Writing Scholarship Essay Tips

Step One: Brainstorming

To begin brainstorming a subject idea consider the following points. From brainstorming, you may
find a subject you had not considered at first.
1. 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.
2. Does any attribute, quality, or skill distinguish you from everyone else? How did you develop this
attribute?
3. Consider your favorite books, movies, works of art, etc. Have these influenced your life in a
meaningful way? Why are they your favorites?
4. What was the most difficult time in your life, and why? How did your perspective on life change as
a result of the difficulty?
5. Have you ever struggled mightily for something and succeeded? What made you successful?
6. Have you ever struggled mightily for something and failed? How did you respond?
7. 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.
8. Have you experienced a moment of epiphany, as if your eyes were opened to something you were
previously blind to?
9. 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 admissions essay for you?
10. What have you done outside of the classroom that demonstrates qualities sought after by
universities? Of these, which means the most to you?
11. What are your most important extracurricular or community activities? What made you join these
activities? What made you continue to contribute to them?
12. 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 university fit into your plans for the future?

If these questions cannot cure your writer's block, consider the following exercises:
1. Ask for Help from Parents, Friends, Colleagues, etc.
If you cannot characterize yourself and your personality traits do not automatically leap to mind, ask
your friends to write a list of your five most salient personality traits. Ask your friends why they chose
the ones they did. If an image of your personality begins to emerge, consider life experiences that
could illustrate the particular traits.
2. Consider your Childhood
While admissions officers are not interested in reading about your childhood and are more interested
in the last 2-4 years of your life, you might consider events of your childhood that inspired the
interests you have today. Interests that began in childhood may be the most defining parts of your
life, even if you recently lost interest. For instance, if you were interested in math since an early age
and now want to study medicine, you might incorporate this into your medical school admissions
essay. Analyze the reasons for your interests and how they were shaped from your upbringing.
3. Consider your Role Models
Many applicants do not have role models and were never greatly influenced by just one or two
people. However, for those of you who have role models and actually aspire to become like certain
people, you may want to incorporate a discussion of that person and the traits you admired into your
application essay.
4. Goal Determination
Life is short. Why do you want spend 2-6 years of your life at a particular college, graduate school, or
professional school? How is the degree necessary to the fulfillment of your goals? When considering
goals, think broadly. Few people would be satisfied with just a career. How else will your education fit
your needs and lead you to a fulfilling life?
If after reading this entire page you do not have an idea for your essay, do not be surprised. Coming
up with an idea is difficult and requires time. Actually consider the questions and exercises above.
Without a topic you feel passionate about, without one that brings out the defining aspects of you
personality, you risk falling into the trap of sounding like the 90 percent of applicants who will write
boring admissions essays. The only way to write a unique essay is to have experiences that support
whatever topic you come up with. Whatever you do, don't let the essay stress you out. Have fun with
the brainstorming process. You might discover something about yourself you never consciously
realized.
Step Two - Selecting an Essay Topic
Consider the following questions before proceeding:
Have you selected a topic that describes something of personal importance in your life, with which
you can use vivid personal experiences as supporting details?
Is your topic a gimmick? That is, do you plan to write your essay in iambic pentameter or make it
funny. You should be very, very careful if you are planning to do this. We recommend strongly that
you do not do this. Almost always, this is done poorly and is not appreciated by the admissions
committee. Nothing is worse than not laughing or not being amused at something that was written to
be funny or amusing.

 Will your topic only repeat information listed elsewhere on your application? If so, pick a new topic.
Dont mention GPAs or standardized test scores in your essay.
Can you offer vivid supporting paragraphs to your essay topic? If you cannot easily think of
supporting paragraphs with concrete examples, you should probably choose a different essay topic.
Can you fully answer the question asked of you? Can you address and elaborate on all points within
the specified word limit, or will you end up writing a poor summary of something that might be
interesting as a report or research paper? If you plan on writing something technical for college
admissions, make sure you truly can back up your interest in a topic and are not merely throwing
around big scientific words. Unless you convince the reader that you actually have the life experiences
to back up your interest in neurobiology, the reader will assume you are trying to impress him/her
with shallow tactics. Also, be sure you can write to admissions officers and that you are not writing
over their heads.
Can you keep the reader's interest from the first word. The entire essay must be interesting,
considering admissions officers will probably only spend a few minutes reading each essay.
Is your topic overdone? To ascertain this, peruse through old essays. CollegeGate's 100 free essays
can help you do this. However, most topics are overdone, and this is not a bad thing. A unique or
convincing answer to a classic topic can pay off big.
Will your topic turnoff a large number of people? If you write on how everyone should worship your
God, how wrong or right abortion is, or how you think the Republican or Democratic Party is evil, you
will not get into the college of your choice. The only thing worse than not writing a memorable essay
is writing an essay that will be remembered negatively. Stay away from specific religions, political
doctrines, or controversial opinions. You can still write an essay about Nietzsche's influence on your
life, but express understanding that not all intelligent people will agree with Nietzsche's claims.
Emphasize instead Nietzsche's influence on your life, and not why you think he was wrong or right in
his claims.
In this vein, if you are presenting a topic that is controversial, you must acknowledge counter
arguments without sounding arrogant.
Will an admissions officer remember your topic after a day of reading hundreds of essays? What will
the officer remember about your topic? What will the officer remember about you? What will your
lasting impression be?
After evaluating your essay topics with the above criteria and asking for the free opinions of your
teachers or colleagues, and of your friends, you should have at least 1-2 interesting essay topics.
Consider the following guidelines below.
1. If you are planning on writing an essay on how you survived poverty in Russia, your mother's
suicide, your father's kidnapping, or your immigration to America from Asia, you should be careful
that your main goal is to address your own personal qualities. Just because something sad or horrible
has happened to you does not mean that you will be a good college or graduate school student. You
don't want to be remembered as the pathetic applicant. You want to be remembered as the applicant
who showed impressive qualities under difficult circumstances. It is for this reason that essays relating
to this topic are considered among the best. Unless you only use the horrible experience as a lens
with which to magnify your own personal characteristics, you will not write a good essay. Graduate
and professional school applicants should generally steer clear of this topic altogether unless you can

