Tips to Writing an outstanding College Scholarship Essay

Many individuals cringe as they are filling out their college scholarship applications. They know that they are going to get to a point that requires them to write an essay. This is often going to be one of the most difficult aspects of the entire process. Since you will be given a particular topic it isn’t like you can use the same one for all of your applications either.

First, you need to make sure you fully understand the requirements of the essay. If you don’t follow them completely your college scholarship application can be thrown out. All of the hard work and the time you spent on it will be a waste. For example if it says your essay must be at least 800 words but not more than 2000 you need to stay within those boundaries.

The quality of the material is what you should focus on though and not the number. This means a 2000 word essay won’t hold more merit than one 800 words in length if it isn’t captivating. While you can use various methods to do your research, make sure they are all credible. You don’t want to submit any college scholarship application essay with information that isn’t accurate. You also need to make sure you don’t copy any work out there. Always submit the information in your own words.

The exception to having facts to base your information upon for an essay though is when you are asked your opinion. You may be given an article to read and then asked to submit an essay regarding your thoughts on it. Make sure you are exploring your true feelings and not just writing down what you think other people want to hear. Back up your opinions too so that it is obvious why you feel the way you do about the topic in question.

The introduction of any college scholarship essay needs to be very powerful. You may find this is the hardest part of it all to complete. You can come back to it after you have completed the essay though. It may give you a new perspective of how to bring the audience in. Remember that if you can’t capture their undivided attention from the start they won’t be motivated to even complete it.

Make sure what you right does remain parallel to the overall essay question. It can be easy to get off track. Jot down some key points that you need to cover within your essay so you don’t forget any of them. Then you need to find the right words to transition from one of them to the next. The entire essay should flow smoothly rather than being choppy and scattered. Try to include examples too where you can which will really bring your essay to life.

Your conclusion to the essay should be a recap of the question and the answers you have listed. This is a nice way to offer a short summary for the information you have included. After you have completed a rough draft, put it aside for a few days. Then you can view it again and make revisions. It can take several revisions to get the perfect college scholarship essay that you are satisfied with. Ask a few people you trust to be objective to evaluate it for you as well.


It is very important to remember what you submit as your essay part of a college scholarship application holds a great deal of weight. This is often one of the areas where a person has the chance to rise above the rest of the competition. Make sure you don’t have any spelling or grammar concerns in the essay. You also want to do your best to be creative and to keep it very interesting. If you are able to follow these guidelines there is a very good chance you will be awarded several great college scholarships.