Scholarship Essays: See How to Make Yours Stand Out

If you’re applying for a scholarship, you’ll almost certainly be required to write an essay. Very few scholarship programs are solely based on an application form or transcript. This post will guide you on how to write good scholarship essays to make your scholarship application stand out among others.

The scholarship essay is your opportunity to present your case to the committee and demonstrate why you deserve to win. It allows you to express your personality and what you are most proud of in life. The purpose of your scholarship application is to inform, but the purpose of your scholarship essay is to persuade. Scholarship committees read hundreds, if not thousands, of essays, so making yours stand out is critical.

The essay is frequently the most essential part of your application; it conveys to the scholarship committee your personality and commitment to your goals. You’ll want to ensure your scholarship essays are as good as they can be.

However, there is no single way to write a successful scholarship application. If you collected all of the scholarship entries that have ever won a prize, it would be difficult to identify what made them all the same. Each would provide a unique insight into the author’s past, present, and future aspirations through the author’s distinct style.

How To Write Good Scholarship Essays

There is no one way to write a winning scholarship application. It would be difficult to identify what made all of the scholarship entries that have ever won a prize the same if you collected all of them. Through the author’s distinct style, each would provide a unique insight into the author’s past, present, and future aspirations.

Here is how to write winning scholarship Essays:

1. Read and reread the essay statement to which you are responding, and identify the key themes.

2. Understand the significance of the major themes

After identifying the key themes, it is critical to understand what each of these concepts truly means beyond the surface level. For example, I acknowledged that the definition of ‘leadership’ included identifying the effects of my leadership – the actions taken and results obtained under my leadership – rather than simply describing the position I held and my responsibilities.

The more in-depth your understanding of each theme, the more examples you will be able to identify to demonstrate your abilities.

3. Fill your scholarship essay with keywords or synonyms for keywords from your scholarship statement

Using keywords from the scholarship statement throughout your essay will demonstrate your dedication to answering the question. For example, I made a concerted effort to include references to “leadership,” “innovation,” and “impacting communities” throughout my essay. Scholarship Essays: How to Make Yours Stand Out

4. Make an Interesting Introduction to your Scholarship Essays

If you’re having trouble starting your scholarship application essay, why not include a quote or statement that relates to your intended course and that you can later link to the main body of your text? Showing broader knowledge and aptitude for your subject will help convince the judges that it is a worthwhile investment to support you in your chosen course. Scholarship Essays: How to Make Yours Stand Out

5. Understand how the scholarship committee evaluates application essays

Based on my personal experience, I’ve outlined what I believe are the key criteria used by scholarship committee judges to evaluate scholarship application essays on the themes of leadership and community impact. My advice is to address all of these topics in your essay, whether the question specifically requests it or not.

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Biomedicine Discovery Scholarship for International Students – 2022/2023

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Guidelines for Taking Your Scholarship Essays to the Next Level

Applying for scholarships would be a breeze if it weren’t for the essay, which frequently forces us to reflect on ourselves, who we are as people, and what we’ve accomplished thus far in life. While it may be the most difficult aspect of the application, it is also the most crucial.

Here are our scholarship essays tips to help you succeed

The Planning/Preparation Stage

1. Plan Ahead of Time-Scholarship Essays: How to Make Yours Stand Out

If you put off writing your scholarship essay until the last minute, the quality will most likely suffer. Create a calendar with the deadlines and requirements for all the scholarships you want to apply for to ensure you have enough time for the planning phase. Make sure you leave enough time for brainstorming and proofreading!

2. Understand Your Audience-Scholarship Essays: How to Make Yours Stand Out

The best way to give the scholarship committee what they want is to understand what they want. Determine who their ideal candidate is and where you fit into the picture. However, be wary of exceeding their expectations.

Don’t give up your voice or personality to fit the bill. Rather, consider your strengths and how you can leverage them to become the ideal candidate.

3. Make sure you follow the instructions and answer the prompts

Although it may appear to be one of the more obvious scholarship essay tips, many applicants make their first mistake before even starting – they fail to read the instructions. Exceeding (or failing to meet) the word count can hurt your chances because it demonstrates that you did not prepare your essay as thoroughly as other applicants.

Also, double-check that you’re responding thoroughly to all parts of the prompt and that you’re using the proper scholarship essay format. Scholarship Essays: How to Make Yours Stand Out.

