UT Austin has a number of honors scholarship programs, which allow students to pursue higher level studies with varying degrees of funding. One of the most prestigious, and best funded, of these is the . This is both a course of study in its own right, and a complement to many other degrees offered by UT Austin.
This program is both very small and very selective; many students have never heard of it amongst the myriad offerings at UT Austin. This is a program which must be applied to separately; unlike the 40 Acres Scholarship you aren’t considered just because you applied to UT Austin. In this article, then, we’re going to explore what this program is, who it’s meant for, and how you can apply to it. Let’s jump right in!
Understanding the Rosenthal-Levy Scholars Program
The program is a relatively new one, based in the , which itself was only founded in 2023. This school has the explicit purpose of training the next generation of leaders, inculcating them in the ideals of the American project and giving them the experience and background knowledge necessary to make positive political changes and safeguard democracy.
This program is itself an academic course of study, with a focus on history, philosophy, international relations, politics, and economics. Students choose a major in the School of Civic Leadership as part of this program. The program does have a specific ideological bent, being in favor of both the American experiment and Zionism. As part of the program, students engage in a special study abroad program in Israel, for a further exploration of the political realities of the modern Middle East.
In addition to the studies for the program, students are able, and encouraged, to pursue a secondary major, in any school at UT Austin. As only students who are admitted to UT Austin already may take part in this program, you can indeed combine any other course of study with it, from history or philosophy to architecture or engineering.
This is a scholarship program specifically, and a generous one. The program covers the full cost of tuition at UT Austin, and a $7,000 a year stipend for cost of living expenses. This doesn’t quite cover room and board at UT Austin, but goes a long way towards those costs or defraying the cost of living off-campus. This scholarship aspect draws many students to the program, as it is one of the most generous scholarships available at UT Austin, though it is quite competitive.
Finally, the program provides significant networking opportunities, including connections to internships and career mentorship for students in the program. While there are opportunities of this sort for all UT Austin students, as is so often the case with small elite honors programs, students in the Rosenthal-Levy program receive additional guidance and support, and are afforded additional opportunities.
Applying to the Rosenthal-Levy Scholars Program
This program is independent of UT Austin’s admissions process, and has its own application. You must apply for the program ; applications are due by March 30, with decisions released in late April. Four groups of students are eligible to apply to this program:
- Current high school seniors who have been accepted to UT Austin, in any college or major. Students who have been accepted, but plan to defer and take a gap year, may apply as well.
- Students currently on a gap year who will matriculate to UT Austin in the fall of the year they are applying.Ìý
- Current freshmen and sophomores enrolled in UT Austin.
- Current freshmen or sophomores at other universities who are transferring to UT Austin, and who will matriculate in the fall of this year.
You must either have an acceptance in hand, have applied and be awaiting a response, or be a current UT Austin student to apply for this program. The application itself is done entirely online, and is reviewed by a committee for the Rosenthal-Levy Program specifically. The application requires the following components:
- Your personal information
- An academic transcript
- A resume or CV
- References; academic, leadership, and personal
- Three essays
What they are looking for is generally quite straightforward; they want students who are academically gifted and motivated, and who are interested in becoming a new generation of leaders and policymakers, moving and shaping the next phases of American democracy, and protecting and preserving its institutions. While the program has a very strong focus on Judaism and Jewish studies, students from all faith backgrounds (or none at all) are welcome to apply, and faith is not considered when making admissions decisions to the program.
While applications are accepted up to the deadline, they encourage students to submit their applications early. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis, so if you are very interested in this program, applying early is a good idea.
The Rosenthal-Levy Application Essays
As with applications to top colleges, your grades are what make you eligible for one of this program, but it is your extracurriculars and essays which make the difference on who’s admitted. This makes your answers to these essay questions all the more important. To that end, we’re going to go through each of the prompts, and discuss how you can best answer them.
Select three significant influences in your life—such as a defining experience, a teacher, or a great book—and explain how they have prepared you to succeed as a Rosenthal-Levy Scholar. (500 words)
This is a very open-ended question, and one designed to get to the heart of your interests and aspirations. There are two key things you need to focus on in this essay: getting all of the needed information across about each influence, and tying each concretely to the goals and aims of the Rosenthal-Levy Program.