argue that your experience will make you a better businessman, doctor, lawyer, or scholar.
2. Essays should fit in well with the rest of a candidate's application, explaining the unexplained and
steering clear of that which is already obvious. For example, if you have a 4.0 GPA and a 1500 SAT, no
one doubts your ability to do the academic work and addressing this topic would be ridiculous.
However, if you have an 850 SAT and a 3.9 GPA or a 1450 SAT and a 2.5 GPA, you would be wise to
incorporate in your essay an explanation for the apparent contradiction. For example, perhaps you
were hospitalized or family concerns prevented your dedication to academics; you would want to
mention this in your essay. However, do not make your essay one giant excuse. Simply give a quick,
convincing explanation within the framework of your larger essay.
3. "Diversity" is the biggest buzzword of the 1990's. Every college, professional school, or graduate
school wants to increase diversity. For this reason, so many applicants are tempted to declare what
makes them diverse. However, simply saying you are a black, lesbian female will not impress
admissions officers in the least. While an essay incorporating this information would probably be your
best topic idea, you must finesse the issue by addressing your own personal qualities and how you
overcame stigma, dealt with social ostracism, etc. If you are a rich student from Beverly Hills whose
father is an engineer and whose mother is a lawyer, but you happen to be a minority, an essay about
how you dealt with adversity would be unwise. You must demonstrate vividly your personal qualities,
interests, motivations, etc. Address specifically how your diversity will contribute to the realm of
campus opinion, the academic environment, and social life.
4. Don't mention weaknesses unless you absolutely need to explain them away. Why admit to
weakness when you can instead showcase your strengths?
5. Be honest - but not for honesty's sake. Unless you are a truly excellent writer, your best, most
passionate writing will be about events that actually occurred. While you might be tempted to invent
hardship, it is completely unnecessary. Write an essay about your life that demonstrates your
personality.
Step Three: Writing the Essay, Tips for Success
You may be surprised that we do not address actually writing the essay until step three. From that,
you should understand the extreme importance of selecting a proper subject matter. However, even
seemingly boring topics can be made into exceptional admissions essays with an innovative approach.
In writing the essay you must bear in mind your two goals: to persuade the admissions officer that
you are extremely worthy of admission and to make the admissions officer aware that you are more
than a GPA and a standardized score, that you are a real-life, intriguing personality.
Answer the Question. You can follow the next 12 steps, but if you miss the question, you will not be
admitted to any institution.
Be Original - Even seemingly boring essay topics can sound interesting if creatively approached. If
writing about a gymnastics competition you trained for, do not start your essay: "I worked long hours
for many weeks to train for XXX competition." Consider an opening like, "Every morning I awoke at
5:00 to sweat, tears, and blood as I trained on the uneven bars hoping to bring the state gymnastics
trophy to my hometown."
Be Yourself - Admissions officers want to learn about you and your writing ability. Write about
something meaningful and describe your feelings, not necessarily your actions. If you do this, your
essay will be unique. Many people travel to foreign countries or win competitions, but your feelings

during these events are unique to you. Unless a philosophy or societal problem has interested you
intensely for years, stay away from grand themes that you have little personal experience with.
Don't "Thesaurize" your Composition - For some reason, students continue to think big words
make good essays. Big words are fine, but only if they are used in the appropriate contexts with
complex styles. Think Hemingway.
Use Imagery and Clear, Vivid Prose - If you are not adept with imagery, you can write an excellent
essay without it, but it's not easy. The application essay lends itself to imagery since the entire essay
requires your experiences as supporting details. Appeal to the five senses of the admissions officers.
Spend the Most Time on your Introduction - Expect admissions officers to spend 1-2 minutes
reading your essay. You must use your introduction to grab their interest from the beginning. You
might even consider completely changing your introduction after writing your body paragraphs.
Don't Summarize in your Introduction - Ask yourself why a reader would want to read your entire
essay after reading your introduction. If you summarize, the admissions officer need not read the rest
of your essay.
Create Mystery or Intrigue in your Introduction - It is not necessary or recommended that your
first sentence give away the subject matter. Raise questions in the minds of the admissions officers to
force them to read on. Appeal to their emotions to make them relate to your subject matter.
Body Paragraphs Must Relate to Introduction - Your introduction can be original, but cannot be
silly. The paragraphs that follow must relate to your introduction.
Use Transition - Applicants continue to ignore transition to their own detriment. You must use
transition within paragraphs and especially between paragraphs to preserve the logical flow of your
essay. Transition is not limited to phrases like "as a result, in addition, while . . . , since . . . , etc." but
includes repeating key words and progressing the idea. Transition provides the intellectual
architecture to argument building.
Conclusions are Crucial - The conclusion is your last chance to persuade the reader or impress upon
them your qualifications. In the conclusion, avoid summary since the essay is rather short to begin
with; the reader should not need to be reminded of what you wrote 300 words before. Also do not
use stock phrases like "in conclusion, in summary, to conclude, etc." You should consider the
following conclusions:

