As the task of applying to colleges winds down, the focus often shifts to seeking out college scholarships. You’ve done your best submitting college application essays, but now, what’s the best approach to writing college scholarship essays?
The good news is much of what students practiced in writing their first round of college application essays can be applied to scholarship essays. Let’s refresh our memories on what’s important.
- Thoughtfully consider all of what the prompt is asking.
- Brainstorm your topic for answering the prompt.
- Answer all aspects of the essay prompt.
- Never ever write beyond the word limit.
- Demonstrate your strengths, values and virtues.
- Craft an attention-getting introduction backed up by a compelling story.
- Consider using an anecdote for your introduction—a short, descriptive account of a particular incident or event. Make sure your last sentence in your introduction serves as your thesis. You’ll also want to weave into the second paragraph the scholarship to which you’re applying, the college degree you’re seeking and perhaps your professional goals.
- Use your body paragraphs to speak to the overall theme of your essay. They should address specific questions within the prompt. Each body paragraph should have a topic sentence that emphasizes the main point of that paragraph. Finally, the body paragraphs should point to your qualifications for the scholarship.
- Conclude your essay by tying together all the body paragraphs and connecting back to the introduction. It should also reiterate your interest in receiving the scholarship and how the award would help you reach your stated specific goals.
- Proofread your essay for spelling, grammar, facts, wordiness and word length—always.
To learn more about what college admissions counselors are looking for, and how HelloCollege can help, contact us today!
