Applying for scholarships can be stressful, especially when it comes to writing the essays. One thing that makes it easier is knowing that most scholarship essays fall into similar categories. Once you understand the right way to answer these types of questions, it becomes much easier to write good essays that will impress the scholarship committee and boost your chances in winning those scholarships.
Listed below are five of the most common scholarship essay prompts (with a real winning example for each), how to approach them, and how to understand what the scholarship committees are really looking for.
Tell us about yourself
During your application, you’ll often see the “Tell us about yourself” question. Sometimes it’s labeled as a personal statement. It is essentially just a brief essay about your personality outside of academics. It is simple enough, but actually a lot of students find it to be one of the most challenging prompts because it’s so broad. What do they want to know? What’s relevant and what’s not? Should I include everything?
This essay is a core part of your application because the selection officers use it to assess potential scholars. They are not looking for a complete “get to know me” essay – they are looking to understand your personality, values, and potential. So what’s the best way to approach this?
- Highlight your key qualities and strengths
- Focus about how your interests and passions shaped you
- Share your goals and how receiving the scholarship will help you give back
Give the committee and insight into who you are beyond the grades and be honest and authentic about it. This is your chance to show what makes you, you.
Why do you deserve this scholarship?
“Why do you deserve this scholarship?” There is a big emphasis on the “you” in this question. This question is typically found in financial need-based scholarships, where all the candidates are academically qualified but financially in need. So how do you stand out?
Remember that by applying for said scholarship you are looking for someone to invest and believe in your future so focus on showing the committee that and highlight how the scholarship will contribute to your long term goals. Additionally, list your past achievements as proof of future success. Make sure to keep the purpose of the scholarship in mind. Tailor your answer to the values or goals of the funding organization.
Most importantly, do not be shy to promote yourself. This is the time they want to know about your personal wins – whether it’s academic, extracurricular, or personal growth. Ensure that you are specific with your reasons. As in writing “I deserve this because I’m a hard worker” is not enough. Every applicant is hardworking. What makes you memorable?
A challenge you have overcome
This one comes quite often – writing about something that made a big impact on your life. They want to know about a challenge you faced in your life and you will need to have to find the right balance between being vulnerable and showing growth. You have to be careful that you don’t end up writing a self-pity essay but one that shows reflection and personal development.Avoid choosing a problem that seems minor and over-exaggerating it (for example: failing a class). Of course it does mean your story isn’t valid – what matters is how you tell it. Use this guide to structure your writing:
- The Challenge and Its Effects Describe the obstacle you faced and how it affected your life, your mindset, or your academics.
- The steps you took to overcome the challenge: What actions did you take? How did you change your habits or environment?
- Finally – reflect on the experience: What did it teach you? How did it shape who you are today?
Make sure the essay feels like a story. You want the scholarship committee to be hooked like it’s a story about a superhero who started from nothing and ended up making something out of herself.
Note: Your essay does not need to have a dramatic ending. Even small lessons can have a big impact if written honestly and well.
Future plans and goals
This question is all about the direction you see yourself going towards. The scholarship committees only like to support people with a vision. Your goals do not have to be super specific, but they should show that you’ve thought seriously about your future and have an actual plan you are working towards to achieve that. You can include some of the following points to get your point across:
- Your current degree and how it aligns with your career pathYour short-term goals (examples: internships, research, skills you want to gain)
- Your long-term goals (examples: what kind of job you want, the kind of impact you hope to have)
- What inspired these goals (examples: a teacher, a book, an experience)
This is also your chance to connect your goals to the values of the scholarship provider. If the scholarship is from an environmental group and you want to become a sustainability engineer – say that.
What inspires you?
This is another fantastic opportunity to show personality and passion. You get to break free from GPA and test scores and show what really gives you the drive to work towards your goals. Make your answer strong by not just writing about what inspires you, write about the things you have done that shows and brings that passion in you. Talk about what you’ve done to follow your interest like mentioning any achievements, awards, or personal projects you’ve worked on. This is also opportunity to get them to know personal values – what kind of life you want to live, what kind of person you want to be, and who/what helped shape that vision for you. Whether it was a role model or a life experience, explain how it impacted you and how it drives your decisions today.
General tips:
- Don’t make things up to seem more impressive. Be authentic always.
- Put yourself in the shoes of the scholarship board. What kind of person would you want to see and support?
- Draft, revise, and proofread – more than once.
- Avoid being cliché. Embrace your uniqueness.
- Understand that all prompts are connected. They are all asking: Who are you, what have you been through, and what do you want to do next?
Essay examples
Below are examples of real winning essays written by students for various scholarships. The essays will be addressing the prompts in the following order:
- Tell us about your self/personal statement
- Why do you deserve this scholarship
- A challenge you have overcome
- Future plans and goals
- What inspires you?
