How to Write the Perfect Essay for a Scholarship

Do you plan to apply for a scholarship? Learn to write a good essay for a scholarship!

Whether for financial aid in college or to fulfill your dream of studying abroad, writing an essay that argues why you deserve the scholarship can be decisive in defining whether you will be one of the chosen. It is for this reason that you must make sure that the text conveys your abilities and merits in the best way. Ken and Gen Tanabe, authors of books of advice for college students, writing shared some tips on how to write an essay for obtaining a scholarship. Here we share them:  

1. Write an essay aligned with the objectives of the scholarship

Some scholarships are meant for "future leaders," leading scientists or community service people. For this reason, you must make sure that what you write is closely linked to this vision, to show that you are exactly what the organization is looking for. You must choose which aspects of your life are relevant to the one who provides the funding. No matter how well written the text is, if you transmit otherwise it is very unlikely that you will get the scholarship.

2. Answer the question

The objective of the essay is to convince the organization that you are the best choice for the scholarship. So if the essay question is, for example, "Why do you want to study medicine?", What you really want to know is "Why are you going to be the best doctor and why should we give you our money?"

Remember that many people are likely to postulate from contexts and objectives similar to yours. Therefore, saying why you want to be a doctor is not enough, as everyone will say the same thing. What you must do is stand out from the rest of the candidates and prove that you are the most deserving of the prize.

3. It presents a central argument

Your essay should have - yes or no - a central argument, that is, to express a clear idea to the reader. If you are unsure about whether your essay has it, try summarizing it in a single sentence. There should be something like "Growing up in the field taught me to be an independent person" or "The treatment of addictions is the only way to win the war on drugs." If you can not condense your essay into a central idea, your text may not be entirely clear or that it simply lacks main argument.

4. Show a part of your life

In addition to listing the reasons you deserve the scholarship, you must also expose some part of your life. It is important that you focus on one aspect and not all facets of your person, otherwise, your essay will lose impact. This text should not be like a resume or detailing all your achievements. Concentrating on just one aspect will give you more depth and valuable information about who you are.

5. Broadcast your passion

This essay is not like any of the ones you wrote as a student, as it is about showing what you are passionate about and why you are doing it. Make sure the subject of your essay really excites you and let your words reflect that enthusiasm.

6. Be Concrete

Instead of using such broad and impersonal phrases as "education is the key to success," it defines the influence of education on specific aspects of your life. If you are writing about your desire to be a writer, explain that this originated after hearing the stories that your grandmother told you at four years. In this way the reader can feel identified with your experiences and will not forget your essay in five minutes.

7. Develop your achievements

You have probably specified your qualifications and merits in detail in the application form, so it is not recommended that you repeat everything in your essay. Instead, take the opportunity to delve into one or two achievements that have really marked you, put them in context and share the true meaning they had in your life.

8. Save yourself the melodramatic story

Delving into your personal tragedies with the aim of moving the jury will hardly make you get the scholarship. Your central argument can not be "I deserve the scholarship because I have suffered a lot in life", since you will only be focusing on the problem and not on the solution. Focus on conveying what you have achieved despite your difficult circumstances, how you have overcome. Remember that many candidates are likely to try to appeal to the emotion and perhaps several of them have gone through situations that are just as or more painful than you. Emphasize how you managed to overcome those obstacles to differentiate yourself from the rest.

9. Shows a positive outlook

Avoid that your essay has a pessimistic, cynical, antagonistic or overly critical atmosphere. The organization wants to give the scholarship to a person who is enthusiastic about the future and what they can achieve. This does not mean that you should pretend that everything is good and happy, but that every time you present a problem

10. Get a second opinion

You can not do this alone. If you want to get an excellent essay, it is essential that you read it to people you trust. People who can express their opinion sincerely about what you have written. Teachers, counselors, academics, family and friends can all make a valuable contribution to improving the quality of your text, both in form and content.

Author Bio

The author of this post works at the leading UK dissertation writing service. Jessica has a degree in Social Work and has been providing dissertation help to students from all across the globe. Jessica loves to read fictional novels and is a great Sherlock Holmes fan. She loves her job as an expert dissertation writer and is glad to be a part of the dissertation writing service program.