I didn’t Fail, I learnt! — My journey to Rhodes Scholarship Finalist 2021
“Experience is what you get when you didn’t get what you wanted. And the experience is often the most valuable thing you have to offer.” — Randy Pausch. I wasn’t awarded the Rhodes Scholarship. However, I went from a being candidate to a Rhodes Scholarship Finalist. I was just an inch away from being awarded the scholarship. And as Randy said, “………experience is often the most valuable thing you have to offer” — Am here to share my experience with you, and maybe it may help you.
Where it all started.
It was on Monday, Jul 03, 2017, when Anne Kiguta hosted David Ndii in a segment called Monday Special on Kenya Citizen TV. I was in my room, in Kopano Residence at the University of Cape Town, watching the segment and I was moved by the ideas David Ndii was articulating. I wondered who this man was and what was his profile. Nowadays, it is easy to find someone’s profile online through Google. I quickly googled his name and a quick Wikipedia search would review that he was a Rhodes Scholar. I admired his intelligence and his commitment and passion to eradicate corruption in Africa. Wikipedia refers to him as “ one of Africa’s best-known economists and an outspoken anti-corruption crusader”. Am a firm believer that both academic and professional experiences contribute to one's knowledge and that meant the experience David had as a Rhodes Scholar, could have perhaps contributed to his intelligence and understanding of issues affecting the country.
I was inspired and motivated to research on what Rhodes Scholarships are, who are former recipients of the scholarships, what does it take to be a Rhodes scholar, how is the application process, and some of the testimonials from former Rhodes Scholar
What are Rhodes Scholarships?
Rhodes scholarship is regarded as one of the most prestigious scholarships in the world. The scholarship was established in 1902 by Cecil Rhodes to enable young people — let us call them leaders — to study at Oxford University. Judging from the experience and how various alumni such as Ndii have managed to establish and distinguish themselves in their respective fields, Rhodes scholarship does not only offer financial support, NO! it is more than that. The scholarship is a life-changing opportunity where various scholars meet their peers who have the vision to change and stand up for the world in their specific fields.
You can read more about Rhodes Scholarships here.
The scholarship is supported by Rhodes Trust, which was established from the will of Cecil Rhodes dated 1853–1902. Besides Rhodes Scholarship, the organization also supports other several programs such as Mandela Rhodes Foundation, RISE Program, Schmidt science fellows, and many others.
Every year, Rhodes Trust provides 100 scholarships across the world. The scholarships are divided in terms of what is called Rhodes Scholarships constituencies. By 2020, there were 23 constituencies each with its quota of scholarships. Each constituency has its own secretary who oversees the selection process in that constituency. The application processes may differ from one constituency to another but many application requirements are the same.
You can read more about Rhodes Scholarships Constituencies here.
To start the application process, you have to first identify which constituency you come from and whether you meet the eligibility criteria. I come from Kenya and this meant that I was to apply to the Kenyan constituency.
Starting to craft my application.
Just to remind you that the first time I heard about Rhodes scholarships was in 2017. This year, I was just a first-year student at the University of Cape Town. I was inspired to apply for the scholarship when the right time comes. Every now and then, I would look at the Rhodes Trust social media handles to update myself on what was happening across the scholarship and I would also keep tracking what David Ndii and other Kenyan Rhodes scholars were doing. I actually followed David Ndii on Twitter due to this. I would also keep checking the requirements of the scholarship to ensure that I was on track to meet the eligibility criteria of the scholarship more so for the Kenyan constituency.
It was now in 2020 — the right time for me to apply for the Rhodes scholarship. One of my 2020 goals was to secure funding for my graduate studies and one of the options was the Rhodes scholarship as the funding could enable me to take graduate studies at Oxford University in 2021. I wished I could get in contact with the current Rhodes scholars so that I could ask them about their experience on how they went about the application process and what they did differently to get the scholarship. Luckily, my story entitled “From Village Boy to a graduate of the University of Cape Town” had been published by the University of Cape Town news official website which attracted many university alumni and students.
One of the alumni who read my story was Dr Tinashe Chandauka who was a Rhodes scholar. After reading my story, he decided to reach out to me through Hellen Swingler who had covered my story to graduation. This was in April 2020 and Tinashe encouraged me to apply for the Rhodes Scholarship. He described Rhodes scholarship as a life-changing opportunity for him. (He recently finished his Ph.D., and I take this chance to congratulate him). I took the time to ask him all the questions I had and one thing he advised me to do is to develop a PLAN and STRATEGIZE on how I will draft and put forward a very strong application. He emphasized that I had the potential to get the scholarship, but that needed me to put a strong application as the competition for the Rhodes scholarship demands one’s application to be excellent.
