How to write a winning scholarship essay - Gen Tanabe, Kelly Tanabe 2018

Making the match
Where to find great scholarships

As your list of scholarships grows, you need to start prioritizing. Create an ordered list with the scholarships that fit you best written at the top.

As you find new scholarships, you can decide where in the list they should go. When you start to complete applications, just start at the top of the list and work your way down. (Don’t forget to list the deadlines since this may affect the order in which you list the awards.) The goal is not to get through the entire list but to get through as many as possible while still allowing enough time to create a quality application for each competition.

Prioritizing not only gives you an easy way to approach each competition but it also forces you to really think about what the scholarship committee is looking for. You will want to ask critical questions such as these:

■ Do you have the background to fit with the expectations of the committee?

■ Are your talents synonymous with those necessary to win?

■ Have you accomplished tasks or won awards that show achievement in the area of the award?

You also avoid wasting time on awards that at first glance sound good (perhaps they have huge prizes) but you really have no chance of winning.

Finding awards that match your background, achievements and interests is extremely important. All of the essay and interview strategies presented in the following chapters are most effective if you have spent time selecting awards that are a match to your qualifications.