Focus on solutions - Essay writing workshop

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

Focus on solutions
Essay writing workshop

United Negro College Fund

Some students seem to think that the more tears they can get the selection committee to shed, the better their chances will be to win. It’s true that scholarship judges will feel sympathy for students who have gone through difficult times. But they will reward those who have done so and succeeded or who have a plan for succeeding despite these obstacles.

In the over 400 scholarship programs that the United Negro College Fund administers, essays play an important role. “It gives you a sense of who the student is and what they want to do with the money if they win. It gives you more of a picture of the student as a whole as opposed to just a name,” says Kimberly Hall, peer program manager.

While many students write about serious issues or hardships, Hall advises students to take a positive approach when writing their essays. Instead of focusing only on their problems, students should explain what they have faced and then describe their plan of action for the future. The best essays have a sense of “purpose and direction,” she says.

car chases. In the midst of exploding buildings and the hero tearing away in a red sports car, it would be out of place for the background music to be a polka. The sights and sounds need to fit together to create the desired atmosphere. If one element is out of place (like a polka during the climax of an action scene) it destroys the effect of the entire movie.

Similarly, what makes a good essay is that it fits within the context of the overall application. In other words, the essay and all other elements in your application package—such as your list of activities and teacher recommendations (if required)—must fit together to create the effect you want.

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.

Even if we reverse this example, the result is the same. Imagine that you wrote a brilliant essay about community service but had no related activities to back up the commitment you profess in the essay. The essay, no matter how well written, will not make up for a lack of actual involvement in community service work.

When you think about the essay, consider it within the context of the entire application. You want to present a cohesive message with the essay as the centerpiece. Each piece of the application should add to this unified message.

At this point many students ask, “How do I know what the message or theme of my essay and application 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 and application is almost always determined by the goal of the award or why the organization is giving away the money.

For example, a minority advocacy organization may provide an award to help members of an under-represented ethnic group to pursue higher education. A private foundation may give an award to preserve the memory of a late benefactor who supported students entering teaching.

A professional organization may award money to encourage students to enter their profession.

As you learned in Chapter 2, it’s important to research and uncover the purpose of each award. Then you can use this information to guide the essay and application.

Once you know the goal of the organization, use that knowledge to choose which aspect of your life to highlight as the general theme of the essay. If you are applying for the award for under-represented students, you may want to focus on your potential and how you will be a role model for others in the future. To apply for the educator or other professional awards, you’d want to highlight your future in education or the field of the awarding organization. In other words, use the goal of the award as a guide for the essay.