Expand upon the broader implications of your discussion.

Consider linking your conclusion to your introduction to establish a sense of balance by

reiterating introductory phrases.

Re-define a term used previously in your body paragraphs.

End with a famous quote that is relevant to your argument. Do not try to do this, as this
approach is overdone. This should come naturally.

Frame your discussion within a larger context or show that your topic has widespread appeal.

Remember, your essay need not be so tidy that you can answer why your little sister died or
why people starve in Africa; you are not writing a "sit-com," but should forge some attempt at
closure.

Do Something Else. Spend a week or so away from your draft to decide if you still consider
your topic and approach worthwhile.

Give your Draft to Others. Ask editors to read with these questions in mind:
o

What is the essay about?

Have I used active voice verbs wherever possible?

Is my sentence structure varied or do I use all long or all short sentences?

Do you detect any cliches?

Do I use transition appropriately?

Do I use imagery often and does this make the essay clearer and more vivid?

What's the best part of the essay?

What about the essay is memorable?

What's the worst part of the essay?

What parts of the essay need elaboration or are unclear?

What parts of the essay do not support your main argument or are immaterial to your
case?

Is every single sentence crucial to the essay? This MUST be the case.

What does the essay reveal about your personality?

Could anyone else have written this essay?

How would you fill in the following blank based on the essay: "I want to accept you to
this college because our college needs more ________."

Revise, Revise, Revise - You only are allowed so many words; use them wisely. Delete anything in the
essay that does not relate to your main argument. Do you use transition? Are your introduction and
conclusions more than summaries? Did you find every single grammatical error?
Allow for the evolution of your main topic. Do not assume your subject must remain fixed and that
you can only tweak sentences.
Editing takes time. Consider re-ordering your supporting details, delete irrelevant sections, and make
clear the broader implications of your experiences. Allow your more important arguments to come to
the foreground. Take points that might only be implicit and make them explicit.
Make sure your essay fits the theme.
Let's say that you are applying for an award based on community service. In the application, you list
all of the community service groups that you belong to and service project awards that you've won.
But in the essay you vent about your disgust for the homeless and how they should find jobs instead
of blocking your passage on sidewalks. Your essay may be brilliantly conceived and written, but if its
message is not in line with the rest of your application, it will create a conflicting message and keep
you out of the winners' bracket.
So how do you know what the theme of your essay should be? The answer is actually quite simple
and goes back to why you decided to apply for the scholarship in the first place:

The theme of your essay is almost always determined by the purpose of the award or why the
organization is giving away the money.

Once you know this, you can choose which aspect of your life to highlight in the essay.
Answer the underlying question.
Have you ever been asked one question but felt there was an underlying question that was really
being asked? Maybe your mom asked you something like, "Tell me about your new friend Karen." But
what she really was asking is, "Tell me about your new friend Karen. Are her 12 earrings and tattooladen arms a sign that you shouldn't be spending so much time with her?" In most cases, the essay
question is just a springboard for you to answer the real question the scholarship judges want
addressed. An organization giving an award for students who plan to study business might ask, "Why
do you want to study business?" But the underlying question they are asking is, "Why do you want to
study business, and why are you the best future business person we should gift with our hard-earned
money?"
For every scholarship that you attempt to win, you will be competing with students who share similar
backgrounds and goals. If you are applying to an award that supports students who want to become
doctors, you can bet that 99% of the students applying also want to become doctors. Therefore, the
goal of every scholarship judge is to determine the best applicant out of a pool of applicants who at
first glance look very similar. Use the essay question as a way to prove to the scholarship committee
that you are the worthiest applicant for the award.
Share a slice of life.
As you are explaining why you deserve to win, it is important that you also reveal something about
yourself. Obviously, in the short space of 500 to 1,000 words, you can't cover everything about you.
This is why one of the most effective techniques is to share a "slice of your life." In other words, don't
try to explain everything. Just focus on one aspect of your life. If you are writing about your
involvement in an activity, it may be tempting to summarize your involvement over the years and list
numerous accomplishments. However, this would sound more like a resume (which by the way you
should include with every application) and it would not tell the judges anything new. However, if you
focus on just one aspect of an experience, you could spend some time going below the surface and
share something about who you are, which would be far more memorable. In other words, you would
be sharing a slice of your life.
Show passion in your writing.
As a student you have written a lot of essays. And let's be honestmost were probably on topics you
didn't care much about. You might be tempted to approach the scholarship essay in the same way
that you did when writing about the Roman Aqueducts, but this would be a tragic mistake. The last
common feature of all winning essays is that they are written on subjects about which the author is
truly passionate. It is very difficult to fake passion for a subject. (Just try to be excited throughout
your Uncle Larry's hour-long slideshow of his tonsil operation.)
But when you are genuinely enthusiastic about something, it does not take much effort for that
energy to naturally show in your writing. Therefore, when you are choosing a topic, be sure it is
something you truly care about and are interested in. Without even trying, you will find that your
sentences convey an excitement that the reader can almost feel.
Be specific.
A common mistake in essay writing is to use general statements instead of specific ones. Don't write,
"Education is the key to success." Instead, give the judges a slice of your life that shows them how
education has impacted your life in a single experience or realization. If you are writing about your
desire to become an astronaut, you might explain how this started when your father bought you a
model rocket for the Christmas you were five years old. Focusing on a specific example of your life
will help readers relate to your experiences and ensure that your essay is memorable and (as a bonus)
original.
Have a thesis statement.

