Scholarship writing tools facilitate your quest for a scholarship. Competition for scholarships increases every year. Each scholarship comes with its own application requirements - your ability to write the standout essay may mean the difference between winning and losing.
College Admission: Scholarship Writing Tools
Attending college is a tremendous achievement. Unfortunately, not everyone can afford to pay for higher education. Loans are a fantastic way to cover expenses, but even loans that are deferred for several years will have to be paid back. A scholarship is money you win towards your education, and the only way you have to pay it back is by getting a great education and contributing to society.
Scholarship writing tools are not a kit you can buy or a software program you can load on your computer. They begin and end in you. They involve your ability to research, to analyze, to predict and to write. While writing is important to your scholarship application, it is not the only tool you need.
Begin with Research
Research will provide you with key information about potential scholarships. Approach your scholarship application the same as you would a job application. You are unlikely to apply for a customer service position and a technical engineering position with the same resume and list of skills.
Scholarships are offered by organizations, corporations and government departments. Every organization that offers a scholarship offers one for a purpose, such as supporting its core goals. For instance, scholarships made available by teaching organizations are designed to support future teachers. If you have no intention of becoming a teacher, then you should not be applying for these scholarships.
Research potential scholarships, identify the organizations which share your goals and study their mission statements. If you believe strongly in building a relationship with your writing, you need the good foundation research will provide.
Writing Your Essay
Most scholarship applications require an essay of some kind. The essay is only a portion of your application, but a strong essay can bolster your chances for winning that scholarship. Your research should have identified many facts that you need to know:
- The deadline for application submission
- The guidelines for the application and the essay
- The subject matter and format of the essay
Without these three components, you will not be able to use the right tools to create a scholarship-winning essay. If the organization wants to know your goals in life and all you discuss are your accomplishments, then you have not met the guidelines or written to the desired subject matter. If the essay is open to any topic with regard to your future plans, then you can take advantage of this creative freedom to let yourself shine.
Developing Your Essay
Know what you're going to write before you write it. You may need to write several drafts of the essay before you perfect your topic. Remember, essays have a definitive beginning, middle and end.
The beginning of your essay should provide an introduction to what you are going to discuss. It should also open with a thesis statement. This statement is the most powerful portion of your essay. It introduces the reader to a core concept in your beliefs that your essay supports.
For instance, if you are applying for a creative arts scholarship, you may open the essay with, "Art is a fundamental part of everyday life, from the architectural buildings we construct to the landscaping we design for our homes." This one statement identifies a wide spectrum of artistic achievement that steps outside the general perception of art. You are introducing a fundamental belief that you have. You can use the rest of the essay to support this belief as well as explain why art is so important to you.
Editing Your Essay
- Every time you write a draft of your essay, give yourself 24 hours before reviewing it again. This downtime will allow a fresh perspective for edits. Read your essay out loud; if you stumble over the words, chances are your reader will as well.
- Give yourself plenty of time to research, develop, write and edit the ideal essay to help you reach your scholarship-winning goals.
- For more great writing tips, visit LoveToKnow's Freelance Writing channel.
