Scholarships are a form of student financial aid that do not require repayment, as long as you meet the terms of the award and use it as directed. They are often gifted based on merit, either through academic excellence, financial need (also known as “need-based” aid), or by meeting specific requirements set by the organization awarding the scholarship
Writing an imaginative and thoughtful scholarship essay can help you pay for online schooling for either a bachelors or masters degree program. It can also get you started on the right foot to have a solid financial aid foundation to pursue your college dreams.
While you should be sure to do this before you start writing, you should also do this after you’ve written the piece. Simply double check your work against the requirements set by the scholarship organization, and make sure you’re following the instructions to the letter. Essays that don’t follow instructions will most likely be thrown out first, and you don’t want your hard work to go to waste simply because you forgot something in the instructions.
One of the best ways to start constructing and organizing an essay is to create a comprehensive outline. They serve as an essential tool to help you avoid structural mistakes, repetition, and to help you cover all your bases and ideas without rambling.
Steps for Writing a Scholarship Essay
It’s important to keep in mind that your essay most likely won’t be more than a page, double spaced. Since you don’t have a lot of room for fluff or non-essential information, it’s important to stay focused, to the point, and brief.
Although the terms “grant” and “scholarship” often refer to a similar idea — student financial aid that doesn’t require repayment — they are two fundamentally different awards. The key difference lies in how they are awarded, and where the funds are originating from.
- Your outline should have a logical order that flows from:
- Introduction that ends with a thesis or idea
- Explanation that supports and proves your thesis
- Conclusion that reiterates your argument and thesis
- Properly format your article by following instructions, or (as a general rule) write using:
- 12 point font
- Times New Roman, Arial, Courier, Helvetica, or Georgia font (whatever is standard on your preferred writing system, nothing too stylized)
- Double spaced
- 1 inch to 1 ½ inch margins
- If there is no required word or page count, as a general rule, aim for ¾ to 1 full page in length.
- Be sure to include your name and the name of the scholarship you are applying for near the top of the page (either as a header or simply above the optional title).
As she did that, she noticed that some parts of her seemed to contradict. She decided to use this as a thematic thread for her essay, and brainstormed other specific details that showed other contrasts.
Submit your essay and any other required documents before the deadline.
Wait: I can do that? I can use an essay I’ve already written or write one that works for lots of different scholarships and then just submit the same essay?
Shadowing OB/GYN at a nearby hospital and seeing woman receive postpartum exam
Three “Why Major” Essay Examples
This author decided to use a compelling question as his hook. And get this: he didn’t know the answer to the question. That’s part of what makes it a compelling hook and what keeps us interested throughout the essay.
But wait: that doesn’t really answer how to write each of the prompts above. So let’s take a deep-dive into each one, shall we?
Thesis: say why neuroscience (get specific) and what I’ll do with degree
Submit your essay (and any other required documents) before the deadline.
Here are some scholarship essay examples about yourself, get an idea from them, and create a successful essay.
Here is an excellent community service scholarship essay that can help you write for community college.
- Choose the topic carefully that you can easily write about it.
- Do the research before writing the essay.
- Know the word limit of the essay
- Brainstorm the essay topic
- Professionally write the scholarship essay.
- Write an outline or a rough draft for the essay, It makes your writing phase easy.
- Write a strong statement that summarizes your points.
- Your scholarship essay reflects your personality.
- Be honest when writing the scholarship essay and do not add fake details.
- Keep the directions of the academic committee in mind.
- Make sure the scholarship essay is free from all grammatical and spelling mistakes.
- Proofread the essay before submitting
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Scholarship Essay Examples for Nursing
Community service essays are required for two reasons either you apply for the college or apply for a scholarship.
The financial need scholarship essay should be a combination of your financial need statement and academic goals. You have to show that this winning amount will help you financially and in your academics.
If you need to write the best nursing scholarship essay, the below-mentioned examples help you write a good essay better.