It sounds obvious, but make sure that your essay has a clear pointmany students' essays don't.
Whether you are describing the influence of your father or the effect of World War II on race
relations, you must have a central idea to communicate to the reader. To see if your essay has a
central thesis, try this simple exercise. Ask yourself, "What is the point of my essay in a single
sentence?"
Here are some answers that would satisfy the question for essays on independence and drug
addition, respectively:
"Growing up in the country taught me to be independent."
"Treatment of addiction is the only way to win the war on drugs."
If you cannot condense the point of your essay into a single sentence, then the main point may not
be clear enough. Or worse, your essay may not have a thesis.
Build on your accomplishments.
Winning a scholarship is about impressing the judges and showing them why you are the best
candidate for a monetary award. Your accomplishments, activities, talents and awards all help to
prove that you are the best fit. Since you will probably list your activities on the application form, use
the essay to expand on one or two of the most important ones.
However, don't just parrot back what is on the application. Use the opportunity to focus on a specific
accomplishment, putting it into the proper context. Share details. Listing on the application that you
were a stage manager for a play does not explain that you also had to design and build all the sets in
a week. The essay allows you to expand on an achievement to demonstrate its significance.

Avoid the sob story.

Tear-jerking stories may be popular subjects for television specials and song lyrics, but they rarely, if
ever, win scholarships. A common theme students write about is why they need the scholarship
money to continue their education. While this is a perfectly legitimate topic, it is often answered with
an essay filled with family tragedies and hardshipsa sob story. Again, there is nothing wrong with
writing about this topic, but don't expect to win if the intent of your essay is to evoke pity.
If your main point (remember our test) is this: "I deserve money because of the suffering I've been
through," you have a problem. Scholarship committees are not as interested in problems as they are
in solutions. What have you accomplished despite these hardships? How have you succeeded despite
the challenges you've faced? This is more significant and memorable than merely cataloging your
misfortunes.
Unfortunately, the sob story is one of the more common types of essays that are written by students,
and it is hard to stand out when you are telling the same story that literally hundreds of others are
also writing. Remember that every applicant has faced difficulties. What's different and individual to
you is how you've overcome those obstacles.

Show positive energy.

Mom has probably said: "If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all." Everyone
likes an uplifting story. Especially since you have your entire future ahead of you, scholarship judges
want to feel your enthusiasm and zest for life. In fact, one reason some people love to volunteer to be
scholarship judges is to meet positive and enthusiastic young men and women who do not have the
cynicism or closed minds of many adults.
Try to stay away from essays that are overly pessimistic, antagonistic or critical. This doesn't mean

that you have to put a happy spin on every word or that you can't write about a serious problem. But
it does mean that you should not concentrate only on the negative. If you are writing about a
problem, try to present some solutions. Your optimism is what makes organizations excited about
giving you money to pursue your passion for changing the world. Don't shy away from this fact.

Find people to read your essays.

There is an old writer's saying: "Behind every good writer is an even better editor." If you want to
create a money-winning essay, you need the help of others. You don't need a professional editor or
even someone who is good at writing. You just need people who can read your work and provide
useful and constructive feedback.
Roommates, friends, family members, teachers, professors or advisors all make great editors. When
others read your essay, they will find errors that you missed and they may give suggestions for
making the essay clearer to someone who is not familiar with the topic. You will find that some
editors catch grammar and spelling mistakes but will not comment on the overall quality of the essay.
Others will miss the technical mistakes but give you great advice on making the substance of your
essay better. It's essential to find both types of editors. As you find others to help improve your essay,
be careful that they do not alter your work so much that your voice is lost. Editing is essential, but
your writing should always be your own.
Final Thoughts ...
Writing scholarship essays may not be your ideal way to spend a Friday night or Sunday afternoon.
But remember that these essays can win you hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars for college. Try to
keep this in mind when you feel burned out. If you really get down on writing, take a break. Go
outside. Watch some meaningless television. Then when you are refreshed, get back to your essay.
Every successful scholarship applicant we've metand we will include ourselves herehas at some
point got tired or disgusted and contemplated quitting. But each persevered and didn't give up. They
pushed ahead and finished their essays. Had they given up, they would never have won scholarship
money and that all important college diploma would have been a far more expensive (and for some
impossible) accomplishment.
Scholarship Essay Tips
Most Students Don't Know How to Start the College Scholarship Essay...
Guess what? Getting started is sometimes the most difficult part of writing for professional writers as
well. However, never start writing without doing a couple of things first.
Understand the purpose of the writing and the motivation of the askers
Analyze the question or topic
Write down the essay question. How many parts does it have? Does the question suggest a structure
or order, such as first describe your role in...then tell why it had the following effect...and what you
learned from it....
Do you have to do research first, or is this a question that is strictly about you that will come from an
analysis of yourself?

