Was the financial aid you were offered not enough? Scholarships can be a great way to supplement your financial aid without taking out more loans.
The thing is, there are a lot of scholarships that require you to write an essay. After a long application process, you’re probably rolling your eyes at having to write yet another essay.
But scholarship essays can be pretty quick and painless to write with a few key steps.
Why are Scholarship Essays Tough?
You’ve already written a lot for your college application, but taking the time to write a few more essays has the potential for a big payoff. And the essays themselves don’t have to be that hard—you’ve already written a personal statement and supplemental essays, so you can take advantage of the reflection you’ve already done.
Scholarship essays are all about capturing who you are, what your values are, and where you hope your goals will lead you, all in response to an essay prompt. If you think of it this way, the task becomes less about creating a generic essay and more about defining and expressing your goals and beliefs.
Just like your college essays are an opportunity for reflection, your scholarship essays can be too.
What do Scholarship Committees Look For?
So we already know what admissions officers look for in college essays, but what about scholarship essays?
Scholarship committees look for a couple of things. Of course, they’ll want to see that your academic credentials meet the requirements of the scholarship (so if the scholarship recipient must have a 3.0 GPA or above, then you should have a 3.0 GPA or above when you apply).
But scholarship committees also look for certain values in their applicants. Since most scholarships are awarded by organizations or people who stand for a particular group or cause, then you should tailor your scholarship application to match.
Consider an environmental science scholarship as an example.
The most appealing candidate isn't just good at environmental sciences in school. They can also show their commitment to putting this knowledge into action—they can highlight environmental activities they’ve done or draw on values about protecting the climate.
As with college essays, you need to find the right narrative to convey to the selection committee.