What these influences are matters far less than how they impacted you. The purpose of this essay isn’t to extoll the highlights of your favorite book, or share how great your history teacher is (though they’re definitely amazing). The point is to explain how these disparate influences prepared you for this specific program, and caused you to align with its goals and values.
You should pick influences which align closely with the goals and values of the program. Rosenthal-Levy is specifically dedicated to western values, the ideals of American democracy, and to Zionism (all of these are listed clearly and frequently on their site). You don’t have to cover all of these topics of course, but you should tie in your response to the program’s stated ideals.
What do you hope to learn in college, and how do you expect these four years to prepare you for a life of civic leadership and purpose? Note that this question will be customized for the school that you are applying to. (400 words)
This question will change based on which of UT Austin’s colleges you’re in, but the underlying core of it is the same. They want to know how you’re going to take the tools college gives you and put them to use. The purpose of this program is to train future leaders, those who will influence the world and its course, and are looking for students who are already making plans for doing so.
How you answer this question is going to depend highly on both what you are studying and what your future plans are. There is no one right answer, but you should explain how you will be involved in civic leadership in the future, whether through government, nonprofits, business, or other organizations or opportunities.
You should again put this in terms of the program’s own goals; the furtherance of the American project, interest in Jewish thought, adherence to Western values; all the things they specifically cite as , and what it aims to do. As with all essays of this type, your goal is to show how your own desires and ambitions dovetail neatly with the aims of the program as a whole.
Who do you believe was the greatest leader of the 20th century, and why? (150 words)
Once again, there is no correct answer for this, but there are certainly wrong ones. This is a very short response; your first sentence should name the leader, and the rest of the somewhat curtailed length should go to explaining your choice, why the leader you selected is indeed the greatest of the 20th century.
Some answers are certainly going to be more popular than others, but what matters most is how you argue and evidence your point. This isn’t a full essay, with citations and quotes, but should showcase what you view as important in leadership. After all, the point of this program is to train future leaders, so it’s only reasonable for them to consider the kind of leader you are aspiring to be.
This does not need to tie directly into the goals of the program, but you should keep them in mind when selecting and arguing for your leader. This program is very clear and concrete in what their values are, and picking a leader who aligns with them showcases that your values do too, and that you are more likely to be a good fit for the program and what it aims to accomplish.
The Application Interviews
Within a few weeks of submitting your application, you will be notified as to whether or not you have been selected for a semi-finalist interview. These are done online. The students who do well in these will be invited for finalist interviews, which are carried out in-person if possible. They try to make sure these are done before students must make their college choices; this is part of the reason why they advise you to submit your application in advance of the March deadline.
These interviews are akin to college interviews, but more focused on the program’s aims specifically, and are done with a member of the program, rather than an alumnus. See our guide to college interviews for advice on how to prepare for these.
Should You Apply to the Rosenthal-Levy Program at UT Austin?
This is a very prestigious program, but it is not right for all students. It does come with a significant amount of extra work, especially for students who would double major because of it; a single major is plenty of work already, and double majoring increases that enormously. As with all honors programs, they also expect a very high quality of work from their students, and often have more demanding classes.
This program is also not ideologically neutral. While they do not have an explicit political leaning, they are specifically dedicated to the ideals of Judaism and western civilization. These are great things to be devoted to, but not all students are going to be devoted to them, or want to focus their studies on these fields. This too is fine; one of the points of universities is for intellectual debate. In these cases, however, this is probably not a program you would benefit from.
If you do have a strong interest in Jewish thought, American history, and dreams of being a social and political leader, however, then we strongly recommend applying for this program. This program has a far more niche appeal than many honors programs, but has significant benefits for those students who do fit within its targeted demographic. If you are among them, then we strongly urge you to apply, to reap the proffered benefits.
Final Thoughts
There are many specialty honors programs at UT Austin, many of which have significant benefits in terms of both scholarships and networking opportunities. This program is another such, perhaps a bit narrower in scope, but equally impressive in the benefits it offers participants. We hope that this article has given you a solid introduction to this program, and helped you determine if participating in it is a good choice for you.
If you are interested in applying to this or any other special program at UT Austin, then ³Ô¹Ï¹ÙÍø can help. These programs are quite competitive, and have very high expectations of their applicants; with the help of our mentors, you can meet and exceed those expectations, drafting the kinds of essays that get you noticed, and that clearly show how you align with the goals of the program. Schedule a free consultation today to learn more, we’re always happy to hear from you.
