School is right around the corner and it is a critical time to begin writing your scholarship essays for college. Scholarships are very competitive and life-changing. These are awards for all the hard work that you have accomplished. They help students to achieve their full academic and leadership potential. Scholarship foundations exist to help you receive a higher education so that you can go further in life. Your GPA is valuable, but, the scholarship essay can be the key to reaching this award.
6 Tips to Writing Your Scholarship Essays
1. Know About the Scholarship You Are Applying For
Different scholarships have different agendas. These foundations have criteria that reflect the values of the donor and purpose of the award. For example, the Jack and Jill America scholarship foundation celebrates the excellence of African Americans. They support the positive development of African American youth. Be prepared to have knowledge and experience in the African American community. Furthermore, the Point Foundation is an LGBT foundation that empowers and helps people that are active in the LGBT community achieve academic. If you’ve been involved in projects for the LGBT community, this will help you relate to the goal of the scholarship provider.
2. Understand What the Essay Question and Take It to the Next Level
First and foremost – Make sure you understand the question and answer in a way that no one would answer the question. Think outside the box, even if it is a common scholarship essay question. Use this opportunity to illustrate what makes you unique.
3. Start off Strong
How you write your essay is important. The introduction paragraph is the first impression the person reading your essay has about you. Use your creativity. Insert the question inside the paragraph. Never start your introduction paragraph with the answer. Doing so does not reflect well on a student’s creativity. Be sophisticated. One suggestion would be to begin your essay with facts, and as you progress, narrow down to the answer. Another suggestion would be to start with a short story. You want to entertain your reader. Look for inspiration from your favorite authors or storytellers.
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Fluff is information that you do not need. Ask yourself, “If I took this sentence out, does the message still come across?” If it helps you reach your point, it isn’t fluff. Be precise and keep it relevant to your topic, especially if you are limited to a word count.
5. Don’t Be Too Smart
We advise students to avoid taking too much advantage of a thesaurus. The selection committee can tell when you have written an essay with a thesaurus as your guide. If you can simplify it, do not over think it. Try not to overwhelm the reader with big words. Feel confident in your essay writing abilities.
6. Highlight Your Accomplishments
Use what you’ve done to the fullest capacity. As small as it may be, use the position that you had as a tool to express your value and leadership quality and work ethic.
David Tabachnikov is the CEO of ScholarshipOwl. Formerly at Waze and Google, David is an experienced CTO/R&D manager with over 10 years of experience of leading tech teams. David fervently believes that students should have greater access to education, and is passionate about using technology to help them achieve that goal.
