20. Plath’s colossal intellect earned her a Fulbright Scholarship and sent her to Cambridge, England
After recovering from her depression, Plath returned to Smith College for a final year. She graduated with distinction and won a prestigious Fulbright Scholarship to study at Newham College, a women-only college of the University of Cambridge. Here, she would study under the renowned Israeli literary scholar Dorothea Crook, one of Plath’s academic heroes. The two would form a deep bond and remain pen pals for years after. Above all, however, the Fulbright award gave Plath the chance to leave Massachusetts and take her place at one of the world’s oldest – and best – universities.
