Calling all would-be Rhodes Scholars

 

The Graduate Studies Office has sent out its annual reminder and explanation about the application process for the prestigious Rhodes Scholarships.

The Rhodes Scholarship is a postgraduate scholarship supporting exceptional students at the University of Oxford in England. Established in the will of Cecil Rhodes in 1902, the Rhodes is the oldest and perhaps most prestigious international scholarship program in the world. Applicants for the Rhodes Scholarship are assessed for their intellectual distinction, physical vigour, character, commitment to service, and leadership.

Proven intellectual and academic attainment of a high standard is the first quality required of applicants, but they will also be required to show integrity of character, sympathy for and protection of the weak, the ability to lead and the energy to use their talents to the full.

Candidates must be Canadian citizens or permanent residents, be domiciled in Canada and have been born between October 2, 1989 and October 1, 1995. Applicants must have received an undergraduate degree before taking up the scholarship. Candidates may apply either in the province in which they are ordinarily resident (some exceptions apply) or in the province in which they have attended university.

Interested and qualified candidates are invited to familiarize themselves with the complete and official scholarship criteria and apply using the online application.

As the Rhodes Scholarship application process is online, students may request an official electronic copy of their Waterloo transcript from Heidi Mussar. Candidates who are endorsed by the University and subsequently shortlisted for an interview at Rhodes will be required to provide an original transcript, sealed and stamped by the University.

All candidates applying through the University of Waterloo must participate in an internal screening process and earn the endorsement of the University President. Therefore, Waterloo candidates must submit a hard copy of their application to Heidi Mussar in the Graduate Studies Office no later than September 6th, 2013.

Six letters of reference are required as part of the Rhodes Scholarship application. Once a candidate has registered their referee details in their online application, the Rhodes Trust will email referees to advise them how to submit their letters of appraisal online. Candidates must also ask their referees to email a copy of their reference letter to Heidi Mussar at hmussar@uwaterloo.ca in the Graduate Studies Office no later than September 6th.

Applicants selected for the Waterloo interview will be contacted by email by Friday, September 13, 2013. The University Scholarship Selection Committee will then determine which applicants will be endorsed by the university and will organize a supporting letter to be signed by the President of the University of Waterloo.

Applications and reference letters must be filed online through the website for the Rhodes Trust in Oxford no later than October 18th, 2013. It is strongly advised that Waterloo candidates do not actually submit their online application to Rhodes until they have been contacted by the Graduate Studies Office and have undergone the university interview process. The University of Waterloo's authorization code is "ON057".

Questions should be directed to Heidi Mussar.

 

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#uWaterlooBEST

 

Starting today and for the next five weeks, you get to decide what's best.

The "Best of Waterloo" campaign, a collaborative effort led by social media teams across campus, will see @uWaterloo and other area-specific Twitter handles pose two questions about campus life per week, and it's up to students, faculty, staff, alumni, and all stakeholders weigh in with the answers.

"In the pre-historic period," said a cheeky Aaron Miller, one of the campaign's quarterbacks, in reference to the bizarre and dimly remembered pre-Twitter era, "students had to find the best of on-campus and off-campus living for themselves. We want to change that. With the campus community's help, we're going to surface the best spots on and near campus for student living, student activities, studying, and things like that. Should be fun, and it'll be a big help to incoming students, as well."

When the campaign concludes, Miller and his colleagues will collate the data provided by campus, and a "Best at Waterloo" summary will run in the Daily Bulletin to help students bypass the trial-and-error usually involved in getting acclimated to new surroundings. "It's actually a cool little pilot project to assist with Orientation," said Miller. "Should help incoming students feel a bit more aware of their surroundings."

So with no further ado, here is Question #1 of 10:

"What is the best classroom/lecture theatre on campus?"

Tweet your answers with the hashtag #uWaterlooBEST, and share some of that hard-earned wisdom you've accumulated during your time at Waterloo.

It's for the best. (Sorry, had to. - The Editors)

 

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A Letter to the Phillippians and other notes

 

For those of you who like to use Phillip Street, take heart - the date for the street's reopening after extensive construction work is Wednesday, July 24. Phillip has been closed since late April for reconstruction.

Hours of operation for the Libraries will be changing for exam time, which runs from July 21 to August 17 inclusive. The Davis Centre library is open 24 hours except closed Sundays from 2:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. The Dana Porter Library is open Monday to Friday 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday 11:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m.

During the exam period, service desks and related services will be closed at regular times. There will be attendants at the Davis Centre Library for security purposes, and staff will monitor for noise, cell phone use, and hot foods that are not permitted in the library. On the last day of extended hours, August 17, the Davis Centre will close at midnight and Porter will close at 11:00 p.m. Throughout the Intercession (Sunday August 18 - September 8 inclusive), both the Davis Centre and the Porter will be open 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. from Monday to Friday, and 12:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

 

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