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I applied for the Rhodes Scholarship this past September and attended an interview selection process with 9 other candidates in Alberta. The application was a rigorous one and I spent many hours fine tuning the most important piece of the package, the personal statement. This statement stated my intentions for proposed study at oxford and also my future career intentions. I focused primarily on my passion for learning and my goal of one day becoming a professor of engineering. LCol Billy Allan was instrumental throughout the whole process of applying for the Scholarship and even edited my personal statement to ensure that it fit with the criteria of a Rhodes Scholar. Three of the 10 Candidates at the interview process were selected to continue to a final interview. I wasn’t selected as one of the three but it was a great experience in Edmonton. I attended a social wine and cheese event in my scarlets the night before the interview where I met the selection committee. This committee was made up of a wide range of professionals from Alberta including a lawyer, economist and a CEO of a major oil company. The most rewarding part of the experience was meeting the other candidates and realizing the caliber required just to get an interview. The interview during the afternoon of the next day was 30 min long and I was asked a variety of questions. I was first asked to describe what RMC was and how it differed from a civilian University. I was then asked questions on a variety of subjects including politics, chemical engineering, sports, leadership etc. The last question I was asked was what can I do for the Rhodes Scholarship in light of Cecil Rhodes criteria of the protection of the weak. As LCol Allan said there was no way to prepare for the interview those who were right for the Rhodes Schoalrship had been unintentionally preparing their whole lives. The man who won the Rhodes who was from Alberta was Landis Stankievech. I met him at the social event and he was a pretty incredible guy. He studied Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering at Princeton and was on the varsity ice hockey team. I learned later that his average was in the high nineties and he had written a perfect SAT twice (1600) when applying for Princeton. This was the caliber of person that the Rhodes Scholarship is rewarded to.
23988 Gino Bruni (RMC ’08)