Scholarship Essay Guide
Pay
attention to details for a high quality essay.
Get
Organized. Brainstorm to generate some good ideas and
then create an outline to help you get started.
Demonstrate
originality and creativity. To catch the attention of a panel of
scholarship judges, find a hook that will get the reader interested right away.
Show,
don’t tell. For example, if you’re describing an
activity in which you participated, don’t describe it in general terms. Be specific! What duties did you perform?
What affect did it have on your life or the lives of others?
Develop
a theme that fits the scholarship. What sort of student is the sponsor looking
for? Include elements in your essay
that complement the sponsor’s expectations (without pretending to be someone
you aren’t).
Turn in
a professional-looking essay. Write a second draft to catch mistakes and
better organize your thoughts. If
possible, type and doublespace your essay.
Check spelling and grammar.
Also, share your essay with friends, family or teachers for another
proofread.
I Don’t Know What to Write About!
Take the
intimidation out of writing essays by turning your achievements, goals, and
interests into essay topics:
·
Remember
to personalize your experience. For
example, what makes the volunteer and community service you performed unique?
·
Do you
still keep in touch with anyone you’ve helped?
·
Talk
about specific interactions with others you may have had. How did you influence their lives?
·
How did
your achievements reflect your values?
Why are your achievements important to you?
·
Remember
that judges want to hear from you as a person, not your resume.
·
Instead
of saying, “Math is my favorite subject,” discuss a specific assignment or
project that you worked on that sparked your interest and why (show, don’t
tell).
·
Avoid
saying that you selected a major or career path to “help people.” What specific actions can you take to
improve the lives of others? Discuss specific
values or ideas you want to develop once you get to college.
·
Is
there a person you wish to emulate with your chosen major or career path? Is there someone who encouraged you to
succeed? Focus on specific qualities or
actions that the person has inspired in you.
·
Think
about your friends and family, community, and the things you’ve learned outside
of the classroom. Pick specific people,
incidents and learning experiences to write about that will let your
personality come through.
·
Think
about current issues or events in the news that you feel strongly about.
·
Do you
know a lot about a controversial topic?
·
Do you
know of someone who is directly involved in an issue who might be able to
provide insight?
Make it
past the first round by following these simple rules:
·
Do
you qualify? Sounds simple, but students every year waste
time by applying for awards they aren’t eligible to win. If you don’t qualify, don’t enter the
contest.
·
Is
your application presented well? Type your essay. Messy handwriting and excessive scratch-outs could land your
application in the trash.
·
Did
you include all required documents? Required documents frequently left
out of an application include transcripts, references and a letter of
recommendation.
·
Did
you answer all of the questions? Double-check that you haven’t forgotten any
required information.