Had he failed to win a scholarship to Cambridge he would have had to find work in England to earn enough to pay for his passage back to the United States. Mordell's gamble paid off handsomely, however, for he was placed first in the Cambridge Scholarship Examination and entered St John's College.
Nagkaroon siya nabigo upang manalo ng isang scholarship sa Cambridge siya ay nagkaroon na makahanap ng trabaho sa England upang kumita ng sapat na upang magbayad para sa kanyang daanan pabalik sa Pilipinas. Mordell's magsugal paid off handsomely, gayunpaman, para siya ay unang mailagay sa Cambridge Scholarship Examination at ipinasok St John's College.