A scholarship essay is an essential part of your application that you submit along with your scholarship application letter. To win a scholarship, your scholarship essay must be outstanding.
Most students decide to apply for scholarships due to the high college fees and expenses. If you wish to apply for a scholarship, there’s a high chance you’ll have to write an essay.
Some individual organizations strive to support education through scholarships. Therefore, your essay should often demonstrate the author’s passions and beliefs that align with the organization’s interests.
A scholarship essay differs from a college essay. Here are some of the differences between the two essays.
- A college essay reflects your personality. On the other hand, a scholarship essay often shows that you share beliefs and interests with the organization offering the scholarship.
- Scholarship essays are usually under 500 words. College essays can be longer than 650 words.
- Usually, college essays are much broad compared the scholarship essay. Many colleges will let you choose the topic. On the other hand, an organization scholarship may ask you to answer a specific question regarding the scholarship they are offering.
The Essay Outline
The essay should have the following parts; introduction, main body, and conclusion.
Introduction
- A hook that captures the reader’s attention
- Thesis statement. Why do you deserve the scholarship?
Main Body
- What are some challenges you have faced in your life?
- How did you overcome these challenges?
- What are your career and educational goals?
- What interests you at this specific college?
- Why did you choose this study field?
- How will the scholarship help you achieve your goals?
- What are your long-term career goals?
- What do you intend to do with your degree?
- Real-life examples that support your points.
Conclusion
- Summary of your core points.
- Restate your thesis statement.
How to Begin your Writing Process
First, allocate yourself enough time to do it. Check on the deadlines to make sure that you’re of all the deadlines. By doing so, you’ll be able to create flawless paper.
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Get Familiar with Prompt.
Read the essay’s instructions carefully multiple times to have a better understanding of what is expected from you. To be successful in your scholarship essay, you must submit an essay of 400-500 words. Illustrate why you deserve this scholarship while considering the following questions.
- Why are you applying for this specific scholarship?
- What makes you unique?
- How do your interests align with the organization’s interests?
- What are your career goals?
- What goals are you pursuing?
- What unique contribution can you make in this chosen field of science?
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Choose a Topic
The main goal of your essay is to convince the organization to sponsor your education. You have to show them you deserve the chance.
To choose a good topic, ask yourself a few questions;
- What have you accomplished so far?
- What makes you different from others?
- What is the biggest challenge you faced in your life?
- How did you overcome them?
- What have you learned from those challenges?
- What are your strongest traits?
- What are your dreams and future goals?
Some of the examples of scholarship essays topic include;
- My Dreams
- My Inspiration
- The goals I will achieve in 10 years.
- My Biggest Sucess
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Write a Hook
A hook grabs’s the reader attention and makes them want to continue reading. To make your first sentence thrilling, you can use a quote, a question, or a statistic statement.
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Write the Introduction
While writing the introduction, here are a few tips to keep in mind;
- Keep it clear and short
- Include your thesis statement after the hook
- Provide relevant background information for the chosen topic.
- Provide only relevant and helpful information
- Avoid cliches
- Convince your readers the essay is worth reading.
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Write the Body
Here are some ideas to include in the body of your paper.
- Mention the obstacles that you overcame in your life
- Highlight your achievements and positive traits
- Talk about your goals
- Show how will the scholarship will help you achieve those goals
- Your motivations
- Real-life examples that support your statements.
Avoid generalizations. Make sure your statement resonates with your organization’s interests.
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Conclude your Essay
This is a core part of your essay. It defines whether the committee will remember it or if it will just land in a pile of dozens of other application letters. To stand out you need to write a powerful conclusion. Consider the following;
- Here, you demonstrate your personal growth and present your weakness as the stepping stone.
For example, I decided to study nursing to help people. It has been a long journey to be where I am, but I don’t intend to stop there. I have gone through a lot of challenges on the path to this moment. And while I never define my challenges as my “failures”, I mark my success by my repeated perseverance through adversity. If I get this scholarship, I’ll use it to further my education. That’s why I deserve it.
- The Future Tense. This type of essay conclusion focuses on your past or present experiences. Inform your reader how your experiences have influenced you and what you’ll do with lessons you’ve learned in the future.
For example, I have learned alot through experiencing first-hand challenges that exist in my community. My goal is to increase the efficiency of low-come housing development in the future. This scholarship will help me complete my education in construction management. I will solve what I and my community are facing.
- The Cycle. This approach is more effective as it makes the reader more connected to it. To empower your introductory statement, bring it to the conclusion. For example, if you started by giving statistics on children’s psychological treatment, bring it to the conclusion to make sure your conclusion is more effective.
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Essay Formatting.
A standard essay formatting has the following characteristics;
- Times New Roman Font
- 12-point size
- Double spaced
- An indent before each paragraph
- 1” margins
- Your last name and page numbers are on the top left of the page
Writing a scholarship essay can be challenging. Lack of enough time and adequate skills can make you feel stuck. But don’t worry. Just ask our professional writers for help. We guarantee a killer essay that will make you stand out in your scholarship.