Three MIT students win Rhodes Scholarships by Matt McGann '00
In case you're wondering, yes, that's a lot of Rhodes Scholarships.
On Saturday evening, the Rhodes Trust announced the 32 Americans who have won the 2009 Rhodes Scholarships. The Rhodes Scholarship, described as “the oldest and best known award for international study,” includes among its winners political figures like Bill Clinton, George Stephanopoulos and David Souter; scientists like Edwin Hubble, Robert J. van de Graaff and Brian Greene; journalists like Nicholas Kristof, Michael Kinsley and Walter Isaacson; and MIT Admissions bloggers like Melis ’08.
This year, MIT students won three of the 32 scholarships. This brings MIT’s count to 43 Rhodes Scholars.
Below, find the “official” biographies of the students from rhodesscholar.org (links mine):
 Caroline J. Huang, Newark [Delaware], is a senior at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology where she majors in brain and cognitive sciences, with minors in psychology and political science. At MIT, she founded the MIT branch of Camp Kesem, a student-run and free camp for the children of cancer patients. Caroline’s research uses MRI imaging to investigate the area of the brain associated with reading, with applications to dyslexia. She also interned for Senator Edward Kennedy. At Oxford, she plans to do a doctorate in public health with a focus on bioethics. |
 Ugwechi W. Amadi, Camden [North Carolina], is a senior at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, majoring in brain and cognitive science, with a minor in literature. She has done research on post-traumatic stress disorder, and atherosclerotic restenosis at MIT, and on brain atrophy and alzheimers at the Massachusetts General Hospital. She is also active in mentoring middle school girls. Ugwechi plans to do the M.Sc. in psychological research at Oxford. |
 Steven Mo, Pearland [Texas], is a senior at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he majors in biology and minors in economics. He spent his junior year studying biochemistry and molecular biology at the University of Cambridge. He has conducted research in breast cancer pathology, and in the Harvard-MIT laboratory in multistate regenerative technologies. Steven has organized and taught classes for high school science students, and has won numerous prizes in biology and biomedical engineering. He plans to do a doctorate in bioengineering at Oxford. |
Congrats to Caroline, Ugwechi, and Steven!
It’s awesome that 2 out of the 3 are doing course 9!
Congratulations!!
Congrats to all the winners. They make me wanna come to MIT all the more
Wow… 3 out of 32 scholarships is AMAZING!!! MIT is such an unbelievable school; it seems like everyone who graduates from it has done or will do something incredible.
Nice to see the kind of students MIT produces, it makes me want to go there and get my own Rhodes scholarship
Wow! That’s an amazing accomplishment!
Congrats to the three winners!
Congrats to the three rhodes scholars!
I’m not even in MIT and I’m already pumped!!
MIT really is SOME PLACE!!
Three out of thirty-two!
Congrats.=)
Best of wishes to all winners in their future careers!
Hometown REPRESENT!
yay congo!!!
Congrats! And Yeaaaah Texas! :]
@ Anan:
Although Cecil Rhodes did specify a “sports requirement” for the scholarship, it is now modernly interpreted as if you are active physically and pursue a healthy lifestyle, then you fulfill that part of the sports requirement. You don’t actually have to be on a sports team or anything to win the scholarship. Many applicants just put down that they do some kind of physical exercise recreationally and that generally suffices.
“Harvard University had the most recipients this year, with five. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology had the second highest number of scholarship winners, with three. Three institutions had two winners each: the U.S. Military Academy, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and Yale University.”
Also, MIT beat out Yale and Princeton (1) this year!
(also, if only count current enrolled students, we beat out Harvard too – Harvard had 2 current seniors and 3 recent grads that won Rhodes)
Go MIT!! =D
What are their sports?
This is great motivation for some of us to do our aim at even greater things.
@Oasis:
Yeah, MIT rocks!
hi please too meet you
Truly spectacular! No need to argue between Harvard Vs. MIT – which has brass rats and smoots? No contest.
Congratulations to Caroline, Ugwechi, and Steven!
hello..
i am from india with GPA 3.93 in Electronics & communication graduate program..
n i want to apply for MIT EECS scholarship..
what is the way 4 doing that n if i get scholarshi than what maount of fees will i have to pay??
hi would like to know wether there is any age limit to get admission in to MIT.
You didn’t ‘beat’ Harvard at anything.
Congs guys! I love MIT; I really hope I get in.
Hi Matt,
I am an Indian living in the UAE and have applied as a regular applicant.
1.)I have a score of 680 in CR, 750 in WR and 770 in Maths. Are they competitive?? Also my SAT II scores are 800(Maths II) and 800(Physics). I also have a GPA of 4.
2.) I also am extremely involved in extra-curricular activities, I am Secretary for the school Environment Club and the Debate Club. As part of the school quiz team, I have won many inter-school quizzes where schools from all over the UAE participate. Will you consider this as regional or national?? Also I wrote two Gulf Olympiads in grade 11(Physics and Chemistry). However we only get grades for them. Do I mention this in the application??
3.)I am also School Prefect and was Asst. Head Boy in grade 11. Does this really matter as far as admission to MIT is considered??
Sorry for asking so many questions. Thanks in advance.
PS. I am also part of school soccer team.
This is the one place where you don’t get surprised by these kinds of things. Wow congrats guys!