When you’re applying for college scholarships, you may find that you’re competing against hundreds or even thousands of other applicants. You can’t afford to get lazy with your essay, but you don’t want to waste time rewriting the same thing over and over again. The key is finding a balance between creativity and practicality.
Here are some tips to help you make your scholarship essay stand out from the competition:
Make your voice personal when writing your scholarship essay. Scholarships are looking for unique candidates who will bring something different to the table. Don’t try to be someone else; just be yourself!
Be sure that your essay matches the requirements of the scholarship program as closely as possible. If they ask for a 1,000-word essay on an assigned topic, that’s precisely what you should write — nothing more and nothing less!
Don’t try too hard to impress the judges by using big words or complex sentence structures if it doesn’t fit naturally into your writing style. A simple, straightforward approach can often be more effective than trying too hard to sound intelligent.
Scholarship essays are often the most crucial part of the application process. You have to make a good impression on your reader and only get one chance to do it. It’s worth taking the time to learn how to write a scholarship essay that not only gets you noticed but also helps you stand out from the crowd. Here are some tips for writing a compelling scholarship essay:
Scholarships are competitive, and the application process can be daunting. One of the most time-consuming tasks is writing your scholarship essay. But don’t worry — it’s not as hard as you think.
The following tips will help you craft a winning essay that will help you stand out from the competition:
Scholarships are a great way to help you pay for college. Unfortunately, there’s no formula for winning one. You have to write a winning scholarship essay. You can’t just copy and paste something from the internet or even copy someone else’s essay. It has to be original, and it has to be good.
So how do you write an essay that will set you apart from other applicants? Here are some tips:
The best scholarship essays show off your personality and tell the story of how you became interested in the subject matter at hand. This doesn’t mean that you should tell them about everything in your life—just enough to make it interesting and give them an idea of who you are and what makes you tick.
Your essay needs to be more than just words on a page; it needs to read like a story with interesting characters, places, and events. What happened? How did it happen? Who was involved? What was their role in this story? These questions should guide your writing style when writing your scholarship application essay.
Be concise and clear but don’t make it boring! You want your essay to stand out but not by being too long or too wordy (or both).
The best way to do that is by telling a story. Anecdotes and experiences from your life will help readers get to know you better. They also tend to be more memorable than facts or statistics, which makes them more likely to stick with readers long after they’ve finished reading the essay.
In addition to being more memorable, stories can help you showcase what makes you unique. If something about yourself sets you apart from other applicants — whether it’s an accomplishment, talent, or experience — then use it! Don’t be afraid to mention things like community service or extracurricular activities that are important to you, either — they can all help show what makes you great and set you apart as a candidate for the award or scholarship in question.
To make your scholarship essay stand out from the competition, here are some tips:
Write about something personal. It’s tempting to explain your whole life story in 500 words or less, but that’s not what the board wants to see. Instead, focus on a specific time in your life when you learned an important lesson or overcame an obstacle.
Show off your personality. The best scholarship essays are written in a unique and authentic voice, so don’t try to sound like someone else! If you’re applying for a writing award, show off your writing talent by including examples of your work (not just references). If it’s science-related, talk about how much you enjoy doing research and being involved in projects that make a difference. If it’s for an art scholarship, show us why art inspires you and makes you passionate about life. And if you’re applying for an athletic award? Show us how much practice and passion goes into every play!
Make it funny if possible; after all, laughter is contagious!
In this section, you will discuss your passion for the subject matter, your desire to study it further, and any relevant experience that demonstrates your interest in this subject.
The best way to tell a story is to use details that make the story come alive.
Use specific examples from your life or research that illustrate your knowledge and passion for the topic.
For example: if you are writing about why you are passionate about learning Spanish or studying in Spain, including information about how you spent your summer vacation at an immersion program in Spain. If a book or movie inspired you, include information about how it has influenced you.
It’s a good idea to research the organization that’s awarding the scholarship before you write your essay. The more you know about them, the easier it will be to tailor your essay to their particular interests.
Call them if you can’t find any information on the organization’s website and ask questions. If they don’t have time to talk with you, try sending an email with your questions.
You may also want to check out some of their recent news items or press releases for ideas about what they’re looking for in applicants.
Once you’ve researched the organization, think about how you can make your essay stand out from all the other essays they’ve received. Then follow these steps:
You’re not a robot. You’ve got passions, goals, and dreams. You have a story to tell, and you can make it enjoyable.
No one wants to read another “I’m a good student” essay. Your scholarship essay is your chance to show the committee that you’re more than just an academic standout — you’re an interesting person with unique experiences and skills who is capable of making the most of their money.
So how do you make your scholarship essay stand out from the competition? Here are four tips:
Tell the committee something specific you did that only you could do (and did). A great example of how being a ‘nerd’ or being creative is an advantage. How your actions helped the community.
A great way to do that is by telling the committee something specific you did that only you could do (and did). This can be something creative or nerdy, or it can be something more traditional.
Here are some examples:
If you’re applying for a scholarship because of your artistic talents, tell them how much time and effort went into creating one specific piece of art or craftsmanship. If you’re applying for a scholarship because of your academic talent, tell them how much time and effort went into completing one specific project with a group of other students (like a science fair project). If you’re applying for a leadership position, tell them about an important decision made during your tenure as president/captain/leader/etc., and how only someone with your unique perspective would have made that decision in that situation. If you’re applying for a scholarship rewarding community service, tell them about an event where your unique skills were needed to help out — like if you’re a nerd who knows how to fix computers, but there was no one else available.
