Looking for a scholarships is just half of the whole college application process. A winning application package is needed to get that scholarship you want. This process entails lots of dedication and patience so you need to invest your precious time in preparing for a good scholarship essay.
How an essay can help you land that scholarship
Like the usual “essay about myself” for college admissions, scholarship “about myself” essays are a crucial part in the application process. Writing the essay is another way for the admissions panel to know you better in a more personal way. This is to assure the panel members that the scholarship will be given to the most deserving students. In reality, most of the applicants really deserve to have a scholarship so it is important to make your scholarship essay appealing to the admissions panel. Check the Internet for a sample essay about myself that can help you write your own.(1)
Express your situation without resulting to pity
In writing your “about myself” essay, it is very important to choose the topic that will emphasize your personality, values, and experiences coherently. If you are going to write about a depressing experience such as a death of a relative, your debts and financial incapability, or a parent who is suffering from a serious injury, you should always bear in mind that your primary purpose is to highlight your qualities.(2) It doesn’t follow that just because something bad has happened to you, the scholarship will be yours. Nobody wants to sound like a pathetic applicant who uses merely emotions to capture the sympathy of the panel members. It is best if you will be remembered as the applicant who showed the willpower and strength to surpass all the negative things that happened to him or her.(3)
Discuss what you can contribute to the school community or to the organization behind the financial aid
Writing about your possible contributions is also an essential part of the essay. Behind every scholarship program lies an unwritten “social contract” wherein you will extend the most possible effort that you can give for the benefit of the institution behind your scholarship. You have to write your intentions in such a way that the administration panel will see your willingness to contribute something to the organization behind the scholarship program without being obligated.
(1) http://www.k-state.edu/artsci/scholarship/essay.shtml
(2) http://www.med.ufl.edu/oea/finaid/sgfl-writingtheessay.shtml
(3) http://www.sa.sdsu.edu/scholarship/essay-tips.html
