Writing a scholarship essay is not a one-size-fits-all process. You’ll need to know how to write an essay that will convince the scholarship program board that you’re the right person to receive the money.

You can use your scholarship essay as a window to your world if you write it well. In the same way, you would in your college application essays, these essays should give the readers a sense of who you are as a person beyond your high school GPA and test scores.

Create an essay that is solely about you, one that speaks to your passion and drive to study your subject, and create a response that could only ever relate to you. It is this individuality that stands out, and that’s exactly what catches a judge’s eye and defines a winner.

We’re going to share tips and strategies that can help you write winning scholarship essays and increase your chances of graduating debt-free. In this example, however, the basic principles can be extracted and applied to other scholarship essay writing processes.

How to Write a Winning Scholarship Essay

1. Review the essay statement you will be responding to, and identify the main themes.
Demonstrate responsible leadership, or innovation, and how it made a difference either in your community or in my work’. I identified the key themes as ‘leadership’ and ‘community impact’.

2. Sell yourself… but remain humble

This is the definition of humblebrag, isn’t it? Perhaps. You can include your achievements in your scholarship essay. Be sure not to merely list all your accomplishments and best qualities as reasons you deserve the scholarship. Balance is key.

The following is an example of a brag “pile on”:

In my role as captain of my debate team, a straight-A student, and a dedicated volunteer at a homeless shelter, I believe I am a deserving recipient of this scholarship.”

Instead, you might say, “My academic discipline and volunteer work demonstrate how hard I intend to work in my college courses, and I’d appreciate the financial assistance.”

3. Know the meaning of the key themes.

It is important to understand what each of these key ideas means beyond the initial level after identifying the key themes. So, I acknowledged that the meaning of leadership involves identifying the results caused by my leadership – the actions taken and the results achieved – rather than merely describing my position and responsibilities. As you gain a deeper understanding of each theme, you will be able to identify more examples to demonstrate your understanding.

4. Your resilience should be highlighted

In scholarship prompts, you are often asked to describe a hardship you have overcome. The reader can gain a deeper understanding of a student’s resilience and problem-solving skills through this type of question. Scholarship essays require these qualities.

Many students make the mistake of focusing on only the hardships they’ve faced without acknowledging or discussing how they overcame them. Readers of essays are not simply looking for the toughest story, but rather a complete narrative that details how the student overcame the challenge.

In addition, when faced with a word limit or character limit, it’s a good idea to focus on one main event or experience. If you choose one hardship that you have overcome, your essay will be more focused.

5. Fill your scholarship essay with keywords/synonyms of keywords used in the scholarship statement.


Utilize the keywords from the scholarship statement throughout your essay to demonstrate your commitment to answering the question. You should include references to ‘leadership’, ‘innovation’, and ‘impacting communities’ in your essay.

6. Specificity and conciseness are key

We encourage you to be evocative with your language, but we also want to stress the importance of getting straight to the point. The simplest, clearest words are usually the most effective. Give specific examples instead of generalizations. A more succinct sentence is better than flowery language.

Let’s show you. This sentiment feels too general and wordy:

The beauty of nature makes me love it. Nature does not disappoint me in any way. “I have loved being outside since I was a child, and anything that involves being outdoors is just good for my soul.”

In this rewrite, the same idea is expressed in a much more concise manner:

Being in nature refreshes me whether I am hiking, wading in the ocean, or planting seasonal flowers in the garden.”

7. Make an engaging start to your essay.

Consider including a quote or statement that relates to your intended course as a starting point for your scholarship application essay, which you can later link to your main body. You can convince the judges that it is a worthwhile investment to support you in your chosen course by demonstrating a broader knowledge and aptitude for it.

8. Pause, proofread and revise

The author Robert Graves once said, “There is no such thing as good writing, only good rewriting,” and it’s true; nothing is ever perfect on the first try. So revise, revise, revise!

We’re HUGE fans of taking breaks during the revision process. After you have cleared your mind, return to your work. You’ll see your essay with new eyes, which will allow you to take it to the next level.

Having someone else review your work is also a good idea if you feel comfortable doing so. Choose a trusted teacher, peer, or friend, and be open to their suggestions for improvement.

The following should be included in leadership scholarship essays:

Leadership experience and accomplishments.

How did the results turn out? During your tenure, did you manage to grow a society from 10 to 100 members?

Why did you got involved in the leadership experience?

How did you feel after the experience and what were your initial inspirations? Being sincere and passionate about what you do is one of the most important aspects.

What obstacles did you face and how did you overcome them?

Readers (especially judges) are inspired by perseverance stories despite adversity. This also shows that you possess great leadership qualities: the ability to adapt to new situations and the determination to not give up.

Did you learn anything new? What did these lessons teach you about leadership?

The best leaders are humble and know that every experience brings new lessons and opportunities for growth. In other words, you know that leadership isn’t just about getting a title like “President” or “Executive Director”. By discussing these lessons, you indicate that you have carefully considered your experiences and that you understand what leadership really is.

What does this mean for the future?

Scholarships aren’t just awards; they’re investments in your future. In other words, if you plan to continue participating in your particular leadership activity in the future, tell the judges.

The following points should be included in community impact essays:

How much time did you dedicate to the activity?

Applicants who have made a fairly long commitment to a community activity are likely to be sought after by the scholarship committee.

Why was it important to you?

Is there anything more exciting than trying something new? Making new friends? Having a convincing essay starts with a good reason.

What made it important to the community?

How would your community be different if you didn’t do what you do? Taking action to address the real needs in your communities is most important.

What did you gain yourself through giving to the community?

