Tips on How to Write a Scholarship Essay for College

Scholarships make it possible to go to college.

When you start to apply for scholarship money for college, the organization to which you are applying will always want an essay that explains why you deserve the scholarship money. This is a challenge, because your essay has to be professional, clear, and concise. So this puts a lot of pressure on students who have just taken senior English and aren't that great at writing until after they take a few college writing courses.

There are ways that you can make your essay sound better, though, without being a professional writer. 

The first thing to keep in mind is that usually an essay for a college scholarship is about a specific question. For example, the question may be "Why do you deserve this scholarship and what do plan to do once you graduate?" It is important to make sure that you answer the question specifically and not include any extraneous information. As well, you will want to make a final statement that summarizes the answer to the question you have been asked.

Your essay must also be original and true to what you really feel. 

Scholarship committees are looking for a person who is unique and voices their own opinion. Not someone who copies another person's work or whose situation is like many of the other applicants.

This means that you have to use your own individual voice to write your essay. 

A wise strategy is to apply for many scholarships and use the same individual voice on each application. While one organization might not like what you have to say, by applying to many scholarship committees, you have a better chance that you are the person that will receive a scholarship from someone who identifies with your original thoughts.

A final thought is that you should not use a lot of big words to impress someone. 

Remember that you are writing to professors and others who have a command of the English language and are not impressed when students use words they don't understand. Make your essay easy to read and authentic and you are much more likely to get your scholarship.

I know you can do it.

See also: WriteYourselfRich.net