COLLEGE SCHOLARSHIP ESSAY WRITING GUIDE

General Tips

1. Don't procrastinate. Writing well-planned college essays that will help you succeed in the very noble
task of being accepted into your first-choice schools or getting good scholarships takes time and
iterations.

2. Determine what you need to say based on your background. Each applicant is unique and, therefore,
will need to address different weaknesses and highlight different strengths. Know what your profile will
look like to the admission or scholarship committee and focus your college essays accordingly.

3. Spend adequate time selecting your essay topics. This is a critical first step and it will be tough to
write a compelling college essay about a poorly chosen topic.

4. Don't let writer's block affect you. Once again, this is an obstacle that can be overcome through talking
and thinking things through with someone and brainstorming.

5. Talk out the essays individually and collectively. Before you begin writing the essay, talk it out to
yourself or a trusted friend or relative. Make sure the "story" sounds compelling and effectively
communicates your main points. If it does not, you may need to change your essay topic. Remember, if it
doesn't sound right to you, you can't expect the admissions staff or scholarship committee to fully
appreciate the essay.

6. Keep the essays centered on you. The college essay may ask you about a significant event or a role
model. Regardless, you must ensure you remain the focus of the essay. You are the one applying to
school or scholarship, not the role model or significant event.

7. Provide analytics and insight. You don't want to simply provide a long laundry list of accomplishments
or appear to be a real-life Forrest Gump who goes through life without any comprehension of cause and
effect. Impress the colleges with your analytical abilities and insights in your essays.

8. Take advantage of recycling opportunities. More likely than not, you will be able to use some college
essays from one application to another application. This can save significant amounts of time and
stress. Just be sure that the essay questions are indeed similar and they both advocate your story equally
well.

9. Proof your essays. There is no reason to ever submit a grammatically-incorrect application or

scholarship essay. You are provided with adequate time and you have access to others' "fresh eyes" as
well. Show the school you care and that you possess attention to detail.

10. Solicit feedback from trusted others.

Scholarship Essay Brainstorming Tips

Scholarship essays vary dramatically in subject. However, most of them require a recounting of personal
experience. These tips will be more helpful for writing personal essays, like for the National Merit
Scholarship, than for writing academic essays.
The most important aspect of your scholarship essay is the subject matter. You should expect to devote about
1-2 weeks simply to brainstorming ideas. To begin brainstorming subject ideas consider the following points.
From brainstorming, you may find a subject you had not considered at first.

• What are your major accomplishments, and why do you consider them accomplishments? Do not limit
yourself to accomplishments you have been formally recognized for since the most interesting essays
often are based on accomplishments that may have been trite at the time but become crucial when placed
in the context of your life. This is especially true if the scholarship committee receives a list of your
credentials anyway.

• Does any attribute, quality, or skill distinguish you from everyone else? How did you develop this
attribute?
• Consider your favorite books, movies, works of art, etc. Have these influenced your life in a meaningful
way? Why are they your favorites?

• What was the most difficult time in your life, and why? How did your perspective on life change as a
result of the difficulty?
• Have you ever struggled mightily for something and succeeded? What made you successful?

• Have you ever struggled mightily for something and failed? How did you respond?
• Of everything in the world, what would you most like to be doing right now? Where would you most
like to be? Who, of everyone living and dead, would you most like to be with? These questions should
help you realize what you love most.

• Have you experienced a moment of epiphany, as if your eyes were opened to something you were
previously blind to?
• What is your strongest, most unwavering personality trait? Do you maintain strong beliefs or adhere to a
philosophy? How would your friends characterize you? What would they write about if they were
writing your scholarship essay for you?

• What have you done outside of the classroom that demonstrates qualities sought after by universities? Of
these, which means the most to you?
• What are your most important extracurricular or community activities? What made you join these
activities? What made you continue to contribute to them?

• What are your dreams of the future? When you look back on your life in thirty years, what would it take
for you to consider your life successful? What people, things, and accomplishments do you need? How
does this particular scholarship fit into your plans for the future?
Personal Statement Essay Tips

A personal statement provides the reader with a more personal overview of who you are. For example, it can
include information about your background, challenges you have overcome, accomplishments, and future
goals.

In addition to a resume and letters of recommendation, scholarship applications often require additional
information about yourself, your future goals, or your thoughts on a certain issue. This information can be
requested in the form of a cover letter, personal statement, essay, or answering specific questions listed on
the scholarship application.

Another way to use a personal statement is to give it to a reference along with a resume. These two pieces of
information are very helpful for the reference to organize their thoughts about you for your letter of
recommendation.

The following is a general checklist to help you organize a draft of your personal statement. It is
recommended that you write at least one paragraph for each of these points. Using this checklist will help
you create an overall summary of who you are and your goals. You will customize your personal statement
based on the job or scholarship criteria using sections of the summary that are applicable.

Part 1: Background, Character, Strengths

• Personal background - where your family came from, ethnic background (only mention this if it is
applicable to the scholarship you are applying for).
• Challenges you have overcome i.e., academic obstacles, personal circumstances, financial
challenges.
• Strengths - academic, skills, talents, positive character traits.
• Describe yourself using 2 to 3 words and why you chose those particular characteristics.
Part 2: Experience & Involvement
• Jobs, extracurricular activities, community service/volunteer work, clubs, leadership positions
Part 3: Accomplishments
• Grades (if 3.0 or higher), advanced/honors classes, positive job performance, awards, other special
recognition, etc.
Part 4: Future Plans
• College major - Why did you choose this major? How do you plan to use it?
• Career goals - Why are you interested in this career?
Part 5: Closing
• In one or two sentences, describe yourself in terms of your ability/potential to measure up to the
requirements of the job/school/scholarship that you are applying for/to.
• Explain why you need the scholarship? Describe your financial challenges.
• Thank the reader in advance for considering you for the scholarship or job.