In May 2020, I emailed the Kenyan Rhodes scholarship secretary on when the scholarship application of the Kenyan constituency will start and I was notified that the applications were to open on June 01, 2020, till August 31, 2020. I marked my calendar and I started to develop the plan and strategy that I will use to draft a strong application. I bought a separate exercise book where I used to write some ideas on how I will make my application strong and unique. I knew I was a potential candidate since I had fulfilled their criteria, but every time I thought that the Kenya constituency can only send 2 Rhodes scholars, I knew that called for a very strong application that will convince the selection committee to invite me to the final interview. I started to identify various referees who would recommend me for the scholarship. The scholarship requires 5 referees and their recommendation letters need to be strong and authentic to make your application strong too. You need to identify people or lecturers who can speak about YOU, not your CV, but who you are and how your interaction with them makes them feel you are a potential Rhodes scholar.
On June 01, 2020, the Rhodes scholarships of the Kenyan constituency started accepting applications. I knew I had until 31st August 2020 to submit my application that meant I had 90 days to prepare and submit my application. I decided to speak to another Rhodes Scholar who was also a Mandela Rhodes Scholar, Brian Mugendi, to hear what his experience was when he was preparing to submit his application. Brain emphasized that I needed to take some time to think about what I am passionate about and how my life experiences up to that specific time of application had influenced the choice of my field of study
After meeting with Brian and Tinashe, I was now ready to start drafting my application. I was ready to challenge myself. I was ready to execute my plan and strategy.
During the application process.
I describe myself as an individual who appreciates the art of reading instructions in-depth and understanding them. The first step for me was basically reading the instructions about the application process.
After reading the application instructions, I identified two of the most important tasks in the application process. These tasks were: One — drafting a clear and strong personal statement two, identifying five referees who knew me very well and not superficially. The rest of the application was answering some questions and uploading various documents. This meant that 80% of the application was composed of two tasks.
I decided to start writing my personal statement as early as possible so as to keep refining it as time went by. One big challenge I faced while writing the personal statement was to express myself and why I wanted to study in Oxford for only 1000 words — seemed impossible at first. I knew that the instructions were clear and if I wanted my application to be strong, I had to adhere fully to the instructions. This meant that I had to use the 1000 words as provided by the instructions and not add even a single word since that extra word could weaken my application. It took me three weeks to complete the first draft of my personal statement. I used to write it at night when it was quiet and serene so as to get ideas flowing — I work naturally and productive at night.
After finishing the first draft, I read the statement again and felt that I had not expressed myself enough and I could identify several instances of unclear statements. I re-edited the statement and I had version two. I read it and felt it was a bit okay. This was around the end of June.
One rule by the Rhode scholarships and I quote from the instructions, “ is that personal statement should be wholly accurate and a fair representation of your story, written in your own words from your own perspective.” One evening, I decided to review my personal statement again and I felt that it did not express fully who I was still. The personal statement should not be a description of your CV- NO! Again NO! Again No!. It usually describes who you are, what matters to you, and what you are passionate about. The first two versions of my personal statement were basically descriptions of my CV. I started to think maybe I was not really taking time to think about who am and what influenced me to study computer science and what was motivating me to choose to pursue MSc in computer science at Oxford — It seemed I had forgotten Brian’s advice. I decided to take a week off from the application process and think carefully about what had influenced my decision to study computer science and why I was passionate about pursuing further studies. I wrote down the key life experiences that have happened in my life and through that, I got the reason why I decided to study computer science — it is my passion to create safe cyberspace which was influenced by an MPESA scam that had happened to me. I started to connect the dots on how this experience had influenced my decision to promote digital literacy in Cape Town. It reminded me of my trip to Germany and how I went to research cybersecurity in Germany. It reminded me of my role in the University of Cape Town Developer society where I was the Chair and my role was to ensure members had acquired the right digital skills. From this, I developed the flow of my personal statement.
I wrote version three of my personal statement. Till the final version, I had edited the personal statement seven times. You can view the final personal statement here. Disclaimer: Personal statements have no specific flow on how they should be written — it should just be your own work and present how you feel the statement describes you fully.
