Scholarship Essay Writing Tips
Many scholarships require that you write an essay in order to be considered for the prize money. However, if you’re the sort of person that shivers whenever they have to complete a writing assignment, this may not be the best of news. Luckily for you, there is no reason to fear the scholarship essay. The following tips should help you conquer this not-so-easy aspect of the scholarship application process.
Follow the Directions
You would think this would go without saying, but you absolutely must, must, must follow all of the directions on the application. This means if there is a prompt for the essay, read it very carefully. You may even want to rewrite the question in your own words to ensure you completely understand it. The point is failing to follow the directions shows the scholarship judges that you are not attentive or not willing to do what is asked of you.
Make An Outline
You should always outline your essays. This does not just apply to scholarship essays, either. An outline helps lend focus to your thoughts and helps you create a picture of the “whole” that the essay will become. Judges can’t stand when your writing is loose, lacks coherence or when you fail to connect your main points. They want to see that you can support your argument well with clear and concise examples and that these examples do, in fact, relate to the topic at hand.
The Essay
If you have a choice in the topic you get to write about, always try to select something you are personally interested in. Don’t write what you think the judges want to hear. This will only amount in an essay that reads like everyone else’s, which is not a great way to make yourself stand out.
If you are bored with a topic, then your essay will be boring as well. Make sure your ideas follow a clear and logical path, meaning they are connected well and the transitions easily flow from one idea to the next. Likewise, try to stay away from the obvious or the sob story. Yes, college will be a life-changing experience, but can you think of an interesting reason why this is so? And yes, it is terrible that you lost a family member at a young age, but what does it have to do with winning this scholarship? Judges can smell sob stories from a mile away, so only tug at the heartstrings if you have a legitimate reason for doing so.
A Few “Polishing” Tips
The real trick to writing a killer scholarship essay comes down to the finishing details. Here are a few tips to put your essay at the top of the heap.
- Be Thorough
Make sure you give yourself enough time to write each essay. Rushing it will do you no good and submitting anything less than your best work is hardly worth it, don’t you think?
- Be Precise
For every idea you present, make sure you can fully back it up with examples and specifics. Being too vague or general will show judges that while you may have solid ideas, you can’t elaborate on them or did not take the time to do so.
- Be Honest
While you should always try to present yourself in a positive light, don’t overdo it. Writing an essay on your love of the flute won’t bode well when you go in for a scholarship interview and are asked questions about playing the instrument and you’ve never touched one in your life.
- Be Neat
If possibly, always try to type your scholarship essays. Neatness does count. And you certainly won’t make judges happy if they have to squint their way through your essay.
- Be Read
A second opinion is priceless when it comes to writing materials. Have someone you trust, like a parent or teacher, proofread your scholarship essay and provide feedback. They may be able to catch some mistakes that your eyes missed.