Harvard University endorsed the candidacies of 33 applicants for Rhodes Scholarships and 29 applicants for Marshall Scholarships Thursday night.

Eighty-two seniors had applied through the College for Rhodes endorsement, and 69 had applied for the Marshall fellowship, said Adonica C. Lui, assistant director of fellowships at the Office of Career Services (OCS.).

The Rhodes Scholarship funds two to three years of study at Oxford University, while the Marshall Scholarship funds study anywhere in the United Kingdom.

The flexibility of the fellowships typically attracts seniors.

Saloni K. Saraiya '00, of Quincy House, received an endorsement to study in the well-known Philosophy, Politics and Economics program at Oxford University.

"I want to understand the multidisciplinary forces that shape society," she said.

The application for Harvard endorsement, due this year on Sept. 18, mirrors the actual application for the fellowships.

For endorsement, students must submit a transcript, a list of activities and a 1,000-word "signed, connected personal statement of general activities and intellectual interests in college and proposed course of study."

The Marshall endorsement application requires one additional essay.

The selection process has two stages, according to Lui and Ben Berger, former fellowships advisor at Pforzheimer House.

First, all the fellowship advisors except the student's own House advisor read the application. Each reader either votes for or against the candidate.

Unless the senior has the overwhelming support of the advisors at this point, which is rare, according to Berger, the application moves to a second Faculty committee.

This five-member committee, chaired by Dean of the College Harry R. Lewis '68, consists of two Faculty members, Lui, and Paul A. Bohlmann, Director of Fellowships at OCS.

The senior's House fellowship advisor could write a letter supporting the candidate before this committee makes the final decision, Berger said.

Accepted applicants said they see both advantages and frustrations with this system.