How to write a scholarship application essay College and university admissions

by | Dec 11, 2017 | Education Feature

Writing a scholarship essay can be a breeze as long as you follow a theme around which your essay will revolve. Having an outline will also help put the structure in your scholarship essay and make it easier for you to write in an organized manner. You know how much work people put into writing their admission essays and personal statements? Well, for a scholarship essay, you might have to put in more work because you aim to convince people that you’re worthy of their investment.

How to start your scholarship essay

Writing a scholarship essay requires effective storytelling skills, concise writing skills, and a convincing tone. You can start your scholarship essay by stating your name, and the specific scholarship program you’re applying for. Then, give a backgrounder on who you are before you discuss your career goals and objectives in applying for a scholarship. The backgrounder part in your scholarship essay should be written in a personal, sincere manner. Let the committee get a glimpse of who you are as an individual and as a student.

In this part of the scholarship essay, you can include your extra-curricular interests and hobbies, or any interesting tidbits about your personality that would make you stand out. From here, you can then insert your academic accomplishments, the subjects you have taken, and a brief mention of your stellar GPA. Be careful when talking about your accomplishments, you don’t want to sound like you`re simply bragging and showing off in your scholarship essay. Instead, state your achievements in a clear and concise manner. Try to connect this part of the scholarship essay to your educational objectives, and how you decided of choosing your particular major.

Other types of content of your scholarship essay

Once you`ve stated your chosen major and your reasons for choosing it, your scholarship essay should then also touch on the topic of what you intend to do once you get a degree in that field. What are your long-term goals and how will that degree help you realize these goals? As much as possible, give concrete plans of action so that the committee will get a clear idea of where you`re headed regarding career. It will also help if you elaborate in your scholarship essay how you think these plans of yours will benefit other people in the community.

Once you`ve covered all the mentioned bases, your scholarship essay should now discuss your financial situation and why you need the scholarship. Paint them a picture of what your everyday life is like, and explain how a scholarship grant would make a difference to you and help you fulfill your long-term goals. If you`re employed, tell them about the kind of work you do and the number of hours you spend working. You must be able to tell your story in your scholarship essay in a way that would make them listen. Your scholarship essay should appeal to their logic, and not pity. Don’t whine about how you`re having financial trials. Instead, write your scholarship essay in a way that shows them your determination to get that degree and why you deserve their scholarship grant.

Now let`s look at key points of your MBA admission essay.

Even if you have scored almost a perfect 800 in your Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT), you may lose several points for sending a sloppily written MBA admission essay.  Your MBA essay helps the screening university to know you more beyond your GMAT scores and other achievements.

The first thing you need to watch out for is the hook or opening statement in your MBA admission essay.  You must be able to grab your audience’s attention and make him, or she read your MBA essay from start to finish. You can look back into your experiences to find interesting anecdotes that emphasize qualities that you feel the MBA school of your choice is looking for.  Then, you can begin your MBA admission essay with this anecdote. Of course, it must not all be on the hook; read your MBA admission essay to see if the sentences are free flowing to the next ones.  If this is not the case, you may have to use connectors or transitional devices.

Writing an MBA admission essay is about sending a clear statement of purpose.   It is the statement of purpose that you, as a candidate, can express your career and educational goals.  It must be apparent to the admissions committee that you are the right candidate for an MBA degree, based on your understanding of where you are headed for.  Of course, you have your grades to support you.  But with a competent MBA admission essay, you should also prove yourself to be an articulate, personable candidate.

Even the best content can suffer when faced with misspellings and grammatical errors.  So, after using your computer’s grammar and spelling checker, check your MBA admission essay manually for mistakes.  Some words may have been spelled right, but do not have the appropriate meaning you were originally going for.  Overly long sentences can also destroy the thought of your MBA admission essay.  So, try to make your sentences clearer and more direct.  If you want to know if you are conveying the right message or thought, you may request the help of a friend or family member.  Let them read your MBA admission essay, so they can give feedback on how well your MBA admission essay is written.

Hence, there is no need for you to hire somebody who can write your College or MBA admission essay.  Sometimes, you only need a little help in writing the whole thing; your application should be written with your own words and thoughts.  Then, it would only be a question of how you can effectively proofread it.  After following the advice of this article, you are now ready to submit your College or MBA admission essay.  Do not hesitate to give it a third look though.  This is, after all, a written ticket to your brighter future.

About the Author: Bella Hamilton is writer and senior editor at Graduateway. She has MA degree in philology and works with the text of different types and complexity. Thus, Bella is high qualified professional in writing on the different subjects including education, psychology, business, etc.

 

Share This