs and academic achievement. If you want to make the cut you need to have the complete package! As a Citadel Distinguished Scholar, starting today you and your mentor are going to build a compelling case to apply for prestigious scholarships and admission to an elite university for graduate studies.
You have chosen the tougher path. To succeed you will need to exploit every resource and opportunity The Citadel offers and more.
To maximize your undergraduate academic experience:
- Choose an intellectual major and strongly consider a double major or minor
- Use your mentor to map out an academic plan for the next three years
- Be strategic in avoiding large, anonymous lecture classes, choosing instead to take the most advanced courses available and challenging electives
- Study a foreign language or two and study abroad
- Gain mastery of “great books” and one-on-one Oxford-style study through CDSP tutorials
- Develop relationships by meeting with faculty, diving deeper into the field of study, and forming a professional network of supporter
To strengthen your skills for rigorous deliberation and defense of ideas and arguments for interviews:
- Develop your communication skills through writing assignments and practice critical thinking and oral defense of your arguments in tutorials
- Find opportunities to participate in research projects and publish in your field
- Look for opportunities to present your papers, research or projects before an audience, and enter competitions
- Stay informed of current events by reading leading publications both in and outside your field of study in preparation for rigorous intellectual discourse
To demonstrate your depth and commitment as a global citizen:
- Attend faculty lectures and seminars on campus and community meetings and lectures off-campus to broaden your horizons and become informed
- Choose impactful extracurricular activities that make a difference in the community and demonstrate leadership whenever possible
- Be purposeful with your summers in choosing to do internships, summer study abroad, language immersion classes in a foreign country, research, or community service projects both home and abroad that improve the world
If you think you’ve done enough, do more!