Why have the judges asked this question or posed this topic? Recognizing that all essays are about
you, how are the judges planning to get to know you through this essay?
Analyze the Organization
What is this scholarship about? Who founded it? What is the mission of the organization? Why are
they providing scholarship money? Who are the judges? What special points of view do they bring to
the judging?
How do you find out this information? Usually, you can find a great deal of background from the
scholarship Web site or the printed material provided by the scholarship group. Dottie Theriaque
from the Community Foundation says that if you have a question about purpose or anything else, call
and ask. Funders are eager to help applicants; that's what they are all about.
In a phone call with Josh Barsch, founder of the Dale Fridell scholarship, he was very clear in his
explanation that his scholarship group does not believe that only valedictorians or super jocks or Ms.
"I Belong to Every Club" should get help going to college. Josh notes that once you leave school, the
only person who will care about your GPA is you. Your success will be based on what kind of person
you are, how you approach challenges, and what your work ethic values are. Your GPA may be some
indicator of your potential, but you will have to figure out how to reach that potential, and it's that
process that will set you apart. That's why the Fridell scholarship doesn't request GPAs and SATs and
club lists. Kind of levels the playing field, doesn't it? Plus, if you are the valedictorian or the super jock,
the only message is that you are not solely defined by that honor or activity. You are much more, and
Josh's contest asks you to go beyond the usual high school achievement trappings and reveal more
about yourself.
Create goals for the writing
For example, your goal in responding to an essay might be to:

Demonstrate personal traits in yourself that are similar to the personal traits of the person for
whom the scholarship is named. (The Brower Youth Award is given in honor of David Brower,
to "honor his lifetime of bold action, inspiring mentorship, and principled effectiveness, which
helped give birth to the modern environmental movement.")

Use present tense and optimistic phrases to show that you are an active, vibrant, can-do
person.

Show how your strong family support contributes to your success.

Emphasize your sense of balance in academics and family life.

Do these goals sound so generic that they could be written for any essay? That's not necessarily true.
An essay for a scientific award may not want to portray a person as vibrant and can-do (and possibly
lacking in the self-discipline necessary for rigorous scientific study) but instead as a diligent, highly
curious person with a passion for understanding why things work and the patience to test all of the
variables to come to a valid conclusion.
Depending on the award and the personal circumstances, a goal of the scholarship essay might be to
demonstrate a commitment to succeed despite unstable family circumstances, such as living in a
variety of foster homes. Using a different approach, a conscious choice to forego balance between

academics and family life to pursue a passion for learning about gene mapping to search for a cure
for the multiple sclerosis that has made a family member an invalid.
Develop a Theme
Some may argue that you should develop a theme for your essay and then write goals. We believe
that the opposite is true. When you read an essay question, it may be immediately apparent to you
that the theme, or the message that you want to convey, has to do with your commitment to the
healing profession as an extension of your desire to better people's circumstances. Wonderful!
However, if the theme of your essay is not immediately clear, break down the work by establishing a
set of goals based upon your understanding of the essay's intent and the mission of the funding
organization. These goals may lead you to one or more themes for your essay. In the set of goals
above, the theme that may be emerging from the goals is an appreciation for the family or the team
as a cornerstone to individual and group success. You can use your experience as a club leader in
developing a team approach, and your decision to ask members of your family to be on your college
team to proofread, edit, and search for opportunities as ways to show that you value working
relationships and your leadership style will be successful in inspiring group success.
No matter which approach you take, goals first or theme development first, the important takeaway is
to establish a theme and goals and to be sure that the theme and goals relate you as a person to the
subject you are writing about, even if the subject is a character in a Wilkie Collins novel or a pending
piece of legislation.
Outline Your Response
Many people write by beginning anywhere with a free flow of ideas that they then mold into an
appropriate order. Yes, that can workyou can occasionally start a project by writing down random
thoughts. However, we recommend that you try very hard to approach your essay by writing an
outline of what you want to say. The outline will assure that you have the right order and that you will
cover all of the points you want to cover. Outlining does not necessarily mean that your essay goes
into a required chronologic order, for instance. Some stories are best told by starting in the middle,
then describing how you got there and how you are going to go forward. The outline will make it
easier for you to move around the timing of various parts of the story to get the most dramatic effect.
There is a downside to the outline, we think. Sometimes it is difficult to make the transition from one
section of the outline to the next, making the essay sound like explanatory words hung on a frame,
very skeletal in effect. That's why later in this chapter, we will pay special attention to transitions so
that your essay flows well.
It's Time to Write
Now it's time to fill in that outline and tell your story. We have chosen not to give you a lot of new
rules and directions in this section because we want you to simply get the story out on paper. You
already have the basicsa theme in mind, a set of goals to meet, and an outline to work from. Do
your best and we'll meet you in the next section to talk about it.
It's Time to Rewrite
Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo made dozens of sketches before embarking on their
masterpieces. Read the biography of any writer and discover that everyoneyes, everyone needs to

