B.A.'s in the United States. They did not “need” a second undergraduate degree – even if the Oxford undergraduate degree did oblige them to delve deeper into a subject than they had previously. A second B.A. was not going to add much to their résumés back home. Those who planned to obtain a Ph.D. or to attend law or medical school would be starting from scratch after they returned from Oxford. Their three years in Britain would not have counted toward the additional degrees needed for their careers.
Most Rhodes Scholars nevertheless chose to read for a B.A. in Oxford. Many were compelled to pursue studies in areas other than those they would have liked. George Parkin warned Rhodes Scholars that in the fields of chemistry, biology, and physics Oxford was not equal to the better American universities – though for Canadians and colonials Oxford was superior.23 Edwin Hubble (1910), for example, chose to study jurisprudence though his real interest lay in astronomy. The situation in the social sciences was little better; sociology and psychology were still suspected of being newfangled and trendy. Engineering was just beginning as a subject for serious study, and there was no such thing as a course in business. Oxford was many things, but it would not stoop to being vocational! In addition, one could not read American history, for the dons insisted that the United States was too young to have enough history worth extended study. This dismissive attitude, however, was not the result of any cultural or nationalistic prejudices. Oxford treated recent British events in the same way – by ignoring them. In the early years of the twentieth century anyone who read “modern” history studied the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, with Napoleon being about as recent as most tutors would permit.
The fields most popular among Americans were law (jurisprudence), modern history, and English literature. Law in Oxford was an undergraduate field of study. One who aspired to become a barrister in Britain would obtain a B.A. in law and then study at one of the Inns of Court in London. Jurisprudence in Oxford differed markedly from what one encountered in American law schools, for in Britain it included heavy doses of history and Roman law.
Over the years American law and medical schools gradually made some allowances for Rhodes Scholars returning from England. Scholars who obtained a B.A. in law and then the more advanced B.C.L. (Bachelor of Civil Law) could be granted exemption from the first year of law school. Scholars who obtained a B.A. in physiology generally were able to skip their first year of medical school.
Students who aspired to careers in academe had a more difficult problem. Oxford did not offer a doctorate.24 It did, however, offer two advanced research degrees, the B.Litt. (for work in literature, history, philosophy, and so on) and the B.Sc (for any of the natural sciences). These degrees required two or three years of extensive research on a particular topic and the production of a thesis of approximately 30,000 to 40,000 words. These research degrees had been established in the 1890s, partly to attract British and American students who otherwise might flock to German universities. There were at least three major problems facing Americans who chose to pursue these degrees. The first had to do with their very name. Everyone in Oxford knew that a Bachelor of Literature was an advanced degree, probably equal in rigor and work to an American Ph.D. But in the United States “B.Litt.” signified little more than “B.A.” Thus the holder of one of these degrees still faced the prospect of returning home to find that he must still attend an American graduate program before becoming eligible for a position in an American university.
The second problem regarding the research degrees was that, even if Rhodes Scholars wanted to pursue them, few had the necessary training. As noted above, most Rhodes Scholars found that work for a B.A. was challenging enough. The typical British student working for a B.Litt. was prepared for extensive, original, independent research. He had already experienced five years of specialized training in the field: his last two years in secondary school and his three years of B.A. work. On average two or three Americans per year opted for an advanced degree.
One of the most successful was Frank Aydelotte, who obtained a B.Litt. He studied sixteenth-century English literature, and his thesis turned into his first book: Elizabethan Rogues and Vagabonds (1913). He was exceptional in that he thrived on the challenge, though he always insisted that his B.Litt. should have been considered the equivalent of a Ph.D. He was fortunate in not having to attend graduate school upon return to the United States. Prior to going to Oxford he had already obtained a master's degree at Harvard. The combination of M.A. and B.Litt. sufficed to get him his first teaching job, at Indiana University.
The third problem with the research degrees was that the “independent” research and writing was independent in the extreme. Rhodes Scholars working for B.A.'s had enough trouble disciplining themselves for their weekly tutorials. Those working on a B.Sc. or B.Litt. might be lucky to see their supervisors once a term. They were expected to have the necessary background and intelligence to work unsupervised for two or three years and produce an important, original thesis. Already feeling homesick and alone in a foreign culture, some Americans failed at the effort.
All of the above considerations make it easy to understand another reason for the disappointing academic performance of the Americans. In Oxford they were working for degrees that would not mean much to graduate schools or future employers back in the United States. For a British student, on the other hand, obtaining a First or a Second was important for prestige and careers. But in the States, few persons, if any, would know whether a man had received a First, a Second, a Third, a Fourth, a mere pass, or no degree at all. In short, most Rhodes Scholars came to realize that they did not need to work as hard as they had prior to coming to Oxford, or as hard as they would once they returned home. Those who obtained Firsts or advanced degrees did so from a sense of personal pride, from genuine enthusiasm for their work, or from a desire to live up to expectations.
For some Americans the most important thing was simply being able to put “Rhodes Scholar” on their résumés. Few employers or acquaintances would inquire about what one had actually done in Oxford. For most Americans, therefore, the scholarship presented an opportunity to “have it all” – some study mixed with camaraderie, sports, living in a foreign country, and travel.
Rhodes Scholars from some British dominions tended to do better than the Americans, both socially and academically. Canadians, Australians, and others came from educational systems modeled on that of Britain and thus had fewer problems adjusting. Obtaining a degree from Oxford also meant much more to Canadians and others than it did to Americans, for Oxford was far superior (in fact as well as in reputation) to any university in their homelands. From the early days to the present, Rhodes Scholars from Australia and New Zealand have tended to hold the best academic records in Oxford.25
Report Card for the Early Years
What kind of report card can one give the scholarship program for its first fifteen or so years? Certainly most of the Rhodes Scholars enjoyed the experience. Even if they found many of the students and dons unfriendly, or at least cool, they valued the opportunity to live abroad. They made valuable friendships among themselves, and some of them were introduced to academic studies that would have a great bearing on their careers.
Surprisingly, one aspect of their lives in Oxford that they did not complain about was the near absence of women. Most Rhodes Scholars came from male-only universities and considered higher education for women to be more a frill than a preparation for a career. To be sure, the scholars occasionally joked about or bemoaned the fact that there were few women around. The women from Lady Margaret Hall and the other women's colleges generally stayed away from the men. Also, Americans observed that the women students dressed in such bulky, heavy sweaters and skirts that one felt little attraction toward them anyway. There is no evidence of any scholar ever protesting against the ban on marriage. Those who did marry prior to the end of their three years accepted the fact that they would have to resign their scholarships.
If Americans found many Britons unreceptive to their new-world chumminess and enthusiasm, they could always count on the warm hospitality of Mr. and Mrs. Wylie. Afternoon teas with the Oxford Secretary and his wife provided
