Author: Katsuhiko St. Patrick

Now that a new academic year has begun, it's important to take your scholarship application process seriously in order to increase your chances of success. If you need help writing your college scholarship application, you'll want to learn how to write an essay that convinces the scholarship program board that you deserve the money up for grabs. Your scholarship essay should be a window into your life. The essay should give the readers a sense of you as a person—beyond what your high school GPA and test scores alone can reflect—similar to your personal statement for college applications.

5 Key Areas

When writing your College Application Essay, we believe there are 5 simple areas you need to be mindful of and what to include for your application. These include:

1. Adhere to the guidelines of the essay

Like any other essay you write for school, you’ll want to format your scholarship essays in a way that it follows the core guidelines and principles. Do the guidelines provide a prompt of one or two part question? Make sure that you address all portions and give complete answers. But remember that you know your audience (scholarship committee)!

2. Start with a Hook

Draw in the reader with strong and memorable words from the very first sentence. For example, you may want to come out of the gates with a snapshot of (1) your story; My first time traveling abroad was during a family vacation to Canada in 2020. It was 2020; I had just crossed the border into Canada and my life was about to change. or (2) where you see yourself in 5-10 years times, after getting the education of your dreams from your dream institute. Overall, you’ll want to give your reader a quick preview of what they can expect from your essay – think of it like the written version of a movie trailer.

3. Tell a Story

Write a personal detail of your life and write in the form of a story that endears yourself to the reader. The mistake many students make is to write 100% about the hardships they’ve faced without acknowledging or discussing how they overcame them. Essay readers are not simply looking for the hardest story when selecting a winner, but rather a complete narrative that includes how the student has worked to overcome the challenge. Be clear and don't forget to keep it simple, you don't want to use unnecessary words (don't use three words when one will do).

4. Word Count

Do not exceed the specified word count. Use all available space to impress the judges. If you have space, a brief thank you is thoughtful and appropriate. But you’ll want to be as succinct as possible. For example, at the very end of your essay, you can simply say something like, “Thank you for this opportunity and for taking the time to read this essay.”

5. Proofread

Take a break from your work to relax, then return to it. Your essay will be seen by you with new eyes, enabling you to improve it. It's a good idea to give your work to someone else for comments if you feel comfortable doing so. Select a dependable teacher, family member, or friend, and be receptive to their advice for growth. This needs to be easy to read for your reader.

For more resources on Scholarships and Grants please go to https://www.dailyflexreport.com/