Scholarships can be one of the best ways to pay for your education, especially if you’re planning on going into a field that’s not overly expensive such as nursing or teaching.
You don’t need to have all A’s and B’s; what matters is having good grades in classes that pertain specifically to these scholarships.
Finding the scholarships will be the easy part. It gets more complex when it comes to writing scholarship essays that will win you the scholarship though.
Here are six scholarship writing tips to keep in mind.
#1 Find scholarships that are relevant to your field of study
The first step to increasing your chances of being selected for a scholarship is to go with ones that are relevant to your field of study.
You’ll not only find that it will be easier for you to write your scholarship essay, but you will be more passionate about it.
When you’re passionate about a topic it will affect your writing in a positive way.
#2 Tailor your essay to the specific scholarship you are applying for
We get it, writing scholarship essays is time-consuming. However, even if you are applying to multiple scholarships that have similar writing prompts you never want to reuse the essay.
Instead, you want to write an essay that is very specific and can easily relate back to the scholarship.
#3 Keep it brief – make sure all points are concise and on-point
“Scholarship essays need to be extremely professional and keep them short and sweet”, says Benjy Grinberg. You also want to ensure that each paragraph has a main point and that you’re being cordial and respectful with your words.
At a maximum, a 400-word essay, but you’ll want to shoot for 300 or less.
#4 Proofread, proofread, proofread!
Proofreading is extremely important when it comes to essays and scholarship essays are no different. Make sure to read over it multiple times to check for spelling errors, grammar mistakes, and typos.
Don’t have your friend or parent do it. Let it be known that the essay needs to come from you so if possible hire a professional editor who knows what they are doing when it comes to scholarship essays.
#5 Get feedback from others before submitting
It’s important to get an expert’s insight into your scholarship essay before sending it in. If you feel that you are not fully confident about one of the sections or sentences then go back and make changes until you’re satisfied with the end result.
#6 Stay organized by using an apps
Organization is key when it comes to applying for multiple scholarships, so use an app such as Trello or Asana to keep track of the scholarship essay deadlines, winner selection dates, etc.
If you keep everything in one place it’ll be easier for you to complete your applications.
Conclusion
Scholarship writing is a great way that many students are able to pay for their education, but it can also be time-consuming and stressful. With these six scholarship essay tips, however, you should have no problem getting accepted into the program of your dreams.
Any additional tips? Share them in the comments below.
