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Writing the Scholarship Essay

admin — Fri, 07 May 2010 22:23:40 +0000

Win a Bonus Scholarships from the University of New Haven at CollegeTreasure.com

The essay is the most difficult part of a scholarship application, and it’s often the only

thing that separates winners from the rest of the applicant pool. Even the best writers struggle

with the scholarship essay because it differs so greatly from academic essays. Scholarship

evaluators generally don’t read essays from a technical standpoint (unless, of course, the paper

is riddled with simple, lazy errors); rather, they read in order to get a better idea of the

applicant’s personal history, qualities, and aspirations. The essay is meant to give applicants a

chance to convey ideas that cannot be expressed in SAT scores or lists of accomplishments.

Everyone has unique characteristics, and with a few simple tips anyone can write a successful

scholarship essay that showcases these qualities.

The first step in beginning the writing process is, quite simply, to begin the writing

process. Gather information and construct a rough draft several weeks, maybe a month…

or two, before you intend to submit the application. To make choosing a topic easier, write

down a list of the personal qualities and goals that you want to emphasize to the scholarship’s

evaluators then choose something (probably a personal story) that clearly displays these

characteristics. Don’t just write empty, aimless prose and try to fill it in with useful information.

It’s usually best to make an outline before starting the rough draft, but this is not absolutely

necessary. Some find it easier to just begin writing, especially when recounting a true story.

However, if you choose the latter method, make sure that you have a specific story and well-

defined points of emphasis in mind; again, don’t write aimlessly. Work on the essay a little bit

each day. This gives you a chance to review the essay with a clear mind (if you write and revise

it all at once, your ideas tend to blend together). After you’ve written a rough draft, begin to

revise with an eye toward content. Don’t worry about grammar or prose quality until the final

weeks because these errors are easily correctable. Finally, make sure to use your resources

throughout the process; these could include English teachers, tutors, your family, and your

friends.

Essays can make the scholarship application process difficult. However, no scholarship

that’s worth having comes easily, and if you follow the advice above any scholarship essay is

doable.

The essay is the most difficult part of a scholarship application, and it’s often the only thing that separates winners from the rest of the applicant pool. Even the best writers struggle with the scholarship essay because it differs so greatly from academic essays. Scholarship evaluators generally don’t read essays from a technical standpoint (unless, of course, the paper

is riddled with simple, lazy errors); rather, they read in order to get a better idea of the applicant’s personal history, qualities, and aspirations. The essay is meant to give applicants a chance to convey ideas that cannot be expressed in SAT scores or lists of accomplishments. Everyone has unique characteristics, and with a few simple tips anyone can write a successful scholarship essay that showcases these qualities.

The first step in beginning the writing process is, quite simply, to begin the writing process. Gather information and construct a rough draft several weeks, maybe a month… or two, before you intend to submit the application. To make choosing a topic easier, write down a list of the personal qualities and goals that you want to emphasize to the scholarship’s evaluators then choose something (probably a personal story) that clearly displays these characteristics. Don’t just write empty, aimless prose and try to fill it in with useful information. It’s usually best to make an outline before starting the rough draft, but this is not absolutely necessary. Some find it easier to just begin writing, especially when recounting a true story. However, if you choose the latter method, make sure that you have a specific story and well-defined points of emphasis in mind; again, don’t write aimlessly. Work on the essay a little bit each day. This gives you a chance to review the essay with a clear mind (if you write and revise it all at once, your ideas tend to blend together). After you’ve written a rough draft, begin to revise with an eye toward content. Don’t worry about grammar or prose quality until the final weeks because these errors are easily correctable. Finally, make sure to use your resources throughout the process; these could include English teachers, tutors, your family, and your friends.

Essays can make the scholarship application process difficult. However, no scholarship that’s worth having comes easily, and if you follow the advice above any scholarship essay is doable.