rewrite. You must do so because this is not an e-mail or a last-minute book report, it's a ticket to
money if you do it right.
Show, don't tell.
Go back through your essay. In every sentence where you have told the judges something, is there a
way to show by example? Consider the following.

My family does not have a lot of money. I worked my way through high school at Walmart.
This is a good piece of information to share. However, the message can be made more vivid by
sharing more detail.

My family does not have a lot of money. I worked at the local Walmart most evenings and did my
homework on the bus ride home or after work.
Much better. Now the judges know that you were very busy and can feel the squeeze of needing to
earn money and still get your schoolwork done. One more time.

My family does not have a lot of money. We work together on a schedule so I can earn money for
college and stay on top of my schoolwork. Most weekdays after school, I attend one of my club
meetings then catch the late bus home. I usually finish my math homework on the ride. I get home in
time to grab supper ahead of time (Mom always has something ready on the stove) then work on
other homework until Dad drives in at about 5:35 pm. We pass each other in the driveway,
transferring keys and information. ("I aced the math test"; "It needs gas on the way home.") The
fifteen-minute drive gets me to Walmart in time to punch in for the 6 pm to closing shift. On nights
that the family needs the car, Dad drives me both ways. I'm home again by 9:30 pm, in time to chat
with my folks and watch thirty minutes of ESPN before going to bed.
Now this is a cool guy in a great family. Everybody participates, everybody cooperates. You can feel
the close timing involved in making this situation work. You can hear the easy interaction of people
who like one another. You know that this guy is not a robot because he needs a little human
interaction plus a little TV before starting over. We like him. Don't you? We'd like to help out this
family; they deserve it. Bingo!
Present Tense, if Possible
The present tense allows people to live the information with you. It's not always possible, but it's a
great strategy when it can work. The above paragraph could have been written in past tense, e.g.,
"Dad drove me both ways." It's still a powerful sentence, but it's already over. When Dad "drives,"
we're right there in the car.
Kill the Adjectives and Adverbs
In Noah Lukeman's marvelous book about writing, The First Five Pages, he suggests that you go
through your first page of writing (your whole essay, in this case) and circle every adjective and
adverb. Then see if you can use a more descriptive noun or verb to make your writing crisper. He uses
examples like substituting "he was a tyrant" for "he was a brutal man" or "he was sprinting" for "he
was running quickly." Try it. Your writing will be immediately refreshed by using fewer words to do the
job efficiently.

Make the Introduction Inviting

The introduction invites your reader to keep going. This is not the place to summarizewhy read the
rest if you get the picture in the first paragraph? Instead, tantalize and encourage the next step. How?
Use emotion, raise a question, and create surprise with a surprising fact.
Here is a possible opening for a discussion of a student's work with a literacy program.

I am a literacy volunteer. I did not decide to do this work because studies report that 21 percent of
adults (over 40 million) in this country are functionally illiterate or because 43 percent of people with
reading deficiencies live in poverty or even because 70 percent of people with reading deficiencies
have no job or only a part-time job. My reason for becoming a literacy volunteer was much simpler.
My Dad couldn't read.
Okay, I'm hooked. I didn't really know how bad the literacy problem is, but, even more, now I need to
know if this person was able to teach her Dad to read, and how this person, with an illiterate parent,
made it to the point of applying for a scholarship and heading for college.
Create Workable Transitions
Transitions are hard whether you are writing a speech, composing an essay, or trying to get your little
brother to go to bed. The trick is to show your reader where they are going next and why it's a logical
next step. Try not to use standard transitional phrases like "Secondly" or "As a consequence." Try
repeating the prior thought and connecting to the next task. For example, "Once I learned how to
scale rocks on the artificial rock face, I needed to try out my skills on a real mountain."
A Compelling Conclusion
As in the introduction, don't summarize. Essays are too short to need a review at the conclusion.
Instead, reemphasize the main point or circle back to the beginning and tie the loop. Consider the
literacy introduction. The body of the essay should have been about the student, her efforts as a
volunteer, her feelings about the difficulties faced by those who can't read, her recognition of the gift
that reading is, and her decision to pursue a teaching career as a result of her experience. This story
begs for a conclusion that answers the question, "Did her Dad learn to read?"
Some possibilities:

