College supports three students for Rhodes Scholar application
Paul Mueller, Cameron Wilkens and Dennis Walton endorsed by college faculty for prestigious educational spot; selection based on grades and leadership
Kat Timpf
Issue date: 10/23/08 Section: News
Although no Hillsdale College student has yet won a Rhodes Scholarship, Professor of History Paul Rahe is pushing students to apply.
The Rhodes Scholarship is a two- to three-year fellowship for study at Oxford University. Its committee selects 32 United States citizens each year. This year, the college nominated seniors Paul Mueller, Cameron Wilkens and Dennis Walton.
Rahe said he believes Hillsdale College has never had a Rhodes Scholar because students haven't applied. He said other schools select applicants systematically, and that military academies even offer a course for their candidates.
Rahe, himself a former Rhodes Scholar, oversees students and their applications. He assists applicants with getting their letters of recommendation and improving their personal essays.
The scholarship is based on grade point average, leadership ability and athletic talent, and that scholarship lifts participants over others in their age group, particularly in politics, Rahe said.
"In your 20s, it's a huge advantage," Rahe said. "People naturally look to you for leadership."
Rahe said he fondly remembers his time spent at Oxford.
"Anyone who wins one of these will have the time of his or her life," Rahe said.
Mueller said he wants to study economics at Oxford.
"Economics is sort of my forte," Mueller said. "It's what I really enjoy thinking about. They have a good program at Oxford and its more mathematical than the programs here at Hillsdale, so I think it would be a good balance."
Mueller said he also wants to study in England because of its ties to American history and because he loves C.S. Lewis.
Assistant Professor of Economics Nikolai Wenzel, who is assisting Rahe's efforts, said he is excited about what a Rhodes Scholarship recipient could do for the college.
"It's a top international scholarship," Wenzel said. "In addition to being a good for the student who receives it, it looks good for Hillsdale."
The Rhodes Scholarship is a two- to three-year fellowship for study at Oxford University. Its committee selects 32 United States citizens each year. This year, the college nominated seniors Paul Mueller, Cameron Wilkens and Dennis Walton.
Rahe said he believes Hillsdale College has never had a Rhodes Scholar because students haven't applied. He said other schools select applicants systematically, and that military academies even offer a course for their candidates.
Rahe, himself a former Rhodes Scholar, oversees students and their applications. He assists applicants with getting their letters of recommendation and improving their personal essays.
The scholarship is based on grade point average, leadership ability and athletic talent, and that scholarship lifts participants over others in their age group, particularly in politics, Rahe said.
"In your 20s, it's a huge advantage," Rahe said. "People naturally look to you for leadership."
Rahe said he fondly remembers his time spent at Oxford.
"Anyone who wins one of these will have the time of his or her life," Rahe said.
Mueller said he wants to study economics at Oxford.
"Economics is sort of my forte," Mueller said. "It's what I really enjoy thinking about. They have a good program at Oxford and its more mathematical than the programs here at Hillsdale, so I think it would be a good balance."
Mueller said he also wants to study in England because of its ties to American history and because he loves C.S. Lewis.
Assistant Professor of Economics Nikolai Wenzel, who is assisting Rahe's efforts, said he is excited about what a Rhodes Scholarship recipient could do for the college.
"It's a top international scholarship," Wenzel said. "In addition to being a good for the student who receives it, it looks good for Hillsdale."
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Marcus
posted 10/23/08 @ 2:48 PM EST
Best wishes for the applicants. I am a Hillsdale College graduate and went to Oxford for a masters on my own. You don't need a scholarship to go.
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