October 14, 2009 Edition of Carnival of College Admission

admin — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 00:46:17 +0000

Choosing the Right College

Now that summer has officially ended we are in the midst of many of the annual rites of fall: changing colors of the leaves; college football; and college applications. For many, the debate rages over whether or not they should apply Early Decision. Todd Johnson tells you what you need to think about before applying early decision to a college in his post Is Early Decision Right For You? at College Admissions Counseling. Another hotly debated issue is that of college rankings. Admissions expert Brady Norvall shares his perspective on whether you should consider us college rankings when choosing a college in his post Ranking the US College Rankings posted at myUsearch blog. Also, as students stare at their college applications they are often faced with the question of “What do you want to do after college?” Nissim Ziv presents What Career is Right For Me? Finding the Right Career Path posted at Job Interview Guide. Just as there are many new career paths, there are also many new majors available at universities. Saying, “Some of the hottest new college majors need some decoding — learn what subjects like sustainability and health informatics are all about,” Dawn Papandrea does just that in Decoding Emerging College Majors posted at CollegeSurfing Insider.

College Life

While most students are focused on what they hope to do in the new semester, Brett J Callahan presents Five Back-to-School Do NOT’s posted at 2East: The College Living Blog. Also, back on campus many students are feeling a financial pinch and might be tempted to look for credit cards. For these students, Jim presents Best Student Credit Cards posted at Blueprint for Financial Prosperity. In order to save money, many students are considering moving off campus. Across the country, many new students are just tussling with their first college exams and term papers. Don’t worry freshman,Carolyn Friedman gives you useful web tools that will help you earn the grades your parent’s will be proud of while you are secretly having the time of your life as a freshman at 75 + Useful Web Tools for Your First Year of College posted at Online Christian Colleges, Tom Tessin gives tips you can use if you’re looking to find an apartment around the college campus in Apartments for College Students ? Finding One posted at FCC Student Blog. With the recession, many non-traditional students are heading back to school as well. Read about going back to school at age 40 when softmelon presents Back to School posted at The Den of Psychosis.

Financial Aid

Need-based financial aid deadlines are just around the corner, but there is no time like the present to start researching scholarships. Chris presents All About the Tylenol Scholarship posted at MJJ Party. One of the keys to financing a college education is to start saving early. Patrick @ Cash Money Life presents Open New Ohio 529 Account to Get $200 in Bonuses posted at Cash Money Life, saying, “The Ohio 529 College Savings Plan, CollegeAdvantage, is offering a generous sign up bonus for new accounts. You can easily earn a couple hundred dollars to go toward your college savings.”

Getting Admitted

To ED or not to ED, that is the question. Mark Montgomery tackles this question in his post Early Decision or Regular Decision in College Admission–Which is Better? posted at Great College Advice, saying, “Students and parents are often confused about whether to use early decision as a strategy for admission. This post clears up that confusion.” There is a lot of talk about the growing gender gap at America’s college campuses. Andrew Syrios tackles this issue in Lies, Damned Lies and Statistics: The Female-Male College Gap | SwiftEconomics.com posted at SwiftEconomics.com.

Graduate SchoolsUnfortunately, not every application has a happy ending. Adam Markus presents A Happy Story of HBS Rejection posted at Adam Markus: Graduate Admissions Guru, saying, “A MBA admissions consultant reflects on The Snowball by Alice Schroeder”

Other Cool StuffCandice Arnold presents AIESEC Internships Foster Understanding and Improve Students’ Marketability : CollegeRecruiter.com Insights by Internship Experts Blog posted at CollegeRecruiter.com. Lynn Mattoon presents Gearing Up for the Careers of Tomorrow posted at My College Admissions Blog – MyCollegeCalendar.org, saying, “Today’s college students may be preparing for jobs that don’t exist yet!”

Diane Steward presents 25 Excellent “Dot Gov” Tools to Research Any Online School posted at Online University Data, saying, “From search tools to financial aid resources and more, these 25 Web resources from the government will help you in your quest to earn any degree.” Kathy Wilson presents 10 U.S. Presidents Who Got Their Start in Teaching posted at Online Schools.

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5 Scholarship Essay Don’ts

admin — Fri, 22 May 2009 22:49:25 +0000

I just wanted to follow up to my previous post, 5 Tips for Writing a Scholarship Essay. Over the last week I had to read numerous (52 applications in one night) scholarship applications in order to select the winners of this year’s Devon Rotary Scholarships. Several egregious erros are stil fresh in my mind, so I will share them with you to help you avoid making the same mistake.

