The Essay should clearly define your present and future goals and your dedication towards them. The Scholarship Essay should give a clear impressions of your personality and the person asking for a scholarship; and hence you’ll want to make sure that your scholarship essay is the best it can possibly be.
2. How to write a Scholarship Essay
The Essay should clearly define your
present and future goals and your
dedication towards them.
The Essay should give a clear
impressions of your personality and
the person asking for a scholarship;
and hence you’ll want to make sure
that your scholarship essay is the best
it can possibly be.
Some essays will have a specific
format to follow. If so, follow the
format instructions. Otherwise, a
general rule book to write a good
essay should do the trick.
3. General Essay Format- Hamburger writing
Divide the essay into 4-5 clear paragraphs
First Paragraph – An Introduction. This is an
important part of the essay considering the fact that
reviewer may not even have ample time to go through
the whole essay. Hence a solid start.
Second Paragraph – or Reasons why YOU are the
BEST candidate.
Third Paragraph – or your FUTURE goals. Here you
need to be specific about
What is the highest degree you plan to achieve?
How do you plan to use your education to achieve career
goals?
Fourth Paragraph – or the conclusion. This part
should bring it all together and make your essay look
finished and complete .
4. Introduction
The first sentence of your scholarship
application is your first, best and
possibly only chance to capture your
reader's attention from the start.
To have the best chance at winning
scholarships, you need to know how
to start your essay off right.
5. Put it in your
own words
Avoid clichés
and tired
phrases
Establish a
personal
connection
Say something
new
Know your
audience
The following are some tips to help you craft an eye-catching introduction
that gets your application the attention it deserves:
6. Intent and Audience
1. WHAT to talk and WHO
your are talking to – should
be the primary areas of
focus.
2. Evaluating the reviewers of
the application and closely
assessing the past recipients
of the scholarship should
help in a big way.
3. A personal connect in the
essay , like a memoir or a
gripping experience , goes a
long way in making a lasting
impression.
7. Highlighting your Accomplishments
Sometimes the hardest part of writing a scholarship
essay is getting comfortable with highlighting your
accomplishments.
You need to BRAG , Brag and Brag some more, in
order to convince the committee that you should
receive the scholarship instead of the other
applicants.
Choice of words is very important. Give concrete
examples that reflect your character and your
strengths.
8. Steps that will help you achieve that:
1. Conduct an inventory of all your
accomplishments, personal strengths and
future goals. This process will help you
organize your thoughts and structure your
essay in a chronological order. It will also
help you describe your strengths in such a
way that will “grab” the readers’ attention
making them want to continue reading.
2. Develop a list of your volunteer activities
and your leadership experience.
3. Think about a problem you have faced and
write down how you were able to overcome
the problem.
4. Put in writing your career goals.
9. Educational Objectives and Career Goals
Identify your major
Explain why you selected it
How will this degree impact your career
Why do you need a scholarship
How will it make a difference to you
10. Conclusion
Wrap it up with a couple of sentences.
Begin by restating what makes you the best candidate for the scholarship. Then
explain how you will benefit from the scholarship and how this scholarship will
help you to continue towards achieving your goals.
Finally, thank the scholarship committee for the opportunity to be considered
for the scholarship.
11. Scholarship Essay - Do’s & Don’ts
Do’s
Follow the prompt and other instructions
exactly.
Be clear and concise with one central
thought .
Research the organization and make sure
you understand their mission and values.
Focus on your strengths and turn in any
problems or weaknesses into a success
story.
Use actual, detailed examples from your
own life to backup your claims and
arguments as to why you should receive
the scholarship.
Proofread several times before finally
submitting your essay.
Don’ts
Use words from a thesaurus that are new
to you. You may end up using the word
incorrectly and that will make your writing
awkward. Keep it simple and
straightforward.
Reiterate what is already stated on your
resume. Choose additional, unique stories
to tell to the scholarship committee.
Write a generic essay for every application.
Adapt your personal statement for each
individual scholarship application.
12. A Valuable Takeaway
The key to writing a successful application,
aside from the obvious things like
grammar, structure, organization, and
professionalism, is the element of being
able to transfer your experiences from your
life onto paper in a meaningful way to best
display your value