How to Write an Essay about Yourself for a Scholarship
Knowing how to write an essay about yourself for a scholarship is very important because this essay will separate you from other scholarship applicants who have similar goals, grades, aspirations and activities with you. This essay gives you the best chance to present your case on why you deserve a scholarship. An essay about yourself written for a scholarship application purpose can be defined as an essay that enables the provider of a scholarship to know more about you while getting a detailed look at your home and school life. In some cases, this essay is called a personal statement.
When written properly, this essay can make your scholarship application unique. Note that this essay could be the only opportunity that you will get to speak to the provider of the scholarship directly. Therefore, apart from answering the asked question in a compelling and clear manner, follow the basic writing rules of sentence structure, organization and grammar. Your essay ought to showcase attributes that make you the most ideal scholarship applicant. Also highlight your achievements in the essay, showing your personality and plans that you have while applying for the scholarship. A good personal statement should also tell a story about you, what describes you and what made you the person you are now. It should also emphasize your potential and what you will accomplish if awarded the scholarship.
A step by step guide on how to write an essay about yourself for a scholarship
- Consider the audience carefully
A personal essay written for a scholarship application is read by a committee or board that is in charge of awarding scholarships. While reading the essay, the board or committee looks for unique students who can meet the set criteria. Therefore, once you get the application question, read the question closely to know what the scholarship provider is looking for. This will enable you to come up with a customized essay for your application.
- Read and follow the provided guidelines
Reading the provided guidelines will enable you to determine if you qualify to apply for a scholarship. It also enables you to determine what you are required to include in the essay. For instance, a scholarship provider could be emphasizing on performance in the classroom or looking for an applicant who has faced adversity in their home. Some scholarship providers look for students who are interested in community or character service than in academic grades. Therefore, read the guidelines or instructions to know what exactly the provider of the scholarship is looking for.
- Set adequate time apart for writing the essay
Start planning and research early before you start writing the essay. Know the main points that you should include in your essay. Consider things, events or people who have shaped your life and how. Also take time to consider your achievements and to select the ones to include in the essay.
- Write the first paragraph
The first paragraph is the introduction of an essay about you. It is one of the sections that you should be keen about when mastering steps on how to write an essay about yourself for a scholarship. Make this paragraph inviting so that readers can be compelled to continue reading the essay. Although the paragraph should not be a summary of the essay, it should state what will be covered by the essay in a creative manner.
- Write the body
In the body of your essay, elaborate what you introduced in the introduction. For instance, you can elaborate on your background or experiences, financial or family situation, academic career, employment, volunteer work, college plans and future goals. You should also elaborate on your reasons for seeking financial assistance to pursue your education. Tell readers about the experiences that have shaped your life making you who you are now.
Your essay should also describe how you intend to achieve your goals. Discuss your volunteer and extracurricular activities both at school and community level. You can also describe the events in which you played a leadership role as well as what they taught you. Note that the body of an essay about yourself allows you a chance to show readers what differentiates you from other applicants. Therefore, include your key attributes in this section to show the scholarship provider that you are the most qualified applicant.
- Conclude the essay properly
Once you have written the body of an essay about yourself for scholarship, wrap it up with reasons why the scholarship board or committee should consider you. Tell the readers why your attributes, goals and aspirations make you the most suited applicant. Let readers see what matches you to the college or organization.
Bonus tips and hints on how to write an essay about yourself for a scholarship
- Make your essay passionate and personal
Remember that the main purpose of a personal essay for a scholarship is to convince the provider of the scholarship that you are the right candidate for a scholarship. Therefore, make your essay as convincing as possible. Ensure that you have provided all the details required to make your essay more convincing and properly illustrated with specific details. For instance, if you tell readers that you love working with disadvantaged kids, illustrate with details like how you coach such kids while playing football.
- Have an umbrella statement or thesis that outlines your main theme
For instance, have a thesis statement that tells readers what has made you envision a specific kind of life in the future or your goals. This can be your academic achievements, work experience and community service which compelled you to put more efforts towards accomplishing your goals. An event in your childhood may have made you take a specific perspective towards life and commit yourself into doing something that you intend to accomplish if awarded the scholarship. Have a theme that clearly highlights this in your essay.
- Highlight personal challenges
If you faced major setbacks or struggles, use them to make a personal essay more compelling. Such struggles may include losing one of your parents, becoming disabled or being a crime victim. However, avoid mundane struggles like parent’s divorce or heartbreak from a boyfriend or girlfriend. Tell readers how your character was strengthened by the struggles while highlighting your ability and willingness to work harder so that you can overcome life challenges or obstacles.
- Edit your essay
Find time to edit your essay before sending it to the scholarship board or committee. Awkward sentences or spelling mistakes can derail even a passionately written essay. Since you are the writer of the essay, you may not find all mistakes while editing it. Therefore, consider hiring our service here for editing assistance.
A sample makes knowing how to write an essay about yourself for a scholarship easy
A good sample of a personal essay written for a scholarship application can make knowing how to write this essay easier.
Here is an example of a personal essay written for scholarship application that you can use as your guide for writing such an essay:
Example
My desire to become a veterinarian dates back to my childhood. Since I was a boy, I have always taken care of and fed pets in our home. While in high school, I was a member of the 4-H club and the Junior Humane group. I realized that to achieve my goals, I have to pursue college education. I started pursuing this education in the fall semester of 2010. I envision my future as very exciting and I am confident that if awarded this scholarship, I will be able to assist many animals.
My friends and family have always encouraged my love for pets and other animals. There are times when I volunteer to offer basic care and shelter to stray animals. In campus, I began the 4-H club with assistance from our biology teacher. The club attracted more students within the campus. Today, it has over 100 members.
We also have many animals in our family which I take care off. I provide basic needs and first aid to them. I enjoy every bit of pet ownership and even taking care of pets. Unfortunately, my parents cannot afford the fee that I need to complete my education. It is for this reason that I seek a scholarship to fund my college education.
Your organization advocates for exactly what I personally believe in. Just like this organization, I also hope to offer assistance to animals throughout my life. However, to accomplish my goals, I need financial assistance. Currently, my friends and family provide moral support but this support alone is not enough to enable me to accomplish my goals. It is my hope that your organization will help me live my dream by awarding me a scholarship.
With such a sample and a guide on how to write an essay about yourself for a scholarship, you will find the task less daunting and crafting a good essay will not cause you a major headache.
Get help with an essay about yourself for a scholarship
Contact us today for help in writing an essay about yourself. You can also visit the homepage of our website for additional information regarding our writing services. Alternatively, keep reading for more guidelines on how to write an essay about yourself for a scholarship and samples on this blog.
Sources
http://www.usnews.com/education/blogs/the-scholarship-coach/2013/01/31/4-ways-to-make-your-scholarship-essay-stand-out
http://classroom.synonym.com/present-yourself-scholarship-essay-1279.html
http://www.socialwork.degreeleap.com/articles/finance/tactics-for-writing-winning-scholarship-essays