Don’t Forget to Proofread the Essay. Remember, just because a word is spelled correctly, it doesn’t mean that it is the right word. The best example for the applications I recently read, is that one student said he served his church as an “alter server”. This mistake was picked up by all three members of the committee, as were several others.
Don’t Just Copy a Free Sample Scholarship Essay. While there are many sites that offer sample personal statements, college application essays, and scholarship essays, you should never copy them. Look at them for ideas, but the best essay is one that is intensely personal and that only you could have written.
Don’t Write Just One Paragraph. Most organizations put considerable effort in to raising the money that they give away, so they want to see that you have put some effort in to your application. We had several one paragraph essays, and one member of the committee automatically dismissed them from consideration. We worked hard to be able to give this money away, so we don’t want to see a student who feels like they are entitled. Scholarships are a reward, not a right.
Don’t Forget to Read the Instructions. If a scholarship says applications are only accepted online, submit your application online. If it requires financial aid information, make certain that you submit it. We had several applications that were incomplete, so we did not consider them.
Don’t Be Disappointed if You Don’t Win. Unfortunately, times are tough, and there are more people than ever applying for scholarships. If you don’t win, it isn’t personal, it is just a numbers game. There are too many good applicants and not enough money.

5 Tips for Writing a Scholarship Essay

admin — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 23:09:18 +0000

While most people have already written their college admissions essay or personal statement by spring, we are now in

Don't Stress about your essay, read our tips.

the middle of another essay season: scholarship essays. While there are many similarities between a good college essay and a good scholarship essay, there are also many differences. I have helped review scholarship applications for 5 different organizations. In addition to giving out scholarships through admissionhook.com and collegetresure.com, I am the chair of the Devon Rotary Scholarship committee (we give out over $20,000 in scholarships annually) and helped develop a “scholarship general application” that is used by several of the non-profit organizations in my hometown of Milford, CT. In this post I am going to share with you some advice on what makes a good scholarship essay.

Know Your Audience. What is the mission of the organization? Typically, most local scholarships are given by community service organizations, so you will want to highlight your volunteer work in your essay. It is always good to show in the essay that you took the time to research what the group does and that you know a little bit about their good works. Most groups spend the year raising the money to give away, so they would appreciate you acknowledging their efforts. While you don’t want to appear to be a sycophant (I couldn’t help throwing a good SAT word in, in other words a kiss up), perhaps you could draw some parallels between some of your activities and activities that the group partakes in.
Follow directions. For our Rotary club, we evaluate students in 5 areas and one of them is thoroughness of application. Read the directions. Red them again, and give them only what they are looking for. Most of these groups consist of volunteers. This is not their full time job. They do this to help out and give back to their community. That being said, they most likely do a lot of other things as well, so they are short on time. Do not fill your application with an abundance of extra letters of recommendation. Make sure your essay is on topic. Most importantly, make sure you submit your application on time. Following directions is critical.
Give them a reason to give you a scholarship. Most organizations are looking to help out a student. If you have overcome some obstacle, let them know. However, don’t feel you need to make something up or try to make a small problem seem bigger than it really was. If you do not have some extenuating circumstance that you have overcome, then write about what you hope to accomplish and what you expect to give back to your community. Most groups see their scholarships as an investment in the future of their community. Make them see that if they give you the scholarship it will be a wise investment.
Be humble, but don’t be self effacing. You do not want to brag or come across as arrogant, but don’t be afraid to tell them all the things that you have done. If you don’t tell them, who will. In high school I found out afterwards that I didn’t win a few scholarships because after I told my interviewers everything I did, I made it seem like it was no big deal. Be proud of what you have done. Tell them and then let them decide if they feel it is significant, don’t make decisions for them.
Be yourself. While it is great to look through the many sample essays on our site, the best essay is an essay that only you could have written. It has to get across your passion and your accomplishments. Look at sample scholarship essays for ideas, but don’t copy.

Best of luck and feel free to share your tips in the comments section. I am about to begin reviewing applications for this years scholarships, so my next post will be a list of scholarship don’ts.