How to Write a Winning Scholarship Essay
By: Gen and Kelly Tanabe
Founders of SuperCollege and authors of 11 books on college planning.
You've spent who-knows-how-long finding scholarships. You've searched through books and
the Internet, you've contacted local organizations and spoken to your counselors. You have a
list of awards that are perfect for you. Now it's time to actually win the money. To do so, you
will need to fill out applications and more likely than not, write an essay.
As with applying to college, the scholarship essay can either make or break your chances of
winning. This guide outlines the steps you need to take to ensure that your essay gives you
the best chance of winning. And winning the scholarship is, after all, what it's all about! Let's
get started.
Make sure your essay fits the theme.
Let's say that you are applying for an award based on community service. In the application,
you list all of the community service groups that you belong to and service project awards
that you've won. But in the essay you vent about your disgust for the homeless and how they
should find jobs instead of blocking your passage on sidewalks. Your essay may be brilliantly
conceived and written, but if its message is not in line with the rest of your application, it will
create a conflicting message and keep you out of the winners' bracket.
So how do you know what the theme of your essay should be? The answer is actually quite
simple and goes back to why you decided to apply for the scholarship in the first place:
The theme of your essay is almost always determined by the purpose of the award or why the
organization is giving away the money.
Once you know this, you can choose which aspect of your life to highlight in the essay.
Answer the underlying question.
Have you ever been asked one question but felt there was an underlying question that was
really being asked? Maybe your mom asked you something like, "Tell me about your new
friend Karen." But what she really was asking is, "Tell me about your new friend Karen. Are
her 12 earrings and tattoo-laden arms a sign that you shouldn't be spending so much time
with her?" In most cases, the essay question is just a springboard for you to answer the real
question the scholarship judges want addressed. An organization giving an award for students
who plan to study business might ask, "Why do you want to study business?" But the
underlying question they are asking is, "Why do you want to study business, and why are you
the best future business person we should gift with our hard-earned money?"
For every scholarship that you attempt to win, you will be competing with students who
share similar backgrounds and goals. If you are applying to an award that supports students