Writing a College Scholarship Essay
The goal of writing a college scholarship essay is to persuade the judging committee that you are the right candidate for the award. This sounds easier said than done. With today’s economy there is more competition than ever for every scholarship available. The competition can be fierce, but if an essay is well written, formatted correctly and answers the essay question plus catches the ears of the judges, the competition simply melts into the background.
When a selection committee is reading a college scholarship essay they are looking for some key elements. To begin with, the essay must answer the question in the scholarship packet. Even if the essay is the best piece of literature in the world, it will be ignored if the essay has not relation to the topic.
College scholarship essays need to be original and written in a way that shows the reader who the writer is. Creativity and innovative topic sentences will grab the attention of the reader. Being original is one key element to the essay writing process. The student needs to show the judges the ability to think outside of the box and think for oneself.
The most important piece for the essay is the introductory paragraph. This is where the writer must grab the attention of the audience. The essay needs to make the reader want to read more. Sometimes the selection committees will spend more time reading an initial paragraph then the other sections. If the introduction doesn’t grab them, then the essay could be skipped.
Once the introduction is complete and solid, the writer will want to create a supporting body section to the college scholarship essay. The body needs to reinforce what is stated in the introduction. The last piece of the essay is the conclusion. The conclusion needs to be strong and leave the reader more curious about the topic.
When the essay is finished, the student will want to revise it and have several people review the document. Feedback is important. After every review, some revisions will need to be done. There will come a point when the student needs to be satisfied with the end product. Writing a college scholarship essay can be a daunting task, but by following some simple guidelines it can be a wonderful experience.
It will improve your writing and cognitive skills. It is best to apply for multiple grants and scholarships. Loans are another option as well, but the beauty of a scholarship is that the money does not need to be paid back.
