The BEST Scholarship Essay Tips
Scholarship deadlines are just around the corner, and if you want to study abroad, now's the time to get those scholarship applications in! You'll be writing a lot of scholarship essays, so it's important that you get it right. Essay writing is challenging, even for the most talented and dedicated students. Fortunately, technology can make a lot of things easier, and writing scholarship essays is one of those things.
Here's the best tips for writing scholarship essays to use if you want to make a good impression and get the funding you need to study abroad. With these scholarship essay tips in mind, you can surely write an award winning study abroad application essay!
Avoid “one size fits all” scholarship essays.
It's very likely that you're going to be applying for more than one study abroad scholarship. As this is the case, it's tempting to create a scholarship essay that will suit all of them, and then send it off to everyone. However, no essay will suit every scholarship application. Essays are very personal in this regard, and every team is looking for something different. Give yourself time to craft a scholarship essay that's designed to answer their questions.
Know your audience.
Before you start writing, think about what the scholarship committee is looking for in an applicant. Do they want someone who's overcome adversity in the past? Someone who's excelled in a particular subject? The answer should be in the question that they've set for you. Keep this in mind as you plan your scholarship essay.
Give yourself time.
Your teachers are right, no essay will be great if you hammer it out the night before it's due. It's especially true of scholarship essays. Start your plan at least a week before you think you should. This gives you enough time to start writing an outline, and start creating a rough draft of your scholarship essay. Once you're done writing, you'll still have plenty of time to edit.
Make sure you're answering the question.
Many scholarship essays fail because the applicant didn't actually answer the question that was set for them. You may feel as though you are answering the question, but read the question carefully and thoroughly before you start writing your scholarship essay.
For example, you may be given the question: “Name a time when you challenged a belief or idea. Why did you do this? Would you do it again?” When you read this question, you may think about how you decided to study law, even though your family wanted you to something else. If the question was different, this would be a great answer. However, look at the question again. It's asking for a time you challenged one particular belief, and your reasoning behind it. Always keep your eye on the prize if you want to write an award winning study abroad scholarship essay.
Be personal.
Your scholarship essay is all about you, so take the time to really delve into what makes you, YOU. Remember, you want to show the committee that you're the student they're looking for. If you're talking about a time when you volunteered, for example, give them the reasons why volunteering for that cause was so important to you. Really give the readers a sense of who you are (this is one of the most important scholarship essay tips ever!).
Use online tools to help you write your scholarship essay.
You don't have to write your essay alone. There are lots of online tools that will help you get the most out of your essay, and provide you with even more scholarship essay tips than this list. You can improve your confidence and skills by taking advantage of the following tools next time you sit down to write a scholarship essay.
- Essay Map: This tool is great for visual learners. Give it all the details of your essay, and it'll create a fully formed plan for you. It’s fun and easy way to start writing.
- Thesis Generator: If you're not sure where to start with your essay, use this tool to plug the details of your essay into the form, and it'll generate a thesis for you.
Anyone Can Win a Scholarship to Study Abroad!
And, you don’t have to waste a lot of time to do so. These scholarship essay tips will help you write the best award winning study abroad scholarship essay you can. Use them when you're planning and writing, and you'll have a scholarship essay that shows you off in the best possible light.
