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The Scholarship Personal Essay
The Personal Essay one of the most important parts of your scholarship application. This is your
chance to let the Scholarship Committee or Donor know your educational and career goals, why
you have selected your stated major and career goal, your life experiences which have influenced
this decision, and your anticipated role in society after your career goal has been achieved. It is
as if you had ten minutes to sit face-to-face with the Committee or Donor and let them know why
you feel you should be a recipient of a scholarship from Riverside Community College District.
However, to put all this on paper can be difficult and even intimidating.
1. First, let’s begin with the basic format of your essay:
Your essay must be in electronic format (in other words, typed on your computer in
Microsoft word or PDF and less than 5MB).
Save your essay to your desktop or a memory device (such as a memory stick, flash drive,
thumb drive, etc.). You will be asked to upload it as part of your online scholarship
application.
Be sure to include your name and student ID# in the heading.
It is best if your essay is no more than 2 pages.
Make your essay easy to read. Remember, the reviewing committees will be reading
many essays, and although you want your essay to stand out you do not want it to be
hard on the eyes while reading. It is better to use your words to show your uniqueness,
rather than complicated lettering. Use an easy to read font and size.
If possible, double space your essay.
2. Now, regarding the content: You may be asking, “Where do I begin?” There are endless ideas
and suggestions as to how to write a personal essay for scholarships. However the following
suggestions may help to organize your thoughts and personal information into a concise and
easy to read essay.
Create an Outline: Just getting started is often the hardest part. To begin, make an outline of the
things you would like to say in your essay such as:
Your educational and career goals,
Why you have selected your stated major and career goal,
Your life experiences which have influenced this decision,
Your anticipated role in society after your career goal has been achieved,
Why you need the scholarship or any unusual circumstances which may affect
your current financial situation,
Anything else you feel the Scholarship Committee or Donor needs to know about
you in order to present yourself as the best candidate for the scholarship.
Write your essay: Next, you need to organize the outline into an essay. The following is an easy
guide to help you arrange your ideas and thoughts into a well thought out essay.
1. First Paragraph: The first paragraph is considered your introduction.
a. The introduction is often the most difficult to write. It may be a good idea to start
on the body of the essay and come back to write the introduction later.