10 Proven Tips for Writing Winning Scholarship Essays

Who wouldn’t want free money?

While you’re taking classes at EFSC, you’ll have many opportunities to win scholarship money by writing short essays. Did you know that not many students take advantage of this benefit? In exchange for just a few hours of your time, you could pay your way through all or part of your next semester of college!

Every semester, the EFSC Foundation receives hundreds of scholarship essays for review, which are graded on a points system based on specific criteria. However, many of these essays lose points due to easily avoided mistakes. We spoke with the EFSC Foundation (the people behind the scholarships) to get their top tips for avoiding mistakes and increasing your odds of being selected for a scholarship:

1. Write in Microsoft Word, Then Paste the Essay Into the Application

The scholarship application will time out after a certain period. You don’t want to lose all your hard work! Always write and save your essay in Microsoft Word first, then copy and paste it into the application box. We also highly recommend not writing the essay from your phone.

2. Hit the Minimum Word Count

Every semester, dozens of essays are rejected because they don’t meet the required word count. Each essay is checked for length. If the instructions say to write at least 300 words, they mean at least 300 words!

3. Nail Your Formatting

Break your essay into paragraphs when appropriate. This will prevent it from looking like a large block of text. Essays that are visually appealing are more likely to score higher points. Think college-essay-style: An attention-grabbing opening sentence, then an introduction, body, and closing. Each new paragraph should introduce a new idea in its first sentence. The conclusion should wrap things up and end on a mic-drop high note.

4. Check That Grammar

Avoid text-speak and abbreviations. Ensure proper capitalization. For example, the word “I” should always be capitalized. If you’d like guidance on grammar, take your essay to your campus’ Academic Success Center (in person or virtually) for writing assistance.

Before you submit your essay, always proofread it. Walk away. Come back later with a fresh mind. Reread and rewrite it as needed.

5. Answer All the Questions

If the essay question asks about your academic and personal goals, for example, you must answer both questions. Answering the question about your academic goals but not your personal ones will cost you points. Try reading the question several times and outlining your basic points before typing your answer. This will help you to stay focused and on-track.

6. Aim for Professionalism

Pretend that you are writing a graded essay or a letter to an important person. The tone should be personal enough that it doesn’t feel robotic, but also professional. Avoid deeply private or unrelated personal information, such as your political views, home life, lack of support, or injuries. Instead of focusing on your hardships, focus on your resilience, how you overcame challenges, actions you took, positive outcomes, lessons learned, and resulting future goals. Remember, this is an essay and not a complete autobiography, so focus on the central points that directly answer the questions.

Also be sure to avoid slang, swearing, demeaning, or non-inclusive language.

7. Avoid Arrogance and Embrace Gratitude

Don’t be afraid to emphasize your accomplishments, but avoid arrogance by tying them to a skillset. For example: “In Spring 2020, I was deeply honored when my long hours of study were rewarded by the Provost’s Personal Achievement Award.”

Fitting in a bit a gratitude goes a long way. Thank the people who have backed your accomplishments and the teachers who have afforded you unique opportunities.

8. Avoid Fluffy Language

Giving specific, detailed visuals instead of just mentioning your experiences can help to paint a clearer picture. For example, instead of saying, “I worked hard to pass my algebra test,” say, “I studied five hours a day and went to tutoring twice a week to pass my algebra test.” See the difference?

Be specific and concise, and avoid overly long or fluffy sentences. Instead of “Maintaining high academic standards is the pinnacle of my personal educational values and goals,” try “Maintaining my 3.5 GPA is one of my academic goals.”

9. Leave Out Clichés and Quotations

Don’t focus too much on the funds you might receive. It’s not necessary to mention how being selected would change your life, but give specific examples if you do. For example: “This scholarship would enable me to work only one part-time job and go to school full-time.”

Avoid clichés, such as “good things come to those who wait” or “I am an underdog story.” Put things in your own unique words — or simply show us your experiences and make these trite sayings unnecessary.

Inspirational quotes might seem like a nice touch, but they often take up space that is better filled by your own original words. However, an exception might be if a famous quote was a personal mantra that drove your success, but be sure to explain that clearly!

10. Write a New Essay

Maybe you’ve applied for scholarships in the past and have some old essays saved on your computer. Avoid the temptation to resubmit these essays! The question will change from semester to semester, so different types of essays will be required. Always make sure you are answering the specific questions the scholarship prompt asks you.

Ready To Write Your Scholarship Essay?

First, visit the EFSC Student Scholarships web page to learn more and to browse the list of available scholarship opportunities. It contains two different kinds of Titan Scholarships — scholarships to which you will “auto match” if you meet the qualifications and scholarships you apply to separately because they require additional information.

Be sure to look over the options each semester and get to tackling those essays! Need assistance writing or polishing your essay? The Writing Center on your campus can help!

For questions about scholarships, contact the EFSC Foundation.

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Casey Covel

As Assistant Manager of Web and Social Media at EFSC, Casey keeps students informed of all the exciting "happenings" at the college. She earned national honors while completing her A.A. degree at EFSC, graduated with a B.A. in Human Communication through UCF, and is currently pursuing her M.A. in Media Psychology at Fielding University. An award-winning writer on matters of faith and pop culture, Casey’s hobbies include sipping tea, wielding chopsticks, gaming in the realms of Tellius and Hyrule, growing her action figure collection and squinting at strange words.