Scholarships

  Essays

A great majority of scholarships require essays of some sort. They may be just a paragraph in length or they may be several pages long. It just depends on the requirements of the sponsor. How do you feel about writing essays: do you enjoy English and like writing papers or do you imagine it as the worst thing you could possibly think of and are hoping you can do scholarships without essays? I’d like to make the process less intimidating for you.

Why Are Essays Necessary Anyway?
First, let’s look at why essays are requested from scholarship sponsors. Here are some key items to ponder:

·  The scholarship committee is faced with a great amount of scholarship applications to wade through. Some scholarship sponsors may receive just a few applications, while others may receive a few thousand. The essay is a great opportunity for the scholarship committee to “meet” you on paper.

·  Often times, scholarship sponsors are looking for more than just how well you may take tests, awesome grades and a list of your extracurricular activities.

·  How you present yourself in an essay can leave such a wonderful impression that the judges reading your scholarship will want to know more about you or, even better, feel compelled to offer you a scholarship.

What Makes a Good Essay?
The most important thing to think about when writing an essay is the fact that you really want the reader on the other side to know you through your writing. Below is a table comparing components of a good essay to those of one that could stand to go through more editing.
 

If I could impart one crucial piece of advise for you when writing your essay, I would tell you to be yourself. They want to know about you, the high school student about to embark on the college experience. They want you to engage them in your life. Write about things you know, not hypothesizing about your philosophies of third world nations’ governments (unless, of course, the scholarship sponsor asks you to do that). The passion you feel for the topic needs to come through in your essay.

Sample Essay Questions
Some students like to prepare for scholarships by writing essays during down time. Below are some sample essays taken from past scholarship applications. Keep in mind, however, that the topic of an essay depends on the requirements of each scholarship sponsor.

·  Describe a major accomplishment in your life and why it is so important to you.

·  What is your career goal and why have you chosen this path?

·  Describe your most important extracurricular activity and why it was important to you.

·  What experiences have influenced your academic and community pursuits?

·  What will you be studying in college and why have you selected this field?

·  Have you faced any personal challenges or obstacles in your life?

So, How Do I Go About Writing an Essay?
Writing essays for scholarships is not that different than writing essays for any class. Sure, the topic may be different, but the process is very similar. You have a topic, you know that. You need to have supporting evidence to be convincing. It needs to look professional and it needs your utmost attention. Below are some tips for writing an award-winning essay.

Be Original
Sponsors are generally looking for essays that are memorable. How can you possibly be memorable within a pool of potentially hundreds of essays? This is where you get to look at being creative. Answer essay questions in a way that would be different from other students. If you need some help with this, please come and see me. I am happy to review your essay topic with you. Give your scholarship essay as much attention as you would any other essay you may be doing.

Brainstorming
Spend some time brainstorming before writing your essay. Write key components you would like to include in your essay down on paper before organizing it all together, including specific examples supporting your ideas.

Have a Plan
Outline your important points to ensure you have a proper flow in your essay. This will ensure that you have a plan you can follow to include everything you’d like to discuss without rambling.

The Look
Put a title on your essay and make it something zippy. Does your introductory sentence grab the reader’s attention?

·  Your paragraphs should not be too long. You want to ensure that the reader was interested in your work. A long paragraph can be very distracting.

·  Type your essay. Even if they the scholarship sponsor does not request a typed copy, you should always type it. This is about getting yourself noticed and about putting in the extra effort.

·  If the scholarship sponsor has given you a maximum word count, make sure you have not exceeded that number. Some sponsors are willing to overlook something a little too short or a little too long, but there are no guarantees. In the same vain, ensure that your margins are to their specification, as well as any other requirements they may have.

Prove Your Case
Hopefully, if you’ve written a powerful essay, you have proven your case to the reader. Do your examples support the objective of the essay? Do you present yourself in an interesting, engaging manner? Would the reader want to spend time reading your essay or try to hurry along to get to the next one? Do your homework. Research the topic. If the sponsor posts winning essays from previous years, look at their work. Is your essay as competitive as someone who has won the scholarship in the past?

Should You Be Personal
Sometimes students wonder if they are getting too personal in their essays. That is a judgment you must make. Sponsors do like to see that you can be open and honest. Just remember to keep yourself appropriate in what you write. If you have faced some particular adversity in your life, talk about how you have overcome it if applies to the essay topic.

You Should Shine
If you have been involved in extensive extracurricular activities, volunteering or community service, discuss what leadership roles you have had within these activities. If you were president of the Key Club, talk about leadership responsibilities you undertook.

Being Thorough
Does your essay address the specific request of the sponsor? If they are asking you to write about the person that has influenced you the most and you write about what your college major will be, you have not addressed their needs. Your application will likely not be considered any further.

·  In your essay, if you present evidence that is contrary to your opinion, ensure that you are giving balanced and fair information. Spend more time on your point of view than on opposite opinions.

·  Ask yourself a question as you’re reviewing your finished essay: Did you move the reader? You should have engaged him or her throughout your piece.

The Importance of Proofreading
Imagine spending weeks working on the perfect essay. You’ve done your research, you spent time making sure it looks good on paper and you are definitely proud of the work you’ve done to finish your masterpiece. You are sure, positive in fact, that you will be winning the scholarship. You submit your paperwork and hear back months later that you were not selected. You cannot understand why.

I can probably give you some good reasons why. As a person who receives scholarship admissions for Westview, I see plenty of final drafts come across my desk. I can give all the advice in the world to you before you submit your final draft. However, once it is in my hands to forward to the Westview Scholarship Committee for consideration, I can give you no further assistance if I want to maintain the integrity of the competitions. I can tell, within a few seconds, those that will not be receiving the scholarship right from the outset. It might be because a student decided to handwrite their application when the directions expressly stated it must be typed. It could be that a student did not meet the minimum eligibility requirements. It is possible that it was because there were too many typographical errors.

To ensure that you have the best possible chance at winning scholarships, it is critical that you proofread your application, essays and other documents you are submitting. Here are a few things to remember:

·  Even if you have written a fantastic essay, have other people read it. Have several people read it. Appropriate people might be an English teacher, counselor, parent or another adult who is going to be open and honest with you.

·  I generally do not recommend that you have your friends or other peers read your work. Typically, they are in the same boat as you in trying to win scholarships or applying to college. Adults generally have the life experience of either working in the industry or having applied themselves.

·  Whoever reads your essays should be objective with you. If they see mistakes with your spelling, grammar or problems with the essay itself, they should feel comfortable enough to tell you. Ask them to give you suggestions on how you may improve. Let’s face it – there’s always room for improvement and wouldn’t you want the opportunity to make changes if they are necessary?

© Kathy Bloomfield, Westview High School

If you have any questions, please contact kbloomfield@powayusd.com