“Oh, you have a tragic backstory? That means you’ve struck gold in your financial aid application!” If anyone has ever said this to you, run away from them immediately.
An exceptional financial aid essay is not dumping your trauma on the scholarship reviewer. It should have rich storytelling and be the key reason for your selection as a unique candidate.
This blog advises ways to write a moving scholarship essay that both impresses the evaluator and reveals your strengths. In the end, all you require is an original voice and some fabulous research.
Quick Highlights
- Tell your story by digging deep
- Adapt the essay to the prompt and nature of your financial need
- Highlight how monetary aid will positively impact your career
First introductions are everything
A scholarship reviewer flips through hundreds or even thousands of essays. You can use this short window to catch their attention by painting a vivid picture while defining your essay’s fundamentals.
A hook can be influential in setting the tone. Try to portray a personal story or anecdote, or use a classic opening in the form of a quote or question. Andrew Simpson, an expert on college essays, shares an award-winning introduction by Isabella Mendez-Figueroa:
“I didn’t really understand my community until I was forced to see it from the outside; sort of like when you see a picture of yourself someone else took that you weren’t aware of.”
The introductory line serves as a jumping board to dive into life lessons and work and education for Isabella. Notice how she chose showing over telling.
Personalized essays are awfully impactful
In the above statement, Isabella offers us a glimpse into her community and instantly builds a stage for the readers. They can peek into the candidate’s background, visualize their struggles, and eventually feel for them.
Further in the illustrative essay, the writer mentions, “I had people come up to me and explain that they can relate to […] being Mexican American and not feeling like you can consider yourself American or Mexican because you’re both.” Lack of privilege is not limited to financial but also includes mental, marginal, physical, or emotional susceptibility. Any of them could explain why you applied.
Isabella’s passionate message highlights a crisis of identity and the cultural conflict that she faced. It reminds the evaluator about what shaped her life and why she deserves this chance, money, and consideration. Remember, you are a beneficiary.
Research is your best friend
Research can be a complete game-changer in all aspects of life. It can be highly effective even for looking up reviews for everyday decisions—such as determining where to shop for reliable products and services or where to play online through trusted sites like Casinos.com. The point is taking the time to do your homework always pays off.
Performing a quick examination of the financial aid’s goals, values, and criteria can upgrade the essay to a new level. If the financial aid rewards academic achievement, reflect on your passions for your field. In addition to citing your volunteering experience for grants that see your community commitment, you may also share your opinion on current world events.
Other methods to enhance your research might include:
- Glancing at the format and structure of real-life, prize-winning sample essays.
- Searching your brain’s archives and listing challenges, insights, and moments of growth. You don’t need to limit your inquiry to the internet.
Explore the nature of your financial need
Money is not some irrelevant number. When it goes up and down, it impacts. The weight of the financial burden is what you should authentically concentrate on. Describe your circumstances to illustrate how this financial aid can have a long-term effect on your career development.
When sharing your hardships and conveying your history, you also permit the reviewer to witness your resilience. For instance, in the rest of her essay, Isabella combines her identity with volunteering by operating as her community’s spokesperson.
Her words echo: “If I was the only visible representation available, I was going to use my voice.” This tells the evaluator that if Isabella receives money, she will not only uplift herself and her family from poverty and gender discrimination but her entire community.
More Jedi techniques to win the grant
To put you on top, pleading or appealing to the scholarship committee is not enough. You should:
- Avoid criticizing: You’re the star of your scholarship essay. Do not waste your precious word count by putting down other candidates or people who have caused you suffering. Focus on your growth.
- Portray both positivity and battles: The evaluator hopes to see how you have overcome challenges and how they will shape your future pursuits. In other words, connect your past with your future goals.
- Start early: This is a no-brainer, but candidates still procrastinate. The poor writing is consistently noticeable in those last-minute drafts. Also, the earlier you start, the more grants you can apply for!
- Recycle to rest your essay-typing fingers: You can reuse and repurpose paragraphs from two to three quality pieces. They can become the chunk of the body for the rest of your scholarship essays (and your college essays, if applicable).
Conclusion
Treat the financial essay like a job cover letter. You’re asking the scholarship committee for money, possibly their own.
Start with a killer opening backed by research, and don’t forget to employ storytelling. To stand out as the candidate who not only needs monetary support but deserves it, be authentic and genuine, and show (don’t tell!) the difference this money will create in your life.
