THE MARSHALL SCHOLARSHIP

The Marshall Scholarship is very similar to the Rhodes Scholarship. The biggest difference with the Marshall Scholarship is that the Marshall Scholar can study at any university in the United Kingdom whereas the Rhodes Scholar must complete his studies at Oxford University.

The Marshall Scholarship was founded in 1953. Named after military leader George Marshall, the initial Marshall Scholarship class included eight men and four women chosen from over seven hundred applicants.

Marshall is widely considered to be a key reason for the Allied victory in World War II. He went on to win the Nobel Peace Prize, mostly for his efforts to rebuild Europe in what has become known as the Marshall Plan.

Like the Rhodes Scholar program, the Marshall Scholarship application process is highly selective. In 2010, nine hundred and sixty one Marshall Scholarship applicants were endorsed by their university, one hundred sixty two were interviewed and thirty five were ultimately selected.

What does it take to win a Marshall Scholarship? For starters, you have to have a 3.7 or better grade point average. While a Marshall Scholar can come from any college or university in the United States, those schools most often represented are Harvard, Yale, MIT, Princeton and Stanford.

In recent years more women than men have had their Marshall Scholarship application endorsed by their university. This may have something to do with the recent trend at American colleges that has resulted in fifty eight percent of the student body being women. In addition to this, women are getting better grades and graduate more often than their male counterparts.

However, when it comes to actually winning a Marshall Scholarship men have dominated the field. In 2010, for instance, sixty three percent of those selected as Marshall Scholars were men.

Potential Marshall Scholarship winners should not be discouraged by the fact that many of the more successful Marshall Scholars come from elite universities like Harvard, Yale, MIT, Princeton and Stanford. The fact is that only twenty percent of overall winners come from Ivy League schools. Forty six percent come from other private universities, twenty nine percent from state/public schools and five percent from the service academies.

The Marshall Scholarship pays university fees, cost of living expenses, and other miscellaneous costs such as those associated with thesis and research grants and travel costs. It’s interesting to note that while the Marshall Scholarship allows its recipients to choose any university in the United Kingdom about half choose the University of London.

There are over 1,500 Marshall Scholar alumni, most of them living in the United States. Some notable Marshall Scholars include Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer, Pulitzer Prize winning author Anne Applebaum and former governor of Arizona, Bruce Babbit.

One stated purpose of the Marshall Scholarship is to help scholars understand and appreciate modern Britain. The hope is that Marshall Scholars will be motivated to act as ambassadors from the United States to the United Kingdom and vice versa.

Marshall Scholarship winners are free to choose any course of study. They most often study science, technology, humanities, social sciences and the creative arts.

The Marshall Scholarship was established to express the continuing gratitude the British people have toward America. Sending forty of America’s best and brightest to Britain every year will keep that gratitude flowing in both directions.