Wilder Penfield lived in many places during his lifetime. He was born in Spokane, Washington and lived there until the age of 8. He then moved to Hudson, Wisconsin with his mother, sister and brother. Wilder attended Princeton University in New Jersey after finishing high school. Wilder obtained a degree in literature from Princeton University in 1913. In 1914, he won a Rhodes scholarship to Merton College, Oxford. He began his studies into medicine and science. While at Oxford, Wilder met two great medical teachers who become strong influences in his life. One of whom first introduced him to the study of the brain, who was none other than renowned British neurophysiologist Sir Charles Sherrington. The other was a Canadian professor serving as the Regius Professor of Medicine named Sir William Osler. After spending two years at Oxford, Wilder attended Johns Hopkins Medical School in Baltimore, Maryland and received his MD.