I completed high school at Amity International School, Gurugram, in 2019, and went on to earn a BA LLB (Hons) degree from National Law University Delhi in 2024. My father is a practicing neurosurgeon, and my mother was a teacher during my early years.
Pursuing law at Oxford University wasn’t initially part of my plan. However, influenced by my school friends, who shared my interest in subjects like history and political science, I decided to apply. Over time, as I immersed myself in the field, I began to genuinely enjoy the journey of becoming a lawyer.
A pivotal moment in my journey came during my internship with Project39A, where I contributed to a project analyzing bail decisions made by trial courts in Delhi over a specific period. This firsthand engagement with legal systems and empirical realities illuminated the stark gap between the law’s ideals and its practical application. This realization profoundly influenced my perspective on the role of a lawyer and shaped my aspirations for leveraging my legal education to address these discrepancies.
Applying for the Rhodes Scholarship
The Rhodes Scholarship application process consists of four stages: a written round followed by three interview rounds. The written round, conducted in June 2023, required three submissions: a CV, a personal statement, and an academic statement. The personal statement addressed specific prompts, focusing on why I met the criteria for becoming a Rhodes Scholar, my personal journey, and how it connected to Oxford and the scholarship. The academic statement, limited to 350 words, outlined the courses I intended to pursue at Oxford and their relevance to my goals.
After the written round, there was a two-month wait before the first interview invitations were sent out. Following this, there were three consecutive interviews, with the first two typically conducted online.
The first interview is more in-depth—not in terms of testing your legal knowledge, but in exploring your perspectives on areas of interest. They aim to understand your opinions on critical issues, such as criminal justice, and how you engage with those topics. For instance, I was asked about my views on the death penalty. The focus is on assessing whether you have critically thought about these issues, what you genuinely care about, and the depth of your reasoning in addressing them.
The second interview varies widely from person to person. For me, it felt like a continuation of the first, with questions focused on my work, areas of interest, and some probing into my reasons for pursuing the Rhodes Scholarship. However, other scholars have shared that their second interview was more personality-focused, with questions about how they interpret the scholarship criteria and why they believe they meet them. It’s important to note that there isn’t a single correct interpretation of the criteria. They are intentionally broad, allowing each applicant to present their unique perspective on how they align with them.
Then the final interview happened in-person in Bengaluru. This was the most interesting stage because it happens in two stages. A day before the interview, there was a dinner that was hosted by the Rhodes Trust and the Rhodes India National Secretary for all the finalists. So there were 13 of us in total, including me. The dinner also has the jury members, which is a 10-member interview panel. The idea behind the dinner is that we interact with other finalists, but also with the interview panel, so you get to know them a little bit and you are a little less intimidated the next day when you go to the interview. You also end up making friends with the other finalists. As much as your instinct tells you, the dinner is really just meant to get you a little bit relaxed and have you talk to the other finalists. It is not some opportunity to impress the interview panels, and I do not think that it will go well if one treats it that way.
The final interview was a mix of questions about why I think I meet the scholarship criteria, and what my future plans are. After a six to seven hour wait, they call all the finalists back to the room and announce the results.
Making a life at Oxford
My first day in Oxford was quite uneventful. I spent the day shopping for essentials, setting up my room, and other chores. That said, the city is truly breathtaking. I could not help but be awed by the magnificent buildings. I have had an absolutely fantastic time in the city, everyone has been warm and welcoming.
I am an introverted, so Oxford’s collegiate environment was challenging at first, given how significantly it is based on socialising with other students, faculty members was a little overwhelming. That said, the University is structured in a way that there’s almost always something going on, and you learn to appreciate the joy of missing out instead of the fear of it.
The staff at the Rhodes House guided us in the smallest of the doubts. There were senior scholars there to welcome us on the first night, which was great especially as I was particularly clueless about the city.
A typical day involves a significant amount of reading. The teaching at the law faculty is structured around seminars (a small class of 10-20 people) where pre assigned readings are discussed in depth and tutorial (an even smaller class of 1-3 people) where all students submit a written work which is then discussed with the instructor. These methods of teaching make for a fairly demanding reading and study schedule. Nonetheless, I try to spend some of my time enjoying Oxford’s sights, cafes, and parties.
My experience at the Oxford University differs from my experience in India both in terms of the rigor (it is a lot more demanding than my UG education) and structurally too. Also, there are no lectures, for starters — not mandatory ones at least. Overall, the more academic focus of the course and the general focus on research and methodology of the law are key differences.
Comments