How to Write an Essay for a Scholarship

Writing a scholarship essay is a way for prospective students to receive much-needed financial aid and eventually enrol on the desired school. Like in other essays, the most crucial thing here is informing colleges about your plans and what you want. Although this is just a formality for some, many believe it can be written in any way. However, writing skills in an essay say a lot about your literacy, so you should put in a little effort and meet some essential criteria. A well-written essay will certainly not go unnoticed. Therefore, we will show you how to write a scholarship essay that will draw the school authorities’ attention.

Start the essay writing process early

First, note that most universities grant scholarships to early bids. Therefore, to begin with, make a draft version of the letter. Let it serve you like a sketch that you will build on, change and shape until the final version is the right one. Please share it with friends who don’t know you so well. Let them give you guidelines on how they see and experience you.

Choose a Topic That You’re Interested In and Passionate About

Start with an anecdote, not a thesis. Do not write general and generic statements. On the contrary, try to be specific and direct and, simultaneously, do not philosophize and moralize to get scholarships. For example, let’s try with the proven scholarship writing tips such as instead of “it was high time to change something and take action”, write: “I thought _____ was wrong in my school, and I did _____ to change it.”

Do not cover too many topics and details. Please focus on the most important and write about it. Mention your emotions and how you felt in a specific situation or how the experience changed you.

Steer clear from essay topics that focus on negativity or pessimism

Try to use as many words and expressions as possible that contain positive values and emphasize the essence of what should be found in the scholarship letter itself. So in your college applications, you can include some of the following words to help you understand what you should write about: affirm, take an interest, encourage, volunteer, train, gain experience, achieve, etc.

Follow the Instructions & Answer the Prompt

People who read essay prompts are just like us, so don’t try to impress! Imagine that they are your role models and professors who are there to help you. If there are instructions, be sure to follow them!

It is considered that some 50% of the essay should contain information about the course, major, or program for which you are applying, and the other 50% should include your extracurricular activities, experience, etc. Do not repeat statistical data about the average, grades, or qualifications. That data is already part of your application. Your qualifications should come from a mentor or professor in the form of a recommendation than to praise yourself.

Keep a Good Structure

The letter should not be longer than one A4 page. It should be precise, transparent, and logically conceived. It should have a personal touch, represent you as an individual, and should by no means contain clichés related to similar forms of address.

Now here are some tips. The best college scholarship essay examples include the following structure:

• Start with an introduction and bring your details. Make a short, attractive introduction where you will state your position and why you are applying for scholarships. Mention some general reasons you’re applying, and then dive into the deeper reasons. Think of the introduction as a hypothesis you posed to yourself when writing your seminar paper, which you proved and explained in your further work. 
• The central part is your request, so please be as specific as possible. In this part of the letter, it is best to state the facts because anyone who regularly reads such letters can make a clear difference between fictional and real stories. A motivational letter should show that you want to be a part of what you are applying for.
• Finally, end the request with a precise conclusion and aim to the point. Indicate future personal plans related to the scholarships for which you’re applying. Also, personal wishes on a professional level.

There is no unique formula for scholarship application essays. However, a good scholarship essay writer can often find recommendations for organizing this letter. These are certainly not universal instructions; you can always decide how to organize your thoughts and what you’ll prioritize.

Show Emotions

A winning scholarship essay should reflect who you are, what you strive for, and how you achieve what you envisioned. It should communicate who you are and why you should get a unique opportunity, not someone else. Moreover, it is essential to know your goal: what you want to achieve with a scholarship. You should answer two fundamental questions: Why should I get this tuition? Why am I applying for this tuition?

When drafting a letter, it is essential to remember that that short story about you must leave a memorable impression on the one who reads it. That will only happen if it contains something that will interest the reader, so don’t be afraid to show your emotions. For example, “looking forward to meeting you and discussing this matter in person” sounds optimistic and friendly.

Get Personal and Be Specific

So, for example, instead of using the general phrase “I am very communicative”, you should describe an episode from your life in which you proved it, describe a situation in which you did something good with your communicativeness, achieved a sure success, aroused good comments… If you want to say that you are creative, mention a specific project you designed, a situation in which you found a creative solution and thereby gained specific merits, praise, or brightened your day or others. In this way, you will not be just another student who has listed several positive qualities but a resourceful individual whom the reader will get to know better through specific episodes and will surely notice.

Be sure to proofread your essay before submitting it for review

Editing is an important segment of scholarship essays. After reading, comments from friends and acquaintances, it is necessary to remove redundant sentences and constructions. The process should look like this:

Brainstorm | Organize | Write | Rewrite | Edit

Therefore, pay attention to spelling and grammar. There is no way to win language and culture studies scholarships if you’re illiterate. 

Using jargon, foreign or scientific words in scholarship applications is okay, but not too much. For example, replacing the word happy with elated is fine.

Synopsis

Statistics say that, on average, scholarship committees read between 20 and 50,000 essays yearly (for high schools, this is a much smaller number). The admissions staff reads about 350 pieces per week, giving each essay 5-10 minutes of attention. This means that you only have a few minutes to intrigue the reader with your text so that they stay on it and classify it as one of the successful ones, i.e. transient! Thanks to the essay tips, we hope your application will top the list with college scholarships granted.