April, Spring and Fellowships

April is the cruelest month. In the northern states, it signals a spring that somehow never seems to arrive. At New College, it signals the announcement of winners of national fellowships and scholarships—Fulbright, Frost, Gilman, Hollings and Truman. Over the years, so many have gone to New College students that it obscures the low odds of obtaining one. It makes them seem easy to obtain, and it hides the silent anguish of those who applied and did not succeed. Let me assure you that there is nothing easy about obtaining such awards.
The Goldwater Scholarships are a case in point. This week, we announced two of our third-year students, Caitlyn Ralph and Constance Sartor, received a Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship—the most prestigious undergraduate scholarship in the natural sciences, mathematics and engineering in America.  A third, Lukas Heath, received an honorable mention. The scholarship recognizes students showing potential to make significant contributions to mathematics, science, and engineering.