One of the best ways to secure a scholarship as an undergraduate or graduate student is to write an excellent essay on your application. Luckily, there are several tips you can use to make sure that you are indeed an outstanding candidate according to the scholarship committee. Let’s take a look at some of these tips now…
Tips For Writing Scholarship Essays
Myths about Scholarship Essays
There are plenty of myths about scholarship essays that can make it difficult to actually write one.
For example, a common myth is that winning scholarships is all about good grades.
While those grades do help, many scholarships have very specific criteria that you need to meet to apply, in addition to a GPA requirement (which usually isn’t too high).
Be sure to review what your scholarship requires before you start writing. Another myth is that scholarships are only for college students or high school seniors.
In fact, there are thousands of scholarships available for high school students as well as adults looking to go back to school or start a career change program.
Don’t limit yourself—anyone with an interest in pursuing higher education should be on the lookout for opportunities like these! And finally, remember that scholarship essay tips aren’t just helpful for scholarships—they also come in handy when applying for jobs and internships.
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In fact, some scholarship committees look at essays as part of their application process, so get started now! If you’re not sure where to begin with scholarship essay tips, take a look at our top 5 tips below.
5 Steps for Writing a Winning Scholarship Essay
Before you write your scholarship essay, you need to make sure that it meets all of its requirements.
Most scholarships require that you submit a transcript, two recommendations and an essay (500-1000 words). Your essay is what makes or breaks your application.
When crafting an essay about yourself, keep these five tips in mind:
- Start with a bang. A scholarship committee typically has hundreds of applications to sift through, so most scholarship committees don’t read every single word of every application they receive. Instead, they usually scan each document looking for key information—for example, Will award one student $5000 toward a college education.
The first few sentences or paragraph should clearly state what you are applying for so that committees can see if they will consider your application further.
- Tell them why you deserve it. Scholarship committees want to know how you intend to use their money once they award it to you.
They would like to know how their money will help change your life and better society as a whole.
- Be creative. Don’t just tell them what you have done; show them by including some creative pictures or graphs that illustrate your achievements.
- Use strong vocabulary, but not too many big words like utilize or synthesize.
- Proofread, proofread, proofread! Make sure there are no typos in your application because scholarship judges notice even minor mistakes such as misspelled names or incorrect dates of birth.
These kinds of errors could cause you to lose out on thousands of dollars.
7 Steps for Writing a Winning Scholarship Essay
Step 1: Read over scholarship guidelines thoroughly
Step 2: Create an outline
Step 3: Write rough draft
Step 4: Revise draft
Step 5: Check grammar and spelling
Step 6: Get feedback from others
Step 7: Polish final draft
The Dos and Don’ts of Personal Statements
It’s easy to want to do something that’s never been done before—it’s incredibly gratifying to know you’re making your application stand out.
But be careful: Scholarship judges have read a lot of scholarship essays, and they can tell when an essay is unique because it was written by a creative writer or by someone trying really hard to be creative.
If your idea sounds more like a gimmick than an actual plan, try focusing on writing about another aspect of yourself or focus on how you would use your award money.
Furthermore, be certain not to miss these scholarship essay tips! (this is where your content will go)
With scholarships in mind, keep in mind two things: firstly, you don’t need to create anything that hasn’t already been created; secondly, all applications should be personalized – there’s no point in doing something different if your message doesn’t fit who you are as a person.
The key takeaway here is just knowing what to avoid and what NOT to do with scholarships so that everything else falls into place.
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Plan Far in Advance
The process of obtaining a scholarship is time-consuming. If you are going to win one, you have to plan far in advance and start researching potential opportunities.
It’s a good idea to take note of deadlines as early as possible because they can sneak up on you.
Many scholarships require lengthy applications, essays and other supplemental materials that need to be submitted before an application deadline.
Make sure you know what’s required so that you don’t miss any important deadlines.
Know Your Audience
The first thing you have to do when applying for scholarships is find out who your audience is.
The vast majority of scholarship applications require you to write an essay, so think about that as your medium.
What are they looking for? Once you know what they’re looking for, figure out how you can provide it uniquely.
Follow the Instructions & Answer the Prompt
A good place to start is with what you’re asked to do. Most scholarships, fellowships, and grants come with a specific set of instructions or a prompt that tells you what they want.
Don’t read any further until you’ve read these instructions—and then do your best to follow them exactly as they were written.
The reason? The person who wrote those instructions knows more about their program than anyone else in the world.
They know how they want their application to look, what kinds of answers they’re looking for, and which information will make you stand out positively.
It may seem like overkill to follow every single word verbatim, but trust us: It isn’t nearly enough to just write clearly; you have to show that you can listen well too.
Choose a Topic That You’re Interested In and Passionate About
There’s nothing worse than having to write about something you aren’t concerned about. Passionate writers write great papers; therefore, make sure your topic excites you and that you’re applying only to scholarships on topics you find interesting.
