Article courtesy of DiversityAbroad.com
The Essay: A time consuming, often dreaded part of a scholarship application.
However, the essay is a very crucial part of the application and a
great way to stand out from the crowd of applicants and make your
application shine. Diversity Abroad has a few simple tips that will help
your scholarship applications essay stand above the others.
Be authentic.
Why are essays a crucial part of a scholarship application?
Because they are able to draw a picture of who you are as a person more
so than just your transcripts, GPA, or test scores. So, show them your
true self! Any attempt to fabricate or omit something about yourself
will most likely not go unnoticed.
Address the prompt and don’t get side tracked. After each
paragraph, go back and make sure that the information that you wrote in
that paragraph is a necessary part of sharing your story. Any extra
added details will only take away from your core message. Remember, a
concise essay will be more impactful than one filled with“fluff”.
When writing about your accomplishments, experiences, or
anything else about yourself, it’s important to illustrate a complete
picture. This can achieved with the CAR method: First, provide the
context of the situation. Next, describe the action you took. Finally,
share the results of the situation. Follow this method and the impact of
the situations you describe will be very clear to the people that read
your essay.
As a college student, you probably already know that
technological problems often strike at the least convenient times.
Therefore, it’s a good idea to get your essay submitted early so you can
avoid any last minute inconveniences that come in between you and
submitting a quality application on time. You can stay on top of your
goal of submitting your essay early by setting a deadline to wrap up the
writing process about two weeks prior to the actual submission
deadline. Creating weekly reminders in your phone or planner will help
you stay on track of your goal to submit your essay early.
Also, finishing an essay early allows you the opportunity to…Have someone peer edit your essay.
Typos and grammatical errors can escape even the most
polished writer. Therefore, it doesn’t hurt to have another pair of eyes
read your paper to pick up anything you’ve missed. In addition to
scouring your essay for errors, the person proofreading your essay will
also bring a fresh, new perspective to your work. They can pick out
parts of your essay that seem wordy or unnecessary, suggest stronger
word choices, or find a way to make your transitions flow a little bit
better.
If your family or peers are too busy to read your essay,
check with your university to see if they provide a service where
students can have a writing consultant look over your work for free!
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Now that you have the tools to write an outstanding essay, check out the scholarship opportunities below!
Diversity Abroad Scholarships
Study Abroad Scholarship & Grant Search
For more funding opportunities for study abroad, check out http://studyabroad.uark.edu/funding
For more funding opportunities for study abroad, check out http://studyabroad.uark.edu/funding
by AMIRA BEASLEY
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Read more from Diversity Abroad at: http://www.diversityabroad.com/study-abroad/articles/tips-writing-award-winning-study-abroad-scholarship-essays
