Ashwin Menon, a final-year BE information science and engineering student from MS Ramaiah Institute of Technology, Bangalore, has bagged the prestigious Rhodes Scholarship and is all set to pursue an MSc in computer science from Oxford University, UK, this September. In a brief chat with edex, Menon, yet to come out of the ‘shock’ of having won the scholarship, takes us through the timeline.
An avid surfer, having represented India at both domestic and international levels, Menon has known of the scholarship ever since he was 10 years old, thanks to his friendship with a senior, who also happens to be a recipient of the scholarship just like him. “I applied in July. The first interview was very subject-related and was held at Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore. Then, 15 of us cleared the next round and we had one more interview in Mumbai, which was of a more generic nature,” unwinds the 22-year-old on the phone, having just returned from a surfing competition held at Thiruvananthapuram recently.
“In the Mumbai interview, the full selection committee along with cricketer Rahul Dravid were present. We were quizzed on our goals and character. Meeting Dravid and being encouraged by him is possibly one of the best moments of my life,” gushes Menon. It was a ‘surreal’ moment for the youngster when he came to know that he made it. To prepare for the interview, Menon had several mock interviews with his family and friends.
On tips to prospective candidates, Menon, however, takes a realistic look. “See, you can’t groom yourself for a scholarship, especially for prestigious ones like Rhodes. The qualities they are looking for — leadership, extracurricular activities and an interest in community service — it has to be in you.” Rhodes scholarship funds two years of postgraduate study at Oxford and Menon intends to enrol for one more master’s. “Being part of the Rhodes community will change your life. The academic and networking opportunities will be a life-changing experience,” he says.
While Menon has Oxford to look forward to in the coming months, he isn’t going to give up on his first love, surfing, ever, courtesy “Oxford’s brilliant infrastructure for sports.”