SCHOLARSHIPS - Finding the Funds for your Future!
- University/Institution Specific
- Go to the school you are applying to and look at their financial aid/scholarship webpage.
- National Scholarships
- Local Scholarships
- These are through local companies or organizations who have ties to the community.
Scholarship Essay Quick Tips - Don’t avoid scholarships that have an essay component.
- Make sure you answer the question they have asked.
- Be sure to follow the instructions. If it says no more than two pages, then do not turn in three.
- Analyze the organization before writing your essay. What are their values? Why are they giving the scholarship? Understand their mission statement.
The Writing Process - Begin by writing down the essay question highlighting key words and instructions.
- Break the prompt down into sections looking for the specific elements required in each prompt and the required information.
- Determine if the essay should be based on research or self-analysis.
- Identify the purpose of the topic and what the audience (judge) is looking for.
Essay Writing 101 – Getting Started - Create a strong introduction that pulls the audience in by raising a question or creating surprise.
- Here is a possible opening for a discussion of a student’s work with a Habitat for Humanity Project.
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- “I am a Habitat for Humanity volunteer. I did not decide to do this work because studies report that 444,000 may experience homelessness or because 39% of these people are children. My reason for becoming a Habitat for Humanity volunteer was much simpler; I was one of those children.”
Essay Writing 101 - Use present tense and optimistic phrases to demonstrate community and civic involvement and highlight your personality.
- Weak: I have worked with several health care agencies. Stronger: I currently enjoy interacting with patients as a volunteer Nurse’s Aide at Flower Hospital and delivering food for Meals on Wheels.
Essay Tips 101 - Use active verbs, precise nouns, and be concise.
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- Weak: I really like medicine, so for a long time I have worked with the Red Cross and at the Toledo Hospital.
- Stronger: I am passionate about medicine, so for over three years I have volunteered thirty hours a month, administering screening questionnaires at the Red Cross Blood Bank, and conducting patient orientations at the Toledo Hospital.
Essay Tips Continued - Create logical transitions
- Show the reader where he or she is going next and why it’s a logical next step.
- Don’t use standard transitional phrases like, “Secondly” or “As a consequence.”
- Try repeating the prior thought and connecting to the next task.
Concluding an Essay - Develop a compelling conclusion as in the introduction; don’t summarize.
- Re-emphasize the main point or circle back to the beginning and tie the loop. “I continued my weekly visits to the ten shut-ins for over two years. Over that time period I became very attached to the men and women on my route and looked forward to listening to their stories. Through my visits, I learned the importance of giving, but more importantly the value of the human contact.”
Make it F-U-N - Your essay should be fun to read.
- Take time in between revisions.
- Get a couple of people to read and edit your essay.
- Get started early. Deadlines sneak up!
- www.forsyth.k12.ga.us/fchs
- Click on “Student Services”
- Click on “Counseling”
- Click on “Scholarships & Opportunities” tab
Credits - https://www.owens.edu/writing/scholarship.html
- Information for this power point was taken from this website.
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