As I was writing my personal statement, I reached out to my referees to explain to them why I thought they were perfect referees for me. I explained to them what I wanted to pursue in Oxford and why I thought Rhodes Scholarship would be a good avenue for me. I decided to hold a small meeting with each referee to explain to them the need to take their time to write a good recommendation letter rather than just submitting a generic student recommendation letter. I wanted them to describe various instances I had interacted with them and why those instances had proved to them that I was a potential Rhodes candidate. Three academic referees are needed, and here I reached out to three key computer science academics at the University of Cape Town whom we had interacted with and who knew me very well. Two character referees are needed and here I reached out to Equity Group Foundation Mentorship coordinator, George Iraki, which is an organization I have worked with to mentor young people in Kenya for the last 7 years. I also reached out to my colleague, Simphiwe Nyatikazi, whom we worked with at the Enactus University of Cape Town Chapter. Simphiwe was the President of the society and I was the treasurer of the society. Referees are not supposed to show you the recommendation letter, but after the whole process was done that is after the final interview had been done, I asked Simphiwe to send me the recommendation letter he wrote for me since it must have played a huge role in making my application strong. I also needed it for other purposes too. You can view it here. (I was amazed by how he took his time to write a very strong recommendation letter for me.).
After the personal statement was done and all recommendation letters had been submitted, I quickly finished the other parts of the application by uploading the necessary documents and answering the short questions. By the end of August, my application was ready to be submitted.
Just to add that, through the application process, I was still busy with my Computer science honors degree and the research project. I was also busy with my role as the Chair of the University of Cape Town Developers’ society. So to get time to draft and put through my Rhodes scholarship application, I had to create time. A mentor told me, “There is no time, time is created”. I created time by squeezing up my free time and using it to draft the application.
Nevertheless, On 30th August 2020 at 16:00 hrs SAST, I submitted my application. The wait now began.
According to the Rhodes scholarship website, all the results were to be released by 15th November 2020. I marked the dates on my calendar and once in a while, I would look at the status of my application on the application portal. Obviously, you know the anxiety that accompanies this? Right? According to the Rhodes scholarship website, all the results were to be released by 15th November 2020.
Interview invitation and Interview day.
It was on October 26, 2020, After taking my supper, I decided to finish up my assignment which was due on 01st November 2020. I was googling something but accidentally I switched my chrome tab and reloaded my Gmail and guess what I got in my inbox, I had been invited to the Rhodes scholarship final interview. “You have been shortlisted for the 2021 Rhodes Scholarships for Kenya. …” the email read. I felt so much excitement in me to see that the selection committee was happy with my application and they saw it fit to invite me to the final interview. I heard through the alumni that only a maximum of 8 finalists are selected in the Kenya constituency meaning my application was among the top 8. — I was happy indeed but rather I knew the biggest battle was about to start, preparing for the final interview. The interview to identify the top 2 — this feeling made me lost in thoughts.
As I said before, “If you are not planning, you are planning to fail!”. And since I wasn’t ready to fail, I decided to plan and strategize.
I decided to prepare for the interview by doing 7 mock interviews with some of my friends. I had a notebook where I had dedicated myself to write a few points here and there — you know. The sessions I had with my friends helped me to tailor my responses well by helping me to articulate my points clearly and simply. I talked with a few Rhodes scholars about the interview and they told me — “Just be YOU! Don’t just misrepresent yourself, but rather show who you are and make the conversation enjoyable.
Due to COVID-19, the interviews were to be conducted virtually. Normally, the final interviews are preceded by a dinner where the finalists are chosen from. This couldn’t happen this year due to COVID-19 but actually, the Rhodes Scholarship team made it easier for finalists to do the interview in the NEW NORMAL. The platform that was used for interviews was zoom.
Prior to the interview, I made sure that I had tested my internet connection to ensure that I had the best experience during the interview. Obviously, I had my best suit — you can see it here and got some water to keep me hydrated. I ensured the lighting was good and on point — I used a ring light to ensure the panelist could see me properly. I had some nice headsets I use for programming — most software programmers have good headsets (If you want good headsets that are noise canceling, ask one of your favorite software programmers). In other words, I was superset for the interview. The interview date was 06th November 2020.
On the interview day, I woke up at 3 am to check that everything was working well such that if not working well, I would quickly procure or borrow one in advance. I had a backup phone and internet data bundles just in case my laptop failed or WiFi went MIA(missing in action).
To cut the long story short, I was interviewed at 9.30 Am EAT and the interview lasted for 40–45 minutes. The best part is that I really enjoyed having conversations with the panelist and expressing to them the need to create safe cyberspace in sub-Saharan Africa. I also added why Oxford was a good fit for me. I told them that Oxford Global Cyber Security Capacity Centre has developed the CMM(Cyber Security Maturity Model) which is a model that has been used across the globe to measure the maturity of countries’ cybersecurity systems. It is actually a model I am looking to engage within my graduate studies in Cybersecurity. You can read more about the Oxford global cybersecurity capacity center here.
