A personal ending - Final Thoughts

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

A personal ending
Final Thoughts

In this chapter:

A personal ending

A special request

A personal ending

When you are just beginning the scholarship search it may seem like a daunting—if not downright impossible—task. But you need to keep in mind that the rewards of finding and applying for scholarships are substantial. Every student we interviewed recalled how that when starting it seemed like winning was a long shot. However, each student did apply and ultimately won.

In this book you have met students who have won tens of thousands of dollars in scholarship money. You no doubt have noticed they all have different backgrounds, achievements and aspirations. When applying, take the time to highlight your strengths. Show the scholarship judges why you deserve to win.

You can do it. And the fact that you have made your way to the end of this book shows not only your commitment to winning but also gives you a tremendous advantage. Now you know what it takes to write a powerful essay and deliver a knockout interview. You have been witness to success and failure and learned from both.

We wrote this book because we wish that we had known what we do now back when we were applying. Although we were successful, we also learned some hard lessons that we want you to avoid.

We would like to end with a personal story. When I (Kelly) was applying for scholarships I found one offered by my father’s company.

I was a junior in high school and didn’t have any idea what it took to win a scholarship.

I thought that scholarships were based entirely on grades and test scores.

Since I had good grades and high PSAT scores I thought I would win.

I quickly filled out the application and wrote an essay. When it came time to interview I didn’t even practice. I went in cold and “winged it.” The whole time I assumed that I would win based on my academic achievements. In fact, I was so confident that I actually spent the rest of the summer waiting for the check to arrive.

But the check never came.

When I found out who won I was shocked. The student had lower grades and test scores than I did! Why did he win? How unfair!

That’s when I realized that the scholarship committee was looking for more than good grades and test scores. The following year I spent time on my essay. I also practiced for the interview with a friend.

While I had spent much more time and effort this time I was rewarded when one day, out of the blue, an envelope arrived with a $2,500 check enclosed.

You can win a scholarship through your essay and interview. Even though you might be tempted like I was to bang out an essay and run into an interview cold, don’t. You’ll spend less time but you won’t win.

It takes time and effort to craft a powerful essay and hone your interview skills. But there are a lot of awards out there and someone has to win.

Let’s make sure that it’s you.