Dad may never read Dostoyevsky, but we are both thrilled that he can now read his sister's letters
from his hometown in Romania and doesn't have to pretend to read the newspaper anymore.
Dad never did learn to read. But through his struggle, I learned that I want to give the gift of literacy
to others, the gift that no one has been able to give to my Dad.
Very different endings, but in each, we hear the effect that the experience has had on the writer. That's
the point. We gained insight into this woman's life through her writing.
Take a Breather
After you write and revise your essay, you need to take a break from it so that you can return with a
fresh set of eyes. It's amazing how the sparkling prose you thought you wrote turns out to need a lot
more work once you've gotten a little distance. Even more amazing is the realization that some of

your writing is actually much better than you expected, now that you've followed some very standard
writing rules.
Use Outside Readers
Ask people to read your essay and help you with honest feedback. Ask them what they liked most and
least. Ask if the essay is written in a logical fashion with reasoning that is supported by examples or
other proof. Ask your readers to correct typos and grammar. Every new pair of eyes helps.
I'm Not That Interesting!
You don't need to have an illiterate father or wage a battle against cancer to write an interesting
essay. The guy who is working at Walmart probably feels that he doesn't have time to be interesting
he's too busy working! Everybody's life has interest, and every essay topic can be made compelling by
looking at how that topic affects the human condition and how you fit into that human condition.
Congratulate Yourself
The scholarship essay is by far the most difficult part of the application. You have overcome the
biggest obstacle to applying for a scholarship.

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?

It is often hard for applicants to come up with the genius essay topic for scholarship essay. Here are
some examples of the popular scholarship essay topics to give you an idea:
The Person Who Influenced My Views

The Goals I Will Achieve in 10 Years

What I Do Best, My Biggest Success

My Dreams

My Inspiration

The Destiny in My Hands

The Doors I Have Opened

The Tea
Who Should You Ask?
First of all, the person who writes a recommendation for you should be someone who knows you
relatively well. That doesn't mean that only long-time associates qualify. It does mean that the
recommender has had enough interaction with you to give a genuine assessment of your skills and
achievements.
The people you choose to write recommendations must have the ability to write well. These letters are
very influential in your case for a scholarship, and you need to be sure that your recommenders can
translate their thoughts about you into writing. It may not always be possible to know how well
people can write but, to the extent that you do know or can find out, try to select the best writers
available to you.
It is also very important that your recommenders can be relied upon to produce the necessary letters
in the right time frame. Again, there is no way to be sure on this point, but it's sensible to avoid
people who have the reputation of missing deadlines or being procrastinators.
Where do you find people to write scholarship letters of recommendation for you? Consider teachers
in classes where you did well, athletic coaches, club advisors, volunteer work supervisors, employers,
religious leaders, or friends of the family who are familiar with you and hold a position that lends
credibility to the recommendation, such as the family's attorney, your doctor, or a local businessman.
Analyze Your Need for Letters
Once you know which scholarships you will be applying for, review any directions for the letters of
recommendation. Some applications will ask that the letters of recommendation address specific
topics; others will simply ask for letters. For example, the Elks National Foundation requests two
letters of recommendation. The first should be from a high school teacher and address issues of
ability, work habits, leadership, personality, and integrity. The second should be from a member of the
community and address participation in the community, leadership, and outstanding achievements.
The goal of your review is to determine where you may be able to use the same letter of
recommendation for multiple applications.
In some cases, you may be able to combine the requirements of various scholarships to develop a
slightly more overall letter of recommendation outline. Clearly, you have to be sure that you do not
attempt to create a laundry list letter outline that serves no purpose well. However, it is very helpful to
reduce the number of individual, specifically targeted letters of recommendation required.
If you are able to combine letter requirements, you will have the opportunity to ask one person to
write a recommendation letter that will be sent to multiple scholarship funds.

However, be sure that each letter of recommendation is addressed to a specific individual or at least
to a specific scholarship fund. Your letter writer may be willing to allow you to reproduce and
personalize his or her response then provide those letters back to the writer on plain paper. The writer
can then copy the letters onto letterhead and sign them. In that way, you have met many scholarship
requirements simply and effectively with the least inconvenience to your letter writer.
Requesting a Letter of Recommendation
First and foremost, please recognize that writing a letter of recommendation is not a simple task. You
will be asking someone to work hard on a good letter that will represent you well. Approach your
potential letter writers with a degree of humility and acknowledge upfront the commitment you are
requesting and your appreciation for their help. Offer to make the job as easy as possible for them by
doing some or all of the following things.

Provide all the information your letter writer will need. Make sure that he or she has a written
explanation of the topics to be covered in the application.
Provide a list of your extracurricular activities.
Provide a copy of one of your college essays so the writer has a sense of your approach to the
college application process and gains a bit more insight into your life.

