The Rhodes Scholarship is often perceived as the gold medal of the academic world. But John W. McArthur, a decorated swimmer, said his latest victory is actually a "double-edged sword."

McArthur, a Vancouver native and this year's recipient of the 1998 Rhodes Scholarship for British Columbia, views the scholarship with mixed emotions.

"I am ecstatic with the honor, but at the same time humbled by the responsibility and obligation to pursue the best possible thing," said the second-year Kennedy School of Government student.

Swimming among successful Olympics athletes for most of his life, McArthur said he never thought lofty achievements like the Rhodes were infeasible.

For the young Canadian, the award was never specifically a goal, but rather "a means to pursuing broader goals," including teaching and eventually becoming involved with international trade negotiations in Canada.

Rhodes Scholarships are given to students aged 18 to 24 who exhibit excellence in academics, athletics, extracurriculars and show "evidence of public service," according to a news release.

There were four other Rhodes Scholars at Harvard this year, all of whom were undergraduates from the United States. They are: Roy E. Bahat '98, Valerie J. MacMillan '98, Julia Raiskin '98 and Owen S. Woziak '98.

Winning the Rhodes as a graduate student offers McArthur a different perspective on the award. Having already committed himself to a career in public service in Canada, he said he believes that he must now decipher how his plan of study fits into his life and makes concrete sense.

In this way the award is almost like a burden, McArthur said. But according to fellow Canadian and Kennedy School friend, Naheed Nenshi, this is exactly the reaction he expected of McArthur.

"Even when you strip away his stop-your-heart and hold-your-breath record of achievements, he is just such an incredibly good person that he truly believes he must pay society back for the honors he has received," Nenshi said.

Nenshi, who worked with 14 other Rhodes scholars at McKinsey & Co., said McArthur's selection assures him that the Rhodes Scholarship Committee knows what it is doing.

McArthur said he hopes to pursue either a law degree or doctorate in political economy while studying in what he called the "almost magical atmosphere" of England's Oxford University.

The 1996 graduate of the University of British Columbia won high praise from all who know him.

According to Frederick Schauer, the Kennedy School's academic dean, McArthur is "just an all-around good citizen of the institution."

McArthur follows in the footsteps of Kennedy School Dean Joseph S. Nye, another Rhodes Scholar.

The Public Policy student is involved in everything from the student government's diversity committee to writing for the Citizen and rowing on the Charles.

Schauer said he believes that McArthur is constantly asking himself "how can I possibly maximize the opportunity of being here?"

And from the sounds of it, McArthur will be doing the same thing in England.

"I don't want to see [the scholarship] as a trophy, but rather as a great opportunity," he said.