College and Scholarship Essays 101
- madeleinechan25
- Sep 9, 2023
- 2 min read
Writing an essay for college and/or scholarship applications can be intimidating. I totally get it! I'll provide some links below in addition to me giving own two cents in this blog. The prompts for college and scholarship application essays are usually personal and tap into the emotional side of the applicant; this side is not visible in the applicant's stats. It's best to be vulnerable, honest, and creative when writing these essays, as this is the only way admissions and scholarship panels will get the chance to get to know you and your personality.
Universities and scholarship organizations are looking for students who are down-to-earth who choose better paths towards their goals, based on their life experiences and obstacles. Life is not always perfect, and finding the positive in every outcome will speak volumes in these essays. It's equally as important to showcase how resilient these life experiences made you and how such experiences shaped you into your current form. In such essays, it's important to relate your life experiences to your intended major/career.
The structure of your essays should be creative. I know how the basic five paragraph essay structure is regarded as the "gold standard", but with college and scholarship essays, the more creative, the better. When crafting these essays, it's best to think outside the box and write something that will command the attention and appropriate emotional response from the readers (aka admissions/scholarship panel). For example, try starting your essay with the peak of your story to hook in the reader, and try ending with how this experience shaped your views of the world and your future.
The more eyes you get on your essays, the better! I know that it may seem very daunting to let other people read your personal thoughts, so I urge you to choose people you respect and trust to read your essays. Teachers, counselors, parents, family members, etc. are all great peer-reviewers of your essays! Each person will provide your feedback that would've gone possibly unnoticed; there's nothing wrong with admitting someone may have a point with their criticism! Never take any feedback personally; even the best writers make mistakes! It's feedback that perfects the craft! Happy writing!
Do you enjoy writing?
No, definitely not!
Yes, I love it!
I don't particularly enjoy it nor dislike it
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