4. Consider reusing a previously written essay

Many scholarship essays use the same essay prompt. Some scholarship providers even use the Common App prompts or allow you to choose your own topic. This means you can literally copy and paste your essay into multiple applications (yay!). Scholarship Essays: How to Make Yours Stand Out

Other times, scholarships use similar essay prompts or ask questions that can be answered in the same way. You might be able to improve an existing essay rather than write a new one.

The Writing/Drafting Stage

5. Create/Make a Strong Introduction-Scholarship Essays: How to Make Yours Stand Out

Because the introduction is what draws the reader in and persuades them to continue reading, it should be one of the strongest parts of your essay. Instead of a general overview, why not pique your reader’s interest with a surprising first line?

Which of these two opening lines, for example, draws you deeper into the story? Which one motivates you to keep going?

My first international trip was to Canada with my family in 2010.

I had just crossed the border into Canada in 2010, and my life was about to change.

The second sentence gives the reader something to look for; it piques their interest in not only how your life changed during your trip, but also why. It leaves the readers with unanswered questions, forcing them to keep reading to find the answers.

Overall, you’ll want to give your reader a brief preview of what to expect from your essay – think of it as the written equivalent of a movie trailer. Why should they continue reading?

6. Maintain a Good Structure-Scholarship Essays: How to Make Yours Stand Out

Following the introduction, it is critical to ensure that your reader can easily follow along with your essay. Making a basic outline is a great way to ensure this occurs!

To begin creating an outline, organize your thoughts. Make a list of the main points you want to cover in your essay. Then, divide your thoughts into three sections: introduction, body, and conclusion. Your ideas can be expressed in sentence form, short phrases, or simple words – whatever works best for you!

Finally, ensure that your ideas flow logically and, if necessary, add more detail under each point. For more information, visit this website.

Also, try to avoid going off on tangents by determining which information is relevant and which isn’t. Consider how much detail you should include as well. A little detail can help make your point clearer or more compelling, but too much detail can slow down your essay.

7. Use Real-Life Examples-Scholarship Essays: How to Make Yours Stand Out

Show your reader your experiences rather than telling them about them. Don’t be afraid to give concrete examples of your experiences and/or how you’ve grown as a person. Almost every applicant will have a similar response to the essay prompt, and your personal examples are your opportunity to make your essay stand out.

8. Expression of Emotions-Scholarship Essays: How to Make Yours Stand Out

Writing to connect with an audience can be difficult, but when done correctly, it can create a very powerful connection between the reader and the author. Showing your emotions is an excellent way to accomplish this and to make the reader personally invested in your essay.

Emotional expression allows the reader to see you as a person rather than a faceless author. Despite its importance, it is one of the scholarship essay tips that most people overlook.

We all have flaws, so don’t be afraid to expose them. Scholarship committees do not expect you to be perfect and instead want to see how you’ve grown as a person and dealt with life’s challenges.

In fact, discussing times when you were nervous or scared demonstrates maturity and self-awareness, which are two excellent qualities in a scholarship applicant.

9. Ensure the tone is inspirational and positive-Scholarship Essays: Make Yours Stand Out

One of the most important scholarship essay tips is entirely based on your point of view and tone. Nobody wants to read a sad, self-pitying story. Even if you’re writing about painful or upsetting events in your life, try to keep the tone upbeat and inspiring.

Rather than focusing solely on how a negative event affected you, consider how you grew from the experience and overcame the challenge.

10. Avoid Boring and Dreary conclusions-Scholarship Essays: How to Make Yours Stand Out

Many people simply paraphrase their entire essay in the conclusion…don’t be afraid to think outside the box! Try something new and surprising. From the first letter to the last period, make your essay interesting and attention-grabbing.

You can enhance your conclusion by leaving your readers with an intriguing question.

Editing Phase

11. Ensure you proofread and ask for help-Scholarship Essays: How to Make Yours Stand Out

As much as we’d like to think we’re perfect, we all make mistakes…which is why it’s critical to proofread your essay. Reading your essay aloud is an excellent way to identify errors.

After you’ve proofread your own essay several times, have someone else do it for you. Requesting assistance from a family member or friend can provide you with a fresh perspective on your writing, and the second set of eyes may catch a mistake that you missed.

12. Utilize Resources to Your Advantage-Scholarship Essays: How to Make Yours Stand Out

You don’t have to do everything on your own when it comes to writing. Check some of the resources out there, such as scholarship essay examples, etc.

If you’re in college, most schools have a writing center where students can get free feedback and guidance. They may have some insightful scholarship essay tips that you (or we!) did not consider. Similar services may be available in some high schools, communities, or libraries.

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