Students can and should pursue elite scholarships

How do you become a Rhodes or Marshall scholar? It is not, as some seem to think, a halo that comes to crown the elect in December of senior year. Virtually 100 percent of the most successful people in the United States were not Rhodes or Marshall Scholars. But neither are the scholarships something you can train for. There is no formula.

Nevertheless, students who are aware of the selection criteria and aim throughout the undergraduate years to fulfill them will make themselves stronger contenders — not only for the major fellowships but also for jobs, graduate school and life. Here are some things to bear in mind.

First, get involved in research — early. Even if you are coding data or cleaning test tubes, you are part of the process. You are also showing professors you are serious. You are more likely to be given responsibility in successive semesters and to have a publication to your name by the time you graduate.

One of the best ways to get involved in summer research is through the National Science Foundation’s Research Experience for Undergraduates program. There are REU programs in almost all science and social science fields, in the U.S. and abroad —

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