If it doesn’t make your heart race, then it probably isn’t a good topic. Write what interests you. Don’t take shortcuts to finish faster or appear more intelligent.
It won’t work in your favor if you try to do so. When you write passionately, people can tell—and they will be much more likely to read your paper, share it with others, and remember who wrote it. Be honest with yourself when choosing a topic.
Create a Strong Introduction
Don’t spend too much time introducing yourself. However, do include a bit of your background—and be sure to mention any skills or passions that would make you a good candidate for their school.
It’s better to focus on why you want to study there and what you hope to get out of it. After all, they would like to know if you’ll be a good fit in their program, so prove that by highlighting what makes you special.
You should also use your introduction to express enthusiasm about attending their school.
For example, instead of saying I am applying to Smith College because I think it is a great place for me, try something like Smith College is an excellent choice for me because … Make sure to tailor your intro based on each school; no two schools are alike, after all.
If you don’t have enough information about each institution, check out its website for details about its student body, academics, and culture. (Include these details in your intro.)
Be Specific with Your Goals: The essay is a chance to show off how dedicated you are to making a difference with your career; admissions officers want to see that passion and dedication.
Keep a Good Structure
When you’re trying to convey a lot of information, it can be easy to lose focus. To make sure your message is clear and effective, start with an attention-grabbing introduction (thesis statement) and end with a conclusion that reinforces your main points.
In between, organize each paragraph around one or two major ideas. Your readers are much more likely to remember your essay if it’s organized logically and builds sequentially towards a solid ending.
Show Emotions
The best way to show that you care about a topic is to write about it with passion. Be expressive, and make your essay feel personal.
Showing some enthusiasm or even a bit of humor will help your reader connect with you. But remember not to overdo it—no matter how passionate you are about an issue, if you can’t convey that in a professionally written essay, no one will care enough to read your application. Let your passion shine through without getting corny!
Use Real Life Examples
Scholarship judges want to hear about how you and your experiences relate to their mission. Stories are great ways to accomplish that, so don’t be afraid to use examples from your life.
For example, if you have been passionate about helping poor children in developing countries since seeing first-hand how it affected your family growing up, then make sure that story is incorporated into your essay. (Please note: Don’t lie on an application like these – it may come back to haunt you!)
The more real and personal you can make these stories, the better. Many students forget just how interesting and powerful a young person’s life really is – use those stories!
Keep the Tone Inspirational & Positive
The tone of your essay should be upbeat and inspirational. A winning essay will reflect well on both you and your school of choice.
Keep in mind that it’s also a good idea to pick a topic that relates to your strengths, rather than just a fascinating subject. Think about what types of essays work best in your college application process, and use them as inspiration while you write.
To help you get started, here are four popular types of topics to consider: My greatest achievement, Why I want to go to [your college], What I’m excited to study at [your college], and Who has influenced me. (Tip: It’s always better to write about something specific.)
Stay Away from Dreary & Boring Conclusions
Scholarship committees typically would like to feel an emotional connection with your essay, so make sure that you leave them with a thought-provoking idea, rather than simply stating a summary of points.
To achieve that, try to avoid generic or trite conclusions like we should all work together as a society or never give up.
Come up with something more creative and specific—you could even use it as an opportunity to throw in some humor. Just remember that too much levity can turn off some readers. Leave them with something they’ll really think about.
Take Advantages of Resources
So, you’ve narrowed down your niche and have settled on a topic that you know enough about to write about, but where do you find more information?
The Internet is chock-full of reliable sources of information on almost any topic imaginable.
Here are some places to start your research, A good place to begin is with Wikipedia. It provides an overview of most topics in an easy-to-read format, and it’s constantly being updated by users around the world who want to contribute their knowledge.
Just make sure you read through each entry carefully before using it as a source—it may not be 100% accurate or up-to-date.
FAQs On Tips For Writing Scholarship Essays.
How to write a scholarship essay about why you deserve it
Follow these steps and tips to improve your chances of earning a merit-based scholarship.
*Write about what makes you unique and how it will benefit your school or community.
Remember, scholarships are often based on need, but many also reward students who bring something special to their school or field of study.
Showcase your talent, skills, or experience in an essay that describes how those qualities will add value to your college or university experience.
And if you have a disability, remember that there are many scholarships available specifically for students with disabilities.
How to write a scholarship essay about yourself
Think of it as an opportunity to show schools what makes you unique, not just another number in a pool of candidates.
Knowing how to write a scholarship essay about yourself can help separate you from other applicants and increase your chances of winning an award, so use these tips to create effective admissions essays that will make readers take notice.
Writing comes naturally to some, but others often need help getting started or need guidance editing their work, so it appears professional and interesting.
These basic rules will help anyone strengthen their written communication skills. Who knows? They might also come in handy when writing resumes, cover letters or college entrance exams!
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