Last summer I was nominated as Cheney’s outstanding employee which made me eligible for the Center for Quality Communities Scholarship. I won the scholarship and by winning you are able to apply again the following year for a bigger scholarship as long as you continue to get involved with your community.
Writing a scholarship essay is about answering the question to the fullest while also being honest. The questions are designed to make you think so you have the best opportunity to show off your personality! The people judging them want to give you money and are cheering for you! But if you don’t put your best foot forward they can not help you. Scholarships are different because there is a lot of high stakes involved. Money towards your education, that money is directly helping you achieve your goals! A lot rides on how well you write it.
First impressions are everything. Just like most situations in life the intro is when the reader will decide if you get the scholarship or not. You have to make them interested right away. But then keep them interested and learning. If you write the exact same paper as every other person then you can not stand out against what they have. Read the prompt carefully then plan out different routes you can take. Pick the top couple you are most passionate about then follow those through all the way to the end.
When writing this I learned that writing in this genre can help you learn about yourself as you articulate your ideas. It can be helpful in organizing you opinions, discovering your passions, or improving your writing skills! The scholarships you are most likely to get are the ones you connect with the most. There are real people judging what your submit, you can trigger their emotions and show them exactly why you are the perfect recipient of the money.
A lastly, it is important that they match what you are written on any other parts of the application. If there are short responses, cross check your work. Saying two contradicting statements will lead to confusion for the reader and eventually they will assume you don’t really know what your think or it is all BS. Carefully read the length of the essay. Short and long essays both come with their own challenges for showing off personality.
Here is my essay for the scholarship: