Know what the college wants

• Academic summary

It includes your GPA, complete coursework, and SAT/ACT scores. Also, convince them that you are ready for the university. Attach your work experiences and recommendations.

• Confirmation of your skills

It includes your leadership skills, personal integrity, maturity level, social responsibility. In social responsibility, it entails voluntary work in children’s homes, hospitals, and elderly homes. Anything else that will portray your qualities and characteristics should be part of the essay.

All these are just a summary of what the university wants to find in the documents submitted. They genuinely want to know your plans, what positive impact the university will gain by selecting you, and your interaction with other students and the community.

Universities are looking for students who have a promising future and people who can lend a helping hand to others to succeed. Your social life and your interaction with others are essential. Don’t be like everyone else. Be unique. For you to achieve all these, you need a plan.

Step 1: Get to know the prompts

Various universities have different prompts. Know these prompts. Some universities may want to see how a specific failure or setback in life has changed you. Whether it made an impact or an effect in your life or how it changed your life, or the way you see things. Others may want to know the accomplishments you have made. Others may want to know your personal goals. It depends on the university.

Make sure you write down all the prompts. Then, select the ones you are confident with. The prompts should be related to your personal life and experiences. When you finish, choose the one you are excited about the most and explain why it motivates you.

Step 2: List your life ordeals

Compile a list of your life ordeals. Categorize them into different kinds. Let’s say your interests, talents and skills, your achievements, and your experiences. After categorizing them, talk about them in detail as long as you stick to the main topic. They should correlate in a way that they should meet the three criteria mentioned earlier. Then highlight what motives you and write it down. It will be the first truth in your essay.

Step 3: Conclude on your main topic

Know what you want to talk about now that you have all the information you needed. Decide on your main topic because every story has a primary issue. Decide because it will somehow determine whether it will catch the attention of the readers immediately or not. Remember, the admission officers have many essays, so they don’t have the whole day to look at a single piece. Be unique on your own to the extent that they will be curious to read and finish the entire essay after reading your essay’s first sentence.

Step 4: Scribble another draft

Go through the first draft and look at the mistakes that you have made. When you begin the second draft, make sure you write the whole thing. Include all the elements. Avoid emitting other things that might be important.

Step 5: Insert the hooks

It is where you will develop the main topic, which will make the readers curious about your essay. You will have to come up with three hooks;

• The opening hook that will make the readers curious about your paper
• The topic needs to clear
• The ending hook should deliver a powerful message.

Step 6: Revise

revising will take even longer than when you were writing the essay. Go through the paper several times to perfect it.

Conclusion

A good admission letter should sell you out and make you outshine others. Practice the above guideline to improve your piece.

Stick to the ethics of writing a strong essay

Like any essay, your scholarship application essay should have a great structure that will be easy for the readers. Start your essay with a strong opening statement that reflects your voice and tone. Follow the predefined structure of introduction, body, and conclusion. Ensure you present new ideas in a new paragraph. Neatly wrap up your essay rather than leaving it at a dead-end.

Stick to the prompt

It is essential to read the prompt several times to familiarize yourself with the requirements. Scholarship essays often have a specific theme, such as the impact of financial freedom on your life. It is easier to reframe the prompts as questions so that you can easily understand and digest them. As you write, ensure that you do not deviate from the prompt. 

Select a topic that you as passionate about

Your passion drives your creativity and memory. And since you are talking about yourself, a story or event that you enjoyed the most will be easy to tell, and you will have more details to present. You can bring out the authenticity, experience, and the right emotion that the readers can easily connect with. It is the best way to produce a quality essay effortlessly. 

Research

Like a job application, it is essential to have a rough idea of the institution you intend to go to and the details of the scholarship. Go online and read about their mission, vision, and what motivates them to give out scholarships. A brief idea of the institution allows you to tailor your essay towards their requirements and align with their mission. 

Observe the character limit

Most essay requirements include a set word count limit. If you are not used to set word limits, it’s time you get familiar with it. Most college applications have a 250-word limit. That is equivalent to one page. 

Have enough time with a good plan

Reserve enough time for yourself to read and understand the prompt, reflect and find a good topic, write the essay, and revising it when you are done. The proper planning with enough time gives you a better chance of writing a well-written and error-free essay than a rushed essay out of deadline pressures. Make good use of your set time with a proper and workable plan. A good schedule will give the essay writing process a smooth flow, and it will help you stay within the bounds of the prompt. 2 weeks is enough time for any person, whether novice or expert, to write a compelling essay.  

Be specific, authentic, and concise

Stick to the main point while writing your essay. Persuade the readers by exerting authority, reliability, and credibility with a sense of emotional appeal using imagination and creativity. Convey your points using rations and logic. As you convey your points, ensure that they are accurate and true. You stand a better chance of getting the scholarship with an authentic story. A story about how you deal with hardship and examples in the past will be a great booster. Set a professional tone in your essay while staying humble. Avoid bragging too much about your accomplishments. Find a workable balance between your wins and failures. Naturally express your integrity, dedication, and character through your writing. 

Revision

Revise your work several times after finishing. Use the free online tools to check for anything that your eye might have missed. Hand it over to your friends and colleagues to help you revise and give you an honest opinion. Some constructive criticism will help you more than it hurts. So, embrace the feedback you get and make the necessary changes. Having typos, grammar mistakes, and spelling errors is the fastest way to get your essay rejected.