Give your letter writers as much lead time as possible. It is very likely that some of your letter writers
have been asked to provide recommendations for others as well. Asking and providing materials early
gives you the best chance of getting your recommendation letter on time. Plus, if your letter writer
subscribes to the "first in-first out" inventory system, you may get your letter even more quickly.
Check in with your letter writer at some point in the process to be sure he or she has everything
needed. This check is both a supportive touch and also allows you to politely jog the writer's memory
and be sure your letter is in the works. Be sure to ask that the writer use official letterhead if possible.
After you receive the letter, write a note of appreciation. Writers of letters of recommendation agree
to do so out of their own enthusiasm for students going on to college and their admirable interest in
being supportive. Let your letter writers know that you appreciate their help.
Evaluating Your Letters of Recommendation
Review each letter you receive. Does the letter address the topics it needs to? Does the letter show
strong support for you? Does the writer sound professional and well informed? Great! But what if...?
What if the letter does not address all of the necessary topics? This is tricky. If you know the letter
writer well, you may be able to approach them, point out the problem, and ask them to add some
content on that topic. If you are uncomfortable with asking for a revision, you need to seriously think
about whether the letter is usable. Your decision may depend upon whether you have alternative
letter writers that you can ask and how much time is left before the application needs to be
submitted. In a pinch, send the letter. It would be far worse to fail to submit the correct number of
recommendation letters.
What if there is some other problem with the letter? The support is lukewarm or the letter is not well
written. Weigh the facts. If the letter is not supportive of you, look for another writer. If the contents
won't win a Pulitzer Prize, but the message of your worthiness for the scholarship comes across, it's
probably okay.
Preservation
Treat those signed scholarship letters of recommendation like the treasures that they are. Place them
immediately into plastic covers and attach them into your three-ring binder. That way you know
where they are, and they have multiple forms of protection.

College Scholarship Interview Tips

Preparation
It is impossible to predict exactly which questions you may be asked in a scholarship interview, but it
is possible to prepare yourself by working out answers to some of the more common questions that
get asked in interviews, whether for scholarships or employment. Write down the answers to these
questions.

What are your greatest strengths?

What are your career goals?
Where do you see yourself in five years? Ten years?
Tell me about a personal achievement that makes you proud.
Tell me about a mistake that you made and what you learned from it.
Who has influenced your life and why?
Why would you be an excellent recipient of ___ scholarship?

These are the basics. Know these answers cold.

Next, think specifically about the scholarship award that you are seeking. Be sure you are very well
informed about the organization.

What is the mission of the organization offering the award?

Who have they given the award to in the past and why?
Who are the judges?
What is it about your application that made you a finalist?

Use this information to develop responses that you may be able to introduce into the discussion to
provide the content that you would like to be sure that the judges hear from you. For example, if you
are a finalist in a scholarship competition from an environmental group and you believe that your
volunteer work on the local Conservation Commission was key to your selection as a finalist, consider
finding examples from that experience to highlight your strengths or describe lessons you have
learned.
Finally, prepare yourself to make a good impression. If you need a haircut, get a haircut. If you are a
nail biter, invest in a professional manicure or even a set of acrylic nails. Select your interview outfit
with care. It may or may not be advisable to wear a suit or dress, depending upon the specific
situation. However, it is always appropriate to make sure your clothes are clean, they fit correctly, and
there are no loose buttons or hanging threads. Familiarize yourself with the working of a steam iron
and press your clothes even if the tag says they don't require ironing.
Logistics
Be sure you know where you are going and how long it will take to get there. Think about traffic flow
at different times of the day. It is really hard to concentrate on the questions you are being asked
when your heart is still racing from the parking lot dash, there are rivulets of perspiration running
down your face, and you have to go to the bathroom but didn't have time.
Presentation
You look great. You have arrived with enough time to visit the restroom, run a comb through your
hair, and pick the dog hair from the car seat off your clothes. You're under control.
It's probably impossible to relax under these circumstances, but it may help to remember that you are
here because these people think you are a competent, qualified candidate. You earned the right to
have this interview. The judges will use this time to get to know you better, and you are working from

the advantage that they are already supporters. Help them to help you have a great interview by
being as genuinely pleased to be there as you can. Let your enthusiasm for your education show. The
personal interview can be a wonderful experience if you can approach it as an opportunity rather than
as a trial.
What If...?
What if, despite your logistical preparations, you are late or arrive with a big coffee stain on your shirt.
Well, you now have the opportunity to exhibit the grace under pressure and ability to adapt that has
gotten you so far already.
Acknowledge the problem ("I had a flat tire on the expressway"), apologize if appropriate ("I'm so
sorry to have delayed our scheduled meeting") and then move on. Don't continue to focus on the
initial negative; try to get the process moving forward so you can shine. ("I realize that I'm late, but I'm
very interested in participating in the interview if you are ready to move forward.")
What if you can't think of a good answer to a question that's been posed? Or you can't even think of a
bad answer because your mind has gone blank? Again, grace under pressure is key. Explain that
you're having a mental block on that topic just now and ask if it's possible to come back to the
question a bit later. Or suggest that it's a really interesting question that has prompted a lot of
different ideas for you, and you'd like to take a moment to organize your thoughts. In situations such
as this one, it may be best to take a little pressure off by giving yourself a moment to collect your
thoughts.
There are a lot more possible what-ifs. The key is to remain confident and don't let a problem shake
your sense of yourself. The judges recognize the pressure you are under and, as in life, you are often
judged not by the reality that problems occur, but by the style with which you manage those
problems. Approach the scholarship interview with a sense of confidence, some humility, and enough
good humor to get you past any awkward moments.