I'm a junior looking to get an early start on my scholarship applications, and I want to make sure my personal essays really stand out. Does anyone know where I can find some strong examples of scholarship essays where applicants wrote about themselves? I'm particularly interested in seeing how others have structured their essays and highlighted their experiences and goals. Any recommendations for sources or specific examples would be amazing!
Sure! While I can't provide specific essays to read, I can certainly guide you on the typical structure and ingredients that help make a scholarship essay successful.
A strong scholarship essay usually begins with an engaging opening that hooks the reader in, often in the form of a brief story or personal anecdote that relates to the prompt. For example, if you're writing about a challenge you've overcome, your introduction could briefly describe a critical moment when you faced that particular challenge.
Following the introduction, the body of the essay dives deeper into the topic. You discuss your personal experiences, reflections, and realizations about the topic at hand. Be sure to convey why these experiences are significant to you and how they have shaped your character or influenced your goals. You could structure this section chronologically, going through your experiences sequentially, or thematically, grouping your experiences around certain themes.
The conclusion then ties everything together, reinforcing why your experiences make you a compelling choice for the scholarship. You can also briefly discuss what this scholarship would enable you to do in the future.
While keeping the above structure in mind, the most important thing is to be authentic and make the essay true to your own journey. The readers should be able to get a sense of who you are through your essay.
Finally, you can find examples of successful scholarship essays through resources like Appily or even your high school's guidance counselor might have examples from previous students. Keep in mind that scholarship essays can vary greatly in topic and style, so don't be thrown off if someone else's essay looks very different than what you had in mind. Use them more as inspiration and a general guide rather than a template to copy.
Good luck with your scholarship applications! Your initiative to get such an early start will surely be beneficial.
CollegeVine’s Q&A seeks to offer informed perspectives on commonly asked admissions questions. Every answer is refined and validated by our team of admissions experts to ensure it resonates with trusted knowledge in the field.