Archive for October 17th, 2009

Hi!

For those who don’t know me, I’m George K. John from the batch of 2003. Iv just been selected as one among the five Rhodes scholars from India for the year 2010.It’s a great feeling to be among illustrious company, being the sixth Rhodes scholar from St.Johns. This win is especially special because I’m the second person from the batch of 2003 after Rakesh Sharma to become a Rhodes scholar, a definite record of sorts.

The elaborate process of applying began in July with me running around getting references and testimonials. After that I sat down to write the thousand word essay which forms the heart of the application. I heard back from the Rhodes trust in the end of August saying I’d been short listed for the regional interviews. The total number of applicants vary each year and range from 400 to 600 of which approximately 200 are selected for the regional interviews held in Mumbai, Bangalore, Delhi and Kolkata.I was informed of my selection to the final interview during the end of September.

The final interview for the Rhodes Scholarship was held in Mumbai on the 11th and 12th of October. It has been a tradition of the Rhodes scholarships to have a dinner on the previous night of the interview for the candidates to meet the panel. The panel for this year was under the chairmanship of Mr.Ratan Tata and included Congress leader and parliamentarian Rahul Gandhi. Others on the panel included Mr. Nandan Kamath, Mr. Sanjeev Sanyal, Ms. Rakhi Mehra, Professor Vir Chauhan (the secretary of the Rhodes trust in India) and others.

The interview was a great experience and lasted for about 20 minutes. It was a real honour to be able to interact with people of the stature of Ratan Tata, Rahul Gandhi and the other Rhodes Scholars on the panel, all pioneers in their respective fields.

And after waiting for the longest time the results were finally announced. The Scholars for 2010 would be Baskar Bhusan who is currently doing an MSc in Chemistry from IIT Kanpur and will study a Phd in Chemistry at Oxford; Tanya Bhattaracharya who is currently in her final year of a BA in History from University of Delhi St Stephens College and will pursue a second BA in History, V Niranjan of NLSIU, Aditya Swarup of NALSAR and me.

I intend to pursue a masters in Global Health at the University of Oxford and to specialize in medical oncology later. Preventive oncology, especially screening and early diagnosis and treatment of the most prevalent cancers is what I am most interested in. I aim to come back to India after my studies and set up a community-based cancer screening and treatment program in the near future.

Although academic excellence forms the foundation to become a Rhodes Scholar, I think that should not become a hindrance to do what you really like and enjoy doing. The aim at least in undergraduate days at St.John’s should be to utilize the wonderful opportunity which is provided to us to develop as well rounded individuals.

I would also like to take this opportunity to thank my parents, my brother, my teachers at St.John’s and my dear friends all of whom have played a key role in moulding me as a person. I would like to express my special gratitude to the Mad Med Men, our team, and finally to God almighty without whose blessings none of this would have been possible.

I do hope that more Johnites will join the list of Rhodes scholars in the years to come. I look forward to my time at Oxford next year and hope that it will be an enriching experience.

Regards,

George K. John
Batch of 2003
St.Johns Medical College
Rhodes Scholar – elect, Class of 2010.