A great example is a student applying for a scholarship from the National Merit Scholarship Corporation. In his essay, he described how he had been reading a book on the Civil War when he came across an interesting fact: there was no way to track soldiers’ deaths during the Civil War. So, when a soldier died in battle, they would send someone back to camp with his uniform and ID tags so that they could be identified and buried properly.
He then went on to say how this fact made him realize how important it was for him to take care of his health because if something happened to him in battle. He didn’t have identification on him; no one would know who he was, what unit he belonged to, or where his family lived, so they wouldn’t be able to tell them news about their son’s death.
That kind of unique twist can really make your essay stand out from all the other essays!
How do you make your scholarship essay stand out from the competition?
When I was applying for scholarships, I was amazed by the number of applicants and how similar many essays were. I was applying to many different scholarships at once, some of which had hundreds or even thousands of applicants.
I knew that if I wanted to win any money, I would have to make sure my essay stood out from the crowd. So I decided to write about something unique: my nerdy side!
Use a quote from someone who has influenced your life, like Martin Luther King Jr., Eleanor Roosevelt, or Gandhi.
Be honest about yourself — don’t try to be someone else because it won’t work! The best essays are those that show who you really are and what makes you tick, so don’t hold back on anything that helps them get to know you better.
Show off your personality — be yourself! That said, ensure it’s appropriate for your audience and your subject matter.
The essay is the most important part of your application. It’s the only piece of writing where you can tell the committee about your personality, interests, and accomplishments. Your essay can make or break your chances for college scholarships.
Here are some tips on how to write an essay that will make you stand out from the crowd:
Tell a story. Make it personal by telling a story about yourself that shows who you are and why you want to go to college. You don’t have to write about your entire life (although if you want to, go ahead!). Just pick one event or memory that really shows something about yourself as a person. For example: “When I was ten years old, I came home from school crying because my best friend had moved away without saying goodbye. My parents helped me realize that life doesn’t always end happily ever after.” Or “When I was in high school, my school didn’t have enough computers for all of the students’ use during class time. So I organized a student fundraiser to buy more computers for our school.” Or “Last summer at camp, my cabinmates and I got so bored that we started making up silly songs about each other!”
Congratulations on your acceptance to the University of California, Berkeley!
I’m thrilled to be a part of the incoming class of 2021, and I’m excited to join a campus community that is so diverse and welcoming.
As a student at Berkeley, I plan to study cognitive science with an emphasis on artificial intelligence. My goal is to continue my research on how technology can be used to improve human health and wellbeing.
Throughout high school, I was very active in both academic pursuits and extracurricular activities. I served as president of the National Honor Society chapter at my high school, where I also tutored students in math and science after school hours. In addition, I was a member of the UIL Academic Team for four years. This club helped me hone my public speaking skills, which have proven invaluable throughout my college application process.
I also participated in many community service projects during my time in high school: volunteering at a local animal shelter every weekend, organizing food drives for needy families during thanksgiving, and donating toys to children during Christmas break. These opportunities gave me valuable experience working with people from different backgrounds and cultures — something that will prove helpful as a future physician or researcher who must collaborate with colleagues across disciplines.
I was on a mission. I was going to show the world that nerds can be cool.
I was in first grade, and my class was learning how to read. The teacher asked us to pick a book and read it aloud in front of the class. I picked out a book about dinosaurs because I loved dinosaurs and started reading it.
The next day, my teacher announced that she would be selecting a student who could read well to come up front and read for the whole school. She called me up, gave me a microphone, and told me to read from my dinosaur book. I did so without hesitation, but when we got to the end of the story, she stopped me and asked me if there were any questions or comments from the audience.
When writing your scholarship essay, focus on your qualifications and accomplishments. Make sure you have a good understanding of the scholarship requirements before beginning your essay. Also, read the application instructions carefully to ensure that you meet all of the criteria.
Scholarship essay tips:
Be specific about how the award will help you achieve your goals.
Include information about what makes you unique and special.
Discuss why you deserve to win this award and how it will impact you in a positive way.
Make it unique. Scholarship committees receive thousands of applications each year, so make yours stand out by highlighting your specific accomplishments. For example, describe how you organized the event or worked with other volunteers if you won an award for your community service work. The more specific details you can share about what makes you special, the better.
Avoid clichés. Don’t use hackneyed phrases like “I’m a hard worker” or “I’m very motivated.” Scholarship committees know that everyone who applies is hardworking and driven — they want to see evidence of this in your essay!
Keep it short and sweet. You don’t have much room in which to make an impression on a reader who may have read hundreds of other essays that day; keep it short and simple so they’ll want to read more.
The most important thing to remember when writing a scholarship essay is that it’s not about making yourself look good. It’s about making the organization look good by showing how you’re going to contribute to their cause or mission.
Remember that scholarships are not just about getting money but also about giving back. That’s why we always encourage students to write about how they want to make an impact on society or their community through their involvement in clubs or other volunteer work.
Focus on your qualifications and accomplishments. Scholarship judges have tons of essays to read and many more applicants to consider. So they want to zero in on what makes your achievements so impressive. Make sure your essay clearly explains how you meet all of the requirements of the award (such as GPA, test scores, or extracurricular activities). Don’t just summarize your resume; make sure that everything you include in your application supports this point.
Show passion for your field of study or career goal. Many people apply for scholarships because they need money for college. Still, scholarship judges want to know that you’re genuinely interested in their organization’s mission — not just trying to get free money for school. Explain how you came up with your career path or why it’s important for society — and include any other relevant details about yourself (such as where you grew up or how many siblings you have) that show how well-rounded a person you are.
Make sure your writing style flows smoothly.