Published January 2013. Financial aid and student loan rules change often, so some details may be out of date. Ask us about your situation.
Along with filing for federal loans and financial aid from the school, prospective college students should also be well on their way to applying for scholarships, as these awards can be crucial in helping make college more affordable.
In the case of most scholarships, applicants are required to not only have great credentials, but also be able to back them up with a very convincing essay. Not everyone is a natural born writer, and even individuals who are confident in their essay-drafting abilities may benefit from scholarship assistance and an extra set of eyes.
The first thing you should do is make sure you have a good grasp on the audience you are writing to. Often, students make the mistake of drafting a single scholarship essay and sending it out to every scholarship available. When you craft a very general essay and use it as a template for all of them, you may be missing the mark in some capacity, making your essay look generic when compared to those of other applicants. Take the time to thoroughly review the guidelines of the application essay and make sure that you are hitting all of the points correctly.
A great way to ensure that you actually do this is to make your essay as personal as possible. The judges will probably find reassurance in the fact that the scholarship is going to someone who they can understand and relate to, and writing a generic essay could prevent them from making that kind of connection. If you show humanity and a genuine want, your odds will be greatly improved.
The best thing you can do is have a trusted set of eyes look over your scholarship essay to check for grammar and ensure that you have clearly and successfully communicated your winning attributes.