She goes on to list all of her accomplishments: seven internships, founded a nonprofit, active in community service. These are impressive enough on their own, but what made the essay stand out is that it captured the passion that Keniece brings to her work advocating for the causes she cares about:
Keniece’s essay proves that a good scholarship essay depends on two things: the candidate’s qualifications, and the candidate’s ability to communicate those qualifications. Keniece is exactly the type of candidate we were looking for, and her essay provided all the material we needed to see that.
When I started law school, I noticed there were no student organizations that supported or advocated on behalf of PI students and as a response, I founded the first- ever Pacific Islander Legal Association. Within three months of our formation, I organized the first-ever Pre-Law Symposium for Pacific Islanders. The goal of the two-day symposium was to demystify the application process and empower PIs to see they have a space in the field of law. The symposium included two keynote speakers — a Samoan First Deputy Prosecuting Attorney and the first Samoan judge in the United States — a panel of PI law students, a panel of PI legal professionals, a resume and personal statement writing workshop, a practice LSAT exam, a campus tour, and an admissions and financial aid informational session. What started as an endeavor with the hope of attracting 15 participants, ballooned into a movement with 77 attendees that hailed from a swath of island nations including New Zealand, Marshall Islands, Tonga, Fiji, Pohnpei, Samoa, Guam, and Hawaii.
Next, she details the work she’s done to help others, again providing documentation with a link:
Example 3
Before you actually write your essay, take some time to figure out what you’re going to write about. To do this, pick apart the essay prompt. What does it explicitly ask for? Is there anything else that you can discern by reading between the lines? Get an idea of what the review committee is looking for, and then give it to them.
Think of it this way: A master painter won’t get a scholarship that’s intended for a photographer. A math genius won’t get a scholarship that’s intended for a history buff. A baseball player — no matter how good — won’t get a scholarship that’s intended for a football player. It’s that simple.
- Pick the right scholarship.
- Give them what they want.
- Write like your essay is being graded.
- Put the effort in.
“I hope that my work inspires individuals from similar backgrounds as me to believe that they too can defy stereotypes and optimize opportunities. More importantly, I hope my story influences others to reach back while climbing forward.”
These general tips will help get you started. If the scholarship you are applying to has specific questions you must answer, be sure to follow those closely. Many times, you can use the tips above and adapt them to the questions being asked for a scholarship essay. Lastly, always have someone else read your essay before you turn it in, and take a deep breath. Write your story one paragraph at a time, and you cannot go wrong.
This goes beyond telling the committee you do not have the money to pay for school. That would put you into a large group of most college students these days. Describing unique challenges that have happened in your life to make paying for school more difficult will help the committee recognize your need for the scholarship.
Try not to toot your own horn too much, but feel free to demonstrate your strengths and what sets you apart from other candidates. This part of your essay can include volunteer work, extracurricular activities, and any other efforts you feel tie in well with the goals of the organization offering the scholarship. Making the connection between your accomplishments and the donor’s efforts will help to show why you are an excellent candidate.
Let me highlight the word “brief” one more time. This is not a place to overshare about past events in your life. Jerry Springer material is not welcome here. Feel free to share lessons learned, but try to connect how these lessons have helped you grow as a person. Think about connecting your background with where you are today in your educational goals.
4. Express Need
Writing a scholarship essay can put a lot of pressure on you as a student. Rather than receiving a grade in class, you are writing to potentially receive money to help pay for your college education. When starting down this path, it is important to keep your cool, write your essay well before the deadline, and follow these five suggestions for the layout of your essay:
Be sure to mention your name and for which scholarship you are writing your essay. Some organizations you apply to will offer multiple opportunities, so identifying which scholarship you are seeking can be especially important. Then, briefly tell the scholarship committee what your educational goals are, and what career you plan to pursue. This helps to paint a picture of who you are to the committee.
Every story needs a good ending, and the story of your journey to a scholarship application is no different. Ensure that the committee remembers what makes you unique, and why you would be a good representative for their organization. Manners go a long way too, so be sure to thank the committee for their time and consideration.
Have you ever written a scholarship essay? What other tips are helpful?