I enjoyed the interview and after the interview, I felt relieved but anxious as I waited for the final results. I was fulfilled with the process as I did as much as I could. In other words, I had fought my battle.
After the interview.
The interview was done on a Friday and we were told to wait for results by the following week Monday. I waited for the phone call and finally, I received a phone call from Rhodes scholarship Kenya deputy secretary and broke the news to me. Were they good or bad news? One thing about me is that, am a strong, open-minded person who believes in any outcome of a competition. This quality has helped me to manage my expectations. I was ready for a Yes or No since I was fulfilled with the whole process. Through the process, I learnt and discovered what I am passionate about, Cybersecurity. The news I received was, “We were very happy to engage with you on Friday about Cybersecurity. Unfortunately, (When I heard this word, I started smiling since I knew I was out of the game, but I was fulfilled with what I had gained in the process — EXPERIENCE!) Short story, I did not make it to Rhodes Scholar Elect — Kenya Constituency. My title remains a Rhodes scholar finalist. — Certificate is here.
I won’t manage to apply again next year as I will be over age next year as I will be more than 24 years old but I felt the need to share my experience with you — yes, you, the one reading this article.
I have applied for other scholarships from the experience I got from applying to Rhodes Scholarships and they are going on well with one I am waiting for final results by Mid January 2021. Am also waiting for other three scholarships I applied for and the final results will be released by Mid February 2021. I have used the same personal statement I wrote during the Rhodes scholarship application but in various versions since I feel it describes my passion and why.
Advice to future Rhodes scholarship applicants.
- Having a sound strategy is key to acing your application. Not planning is planning to fail. Strategize. Take your time to prepare a strong application, don’t submit early thinking that they will look at your application before the other applications, No! Take your time in making your application stand out, engage with your referees to make sure they understand why you want to go to Oxford. Obviously, they may know you but pitch to them also what your relationship with them matters in you being a potential scholar.
- Be prepared to learn in the process., The ultimate goal is to be a Rhodes Scholar, but be open-minded. The statement of purpose you craft in the process can also help you to apply for other scholarships or funding opportunities.
- Trust in yourself. Don’t hire scholarship personnel to craft your application, I can guarantee you that will not make you a Rhodes Scholar. Authenticity matters. Rhodes selection committee is interested in knowing you — both weaknesses and strengths.
- During the final interview, make your answers short and precise. — This is from a current Rhodes scholar. I can’t give any advice about the final interview, since that is the point I was ejected.
- If you get the scholarship or not, THE EXPERIENCE IS REALLY WORTH.
Conclusion!
Every adventure you take as an individual, be courageous to be imperfect. Be ready for any outcome of that adventure — be open-minded. But most importantly, BE READY TO LEARN! That is why I say, “I didn’t fail, I learnt”. Cherish the learning you got.
If you believe you are an exceptional person who will create real change in the world, and who has outstanding intellect, character, leadership, and commitment to service, All the best in becoming the next Rhodes Scholar!
Special Acknowledgements and gratitude
- Dr. Tinashe Chandauka and Brian Mugendi for your key advice and encouragement during the application.
- Andrea Silaji for constantly calling me to check up on how I was doing with the application. Actually, Silaji is motivated to apply for the Rhodes Scholarship for the 2022 intake, East Africa constituency. Currently, he is a member of the Afrikan Research Initiative where is he is busy with other researchers designing and creating the African COVID-19 risk model. https://www.afrikanresearchinitiative.com/
- My academic Recommenders: Dr. Josiah Chavula, A/Prof Michelle Kuttel, Mr. Gary Stewart, Mr. Simphiwe Nyathikazi, and Mr. George Iraki for agreeing to write strong recommendations for me. You also submitted the recommendations on time, THANKS so much.
- Miriam Mueni — She is the current Rhode scholar elect for Kenya constituency for 2021. We encouraged each other when we were preparing for the final interview and most importantly, prayed for each other. You can view her profile here https://www.rhodeshouse.ox.ac.uk/scholars/rhodes-scholars-class-of-2021/mirriam-mueni/
If you may want to have a conversation with me on Cybersecurity, Digital Literacy, Agritech, Edtech, or any other interesting conversation,
Connect with me at:
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Email: ngangawillie84@gmail.com
Author: Willie Macharia, a graduate student at the University of Cape Town and a Mastercard Foundation scholar.
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