Showing that you understand how giving leads to receiving more is crucial. Sharing what your community service experience has taught you and how it has helped you develop demonstrates that your participation has truly benefitted you and that you will continue to do so in the future.

What not to include in your scholarship essay
With a better understanding of how to approach your scholarship essay, let’s look at what not to include.

You should also keep in mind that these rules aren’t set in stone, but they are guidelines that will help you write a compelling and unique scholarship essay.

Here are some things you have to avoid

1 motivational quote

Is there anyone who doesn’t love a motivational quote? Of course, there is. No matter where you find them, a great quote can be inspiring and motivating. On the other hand, it’s best not to include them when writing scholarship essays.

DON’T use infamous quotes, many of which are overused. For instance: “The great Mahatma Gandhi said that one should “be the change one wishes to see in the world, which is why I am applying for this scholarship.”. “I want to become a nurse so that I can change the world.”

The thing is: wanting to be a nurse is admirable in itself! The truth does not have to be attached to anyone else’s sweeping statements about life or humanity. This essay is about you, so famous quotes are just a distraction.

Include meaningful advice or wisdom you’ve received from the people who are most important to you. This is much more personal and will provide a greater understanding of who you are and what you care about.

I’ve always been encouraged by my mother, a registered nurse for 20 years, to help others as a way to make the world a better place. My goal is to follow in her footsteps and go to nursing school.”

2 Overly general phrases and platitudes

Scholarships are won by standing out from the crowd. That means you shouldn’t repeat what hundreds of other applicants have said.

People often oversimplify their statements by using platitudes. If you want to avoid sounding like every other high schooler, refrain from using phrases like, “Good things come to those who wait.”

You shouldn’t talk about the scholarship opportunity in platitudes like “I’d love to win this money” or “Winning this scholarship would change my life.” These statements may be true, but they don’t tell us much about you.

Tell us how winning the scholarship will change your life. For example, “I would be able to have only one part-time job instead of two, giving me more time to study for my classes.”

3 Profanity

Here’s another one that probably seems WAY obvious. You’d never swear in a scholarship essay, right? But you may be surprised at how many people do!

DON’T use any profanity or curse words, even if they’re part of common phrases that we hear all the time on TV and in the real world.

For example, try not to say things like: “I’ve worked my ass off for 18 years, and now I am ready to apply myself even further in this rigorous pre-med program.”

Will you offend anyone with that kind of conversational tone? Probably not. But it’s better to be safe than sorry. Plus, we know you can be more creative than that!

DO stress your excitement, perseverance, and preparedness for this next chapter without the curse words. You can always use a thesaurus to look up new and exciting ways to say things or use imagery to paint a picture of your experiences.

For example: “Being a college student has been a marathon and at times I’ve worried I may not cross the finish line. But now that I’ve graduated, I know what I’m capable of and I’m thrilled to be starting this graduate program.”

4“Text speak”

We realize that texting is the way of the world. And we’re all pretty accustomed to abbreviating words and using acronyms daily (smdh and lol-ing about how common this language is now). But keep your “text speak” in your group chats and out of your scholarship essays.

Your scholarship essay is a great place to showcase your eloquence and professionalism, so (unless directed otherwise), write as you would for a teacher or a boss.

DON’T use statements like, “College should be free for everyone IMO, but because it’s not, I need this scholarship 2 help fund my education.” It looks hilarious taken out of context, right? This kind of thing is super common and distracting for the reader.

DO remove all “text speak” in favor of your unique voice and tone. You can still use mild humor and even talk like you, but keep it academic and professional.

5 Controversial topics

Unless the essay prompt explicitly asks you to address a currently trending, controversial topic and take a stance on it, don’t. These essays are about you.

Based on the prompt and your personal experiences, perhaps you’ll discuss a “hot topic,” but don’t do so just to make your essay stand out. You’ll risk alienating your reader(s).

We encourage you to be yourself, and to be open and honest about your life experiences, but “hot takes” are better left for Twitter than used in scholarship essays.

DON’T treat your scholarship essay as a platform to tackle a trending topic. A thoughtful essay reads 100 times better than your stance on a popular topic of the moment.

DO take firm stances on causes that you believe in and articulate how winning this scholarship will help you advocate for them. For example, you can certainly discuss your commitment to advocating for gender equality or against wage inequality.

To be clear: we’re NOT suggesting that you sanitize your beliefs or your writing, or dampen your beliefs to cater to specific readers. The key is to be mindful of the prompt and to avoid unnecessary detours or tangents that tread into hot take territory unrelated to the prompt.

6 Emojis, photos, and funky fonts

We love emojis too, but they shouldn’t make their way into your scholarship essay (and, yes, we’ve seen it happen plenty of times). Unless for any reason you’re asked to creatively use an emoji in your response, just resist the urge.

The same goes for photos, fun fonts, or anything that isn’t straightforward typeface. Unless, again, you’re given the green light.

DON’T turn your scholarship essay into an art project. It may seem like a good idea, but keep it professional. More importantly, you want your essay to be as easy to read as possible, without overwhelming the readers.

DO stick to the standard: Times New Roman font, size 12 if you’re attaching your essay as a Google or Word document. If you’re pasting your essay into the text box on a website, this will format your content automatically.

And of course, read the directions carefully so you know how to format your scholarship essay when it comes to things like single vs double spacing, margins, headers/footers, etc.

Conclusion

You should show who you are in your scholarship application essay or cover letter. How has your past and present experience demonstrated your abilities and what do you hope to accomplish? Your words should emphasize your passion, ambition, and enthusiasm. Be sure to adopt a positive mindset, believing in all the great things you have achieved and planning to achieve in the future.

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