Writing an essay for a scholarship application is a challenging task. Not only this requires superior writing skills, but also the ability to reflect on your background and present your best sides to the committee.
And, since the competition for the best scholarship programs is often fierce, a persuasive essay can give you a real competitive advantage over other students. In today’s article, we are going to share practical tips to help you craft an attention-grabbing essay for your scholarship program.
If you aren’t a strong writer, don’t let this prevent you from winning a scholarship! Today, many brilliant students prefer to hire a writer to compose their scholarship essays, for example, at https://shinyessays.com/scholarship-essay.
Experts from an online essay writing service know the requirements for scholarship essays and how such essays are graded. Therefore, they can help you build a compelling story and maximize your chance to win.
7 tips for writing a strong scholarship essay
Write a customized application for every scholarship
Each institution has its requirements and evaluation criteria. Moreover, a strong essay should reflect how your plans for education or research align with the goals and values of the organization.
If you send the same generic piece everywhere, the committee members will see it immediately. Therefore, it’s recommended that you write a new essay for each scholarship program, or at least customize it according to the program’s requirements and goals.
Read the prompt and instructions carefully
An essay prompt should be the main theme of your writing. You might want to re-formulate the prompt as a question so that it sounds more thought-provoking.
Do not deviate from the prompt as the committee wants a clear answer, not a vague creative piece from your side. Similarly, study the requirements related to essay length, writing style, and formatting, as neglecting these requirements might disqualify you from the competition.
Choose a topic that inspires you
If you have the freedom to choose the subject (or at least the direction) of your essay by yourself, stay on something that drives and genuinely interests you.
If there is a special event from your life that you’re proud of and think would be of interest to a committee, write about it.
It’s best not to reflect on what you believe is ‘right’ to write. When you describe something that interests you, an essay naturally comes out better than if you had to write about something unengaging.
Build an outline
An outline gives essay structure, direction and helps you organize chaotic thoughts. You needn’t use a traditional outline as you’re building it for yourself.
You might want to write down ideas or main thoughts you’d like to cover in each paragraph, or just to outline the logical flow of your story. As you put your ideas on paper, you might think of stronger arguments or ideas that will enrich your writing and make it more vivid and informative.
Maintain a traditional essay structure
Start with an introductory paragraph that contains the essay theme. Then, proceed to the essay body and share your ideas, arguments, thoughts and examples.
Always use a conclusion to summarize your thoughts. It’s best to use such traditional essay structure as otherwise your writing might sound incomplete or non-structured logically.
Speak through examples from real life
When it comes to proving what makes you the best applicant for a scholarship, examples are everything. The principle “Show, don’t tell” works perfectly here.
Don’t just say that you’re a natural leader, or you care for the environment and green energy, or that you are fascinated by social work. Include the examples from your life that prove these statements. As suggested earlier, focus on the stories that you are proudest of and that you enjoy sharing.
Don’t forget about editing
Once the essay is written, don’t hurry to submit it to the scholarship provider. First, you need to make sure the text is free from any grammar, punctuation, spelling, and syntax errors.
Put the essay aside for a while and return to it to read it aloud and go line by line. Ask your friend to go through it as well, or, what’s even better, find an editor.
A professional can spot more errors and improve the tone of voice, writing style and other elements of your writing.
If you develop the right approach to writing, you’ll manage to build a strong essay that promotes your strengths. Use the above-listed tips to portray yourself as a worthy candidate for a scholarship and beat the competition!