Writing a Winning Scholarship Essay

It’s a pretty safe assumption that everyone planning to apply for scholarships is able to write. It is difficult to get very far in high school or college without at least some rudimentary written communication skills. It’s certainly impossible to make it through the ACT, SAT, or college applications -- especially beyond “You’re Accepted” without them. 

So when you come across essay scholarships, it can be easy to get discouraged and think that there’s going to be way too much competition and you have no chance of winning. After all, everyone can write. However, not everyone is willing or able to put in the effort required to write well.  Writing scholarships become excellent opportunities for those students dedicated and diligent enough to write a scholarship-worthy essay.


Wining scholarships is possible, especially when you put a bit of effort into your writing. Scholarships are often awarded based on some basic and universal criteria of verbal ability—things you’ve probably heard your English teachers emphasize again and again. When writing scholarship essays, be mindful of the rules of spelling and grammar, as well as essay structure and organization. Have an introduction and conclusion, stick with one main idea per paragraph, and use source support where necessary. Inject some style, but don’t go for an extremely informal tone unless the essay contest specifically calls for one.

You may feel like scholarships are too competitive for you to be eligible for many, but someone has to win, so why shouldn’t it be you? There are ways to improve your chances at landing a scholarship, even if it’s the most competitive scholarship with the biggest reward. Target academic scholarships if you have a stellar GPA and standardized test scores, but also make a list of what makes you unique and make sure to include those characteristics when you’re filling out your profile or looking to outside sources for potential scholarship sources.

Once you've got a good list going of scholarships you're eligible for, it’s time to go over those results and make the ones with set deadlines and those you feel you have the best shot at winning your top priority. (If you don’t match the criteria of an award, don’t apply. There are too many scholarships out there that will fit your unique student characteristics that you shouldn't be wasting your time on awards you don’t fit the eligibility requirements for.) Be sure you contact each provider in the manner they've requested, whether it's email, fax or formal letter, as it’s important that you follow the directions of any scholarship application to the letter. To maximize your scholarship application output and the scholarships you'll receive, be sure to start as early as possible, usually in September or October of your senior year of high school once the official application is available.


When you’re ready to start applying, it’s important to get organized. One of the most important steps once you find an award that interests you is to read the directions, qualifications, and fine print carefully (an award you have to pay for to receive could be a scholarship scam). You may even find some of the work you do can be applied to multiple scholarship applications – such as an essay or writing sample. (Be sure you read the directions for those essays carefully, though. Make sure you’re answering the essay question accurately and thoughtfully, as many judges will look to those essays to narrow down a long list of applicants.) Start working on those essays early, and ask teachers or your peers for honest feedback.

If it sounds too easy, that’s because it actually is easy to apply for scholarships. Some may require that you to put in some time, but once you've completed an application or two you might find it will get easier and take less time with each additional one. Don’t psych yourself out or let yourself get overwhelmed by all you need to do before you graduate high school. Start early and work diligently and it will pay off. And remember: you’re not alone. Many students feel unprepared when they’re starting the process, but with a little research, you CAN succeed!

The only way to have a shot at a scholarship is to APPLY, and that usually means writing a personal statement or an essay on a topic the scholarship committee wants to hear about. If you miss a deadline and send your application in late, your application will not be considered.   If you skip out on an award because you think you don’t have a good shot at landing that award, you could be missing out on an opportunity for some generous funding, and free funding that you won’t need to pay back. The more scholarship information you have, the more prepared you’ll be to start the process and land your share of the free money out there to supplement your financial aid package for college.

Writing a Scholarship-Worthy Essay

This doesn't happen in 15 minutes, 1 hour, or even a day or two.  Scholarship-worthy essays often evolve over weeks and months of careful consideration. 

Brainstorm
Get out a pencil and paper and go to town thinking about your subject. This means you should write down everything that comes to mind. Even ideas that seem disconnect should be jotted somewhere so that you can refer to them later if you discover a logical way to use them. When you brainstorm, brilliance shines through. Too often, by censoring ourselves, we toss out our best ideas. Put a stop to this before you get to college. Think critically; don't be critical of your thoughts.

Organize
When you are done brainstorming, organize your ideas into the most logical order. From these ideas, you should be able to see an outline for your thesis.

Research
You've established which brilliant ideas have made the cut, so support them. Textual support from noted authors or literary texts is always helpful. Use their ideas to add commentary onto your own. Just be sure to cite your sources.

Write
Be Enthusiastic  If Your interest in the topic you are wiriting about will shine through.  If your writing says, “ My mom made me write this essay and my hand hurts," it will not distinguish you. If you don't know your subject, involve yourself in it by doing research.

Share Information
When you write, you give another person (the reader) access to your thought life. For many people, this is why writing is so intimidating; if you can get past the intimidation, however, and be entirely honest with your audience, something magical happens — your voice/thoughts become something of interest to another human being.

Teach Your Audience
By sharing with your audience, you create an opportunity to teach them. You've got their attention; after all, they believe you are an incredible individual with interesting insight. Now they can learn. And guess what that makes you? Their teacher.
So, for AWESOME essays, show your maturity and convey the lessons you have learned.  And, while the bottom line includes your quest for scholarship money, that should not be everything. 

Answer the Critical Part
Why should you be considered for this scholarship?  Is there financial need?  Adversity overcome?  Merit achieved?  If so, TELL IT.  This may/may not be answered in your résumé and/or general information in the application.  Unless you TELL your story, you may be doing all of this for nothing.
    

ANSWER THE QUESTION 

Avoid an Unconventional Format!
Now is not the time to test out your creative abilities. If you are serious about the scholarships you are applying for, focus your creative energy into your synthesis of ideas. By playing with the formatting too much, you detract from your writing abilities. Your essay should include:

Introduction
Include your thesis within the introduction. If you are a talented theses writer, it can extend into two sentences. Keep your introduction short and punchy. A long, artistic introduction is tempting, but resist the urge. You have a point (and likely a word limit). 

Body
Make at least three discernable points within the body of your essay. Each point should be in a paragraph of its own so that it can be easily identified by the reader. Additionally, weave sources into the body of your essay possible. It will make your writing stronger and show that you committed yourself to researching the topic at hand.

Conclusion
"In conclusion," statements are out. Lead into your conclusion clearly and gently. The body of the piece should work towards the conclusion, so your final comments should be captured your own reflections. A conclusion should not appear to be the introduction regurgitated —your reader will catch on to this.

Tell YOUR story.

• Create a coherent essay that will be memorable
• Edit, revise, edit, revise
• Answer the question
• Edit, revise, edit, revise
• Start early
• Use your word limit carefully
• Edit, revise, edit, revise
• Answer the question completely
• Edit, revise, edit, revise