“As a child, I was never close with my father, though we were always on good terms. He made me laugh and taught me all the things that made me into a young tomboy: what an RBI is, how to correctly hook a fish when I feel it biting, what to bring on a camping trip. But whenever I was upset, he wouldn’t know how to comfort me. He is a man of jokes and words, not of comforting motions. But as I grew older and I too became infatuated with words—albeit in written form—our topics of conversation became more diverse and often more profound. We continued to watch sports games together, but during commercials, we’d have epistemological and ethical discussions more fitting for a philosophy class than a chat during a Knicks’ time-out. During these talks, my father would insert stories about his youth. They’d always be transitory or anecdotal, told as if they were beside the point. Still, I’d eagerly commit them to memory, and, over time, I began to get a sense of who my father was—and, in turn, who I am.” [source: goingmerry.com – “A guide to writing the best personal statement for your college application”]
“Fedora? Check. Apron? Check. Tires pumped? Check. Biking the thirty-five minutes each evening to the cafe and back to work a six-hour shift was exhausting, but my family’s encouragement and gratitude for the extra income was worth it. A few years earlier, my family of nine had been evicted from the home we had been living in for the past ten years. With nowhere else to go, we moved into our church’s back room for three months, where I shamefully tried to hide our toothbrushes and extra shoes from other church members. Right then I made a commitment to my family to contribute financially in whatever way I could. My sacrifice translated to a closer bond with my siblings and deeper conversations with my parents, helping me understand the true meaning of a unified family and the valuable part I play in that.With the financial stability that my part-time jobs provided my mother could stay home to raise seven children, my learning-disabled older sister could attend college, my younger sister could go on a mission trip to Korea, and my twin siblings could compete in national math competitions. I’ve seen that even as a high school student, I have so much potential to impact my family and beyond — how one small act can go a long way.Through the successes of my efforts, I also realized that poverty was just a societal limitation. I was low-income, not poor. I was still flourishing in school, leading faith-based activities and taking an active role in community service. My low-income status was not a barrier but a launching pad to motivate and propel my success.To additionally earn more money as a young teen, I began flipping bicycles for profit on craigslist. Small adjustments in the brake and gears, plus a wash, could be the difference between a $50 piece of trash and a $200 steal. Seeing how a single inch could disarrange the lining of gears not only taught me the importance of detail but also sparked my fascination with fixing things.When I was sixteen I moved on to a larger project: my clunker of a car. I had purchased my 2002 Elantra with my own savings, but it was long past its prime. With some instruction from a mechanic, I began to learn the components of an engine motor and the engineering behind it. I repaired my brake light, replaced my battery, and made adjustments to the power-steering hose. Engineering was no longer just a nerdy pursuit of robotics kids; it was a medium to a solution. It could be a way to a career, doing the things I love. I was inspired to learn more.Last summer, to continue exploring my interest in engineering, I interned at Boeing. Although I spent long hours researching and working in the lab for the inertial navigation of submarines, I learned most from the little things.From the way my mentors and I began working two hours earlier than required to meet deadlines, I learned that engineering is the commitment of long hours. From the respect and humility embodied within our team, I learned the value of unity at the workplace. Like my own family at home, our unity and communal commitment to working led to excellent results for everyone and a closer connection within the group.What most intrigues me about engineering is not just the math or the technology, but the practical application. It is through engineering that I can fix up my car… and facilitate submarine navigation. Engineering, in fact, is a lifestyle — instead of lingering over hardships, I work to solve them and learn from them. Whether the challenge is naval defense or family finances or even just a flat tire on my bike before another night shift, I will be solving these problems and will always be looking to keep rolling on. Success is triumphing over hardships — willing yourself over anything and everything to achieve the best for yourself and your family. With this scholarship, I will use it to continue focusing on my studies in math and engineering, instead of worrying about making money and sending more back home. It will be an investment into myself for my family.” [source: collegeessayguy.com – “Fourteen Scholarship essay examples that wont thousands 2024”]
“Filling out this application, and my college applications, has forced me to face head on the realities that I’ve grown up in. Looking back and describing my life I see all the ways in which I am disadvantaged due to my socioeconomic status. But I think it’s important to note that I wasn’t fully aware of any of it growing up. I knew that my parents couldn’t buy me everything, but I also knew that they hardly ever said no. I was a very normal child, asking for chicken nuggets and looking at mom and dad any time I was scared or unsure of something. As I’ve grown I’ve learned to fight my own monsters but I now also battle the ones that frighten my parents, the monsters of a world that they weren’t born into. Monsters of doubt and disadvantage that try to keep them stuck in a cycle of poverty; thriving in a world that casts them to the side and a society that, with its current political climate, doesn’t welcome them with the warmest hello.The baby sitter, the house keeper, the driver, it’s taken my dad 10+ years of night shifts to attain financial stability, and become an asset to his workplace. He’s been one of the millions of people who has been laid off in the last couple of decades and has had to start over multiple times. But each time he’s re-built himself with more resilience. I’ve grown up living in section 8 housing because my parents often found themselves living paycheck to paycheck, not by choice, but by circumstance. They’ve endured bankruptcy over credit card debt, have never owned a home, or been given access to resources that allow them to save. Every time we’ve readapted, we get struck by a new change. I currently live in Manchester Square, a ghost town, byproduct of the Los Angeles Airport expansion project. The 16 steps I have always known, soon to be demolished. My neighbors are empty lots, enclosed by fences. Homeless people’s pitch tents, under the roar of airplanes. My home is soon to become an accommodation to an airport, soon to be nonexistent. Knowing that my family has to relocate as I’m applying to college makes me feel a tad guilty, because of my lack of resources, I fear it will become a barrier into my transition to college. My parents finances are not a secret, I know their struggles as I hear about them day after day. My parents now deal with the burden of relocating, no longer having subsidized housing and again, struck by yet another need to readjust and reassemble. Relocating a family of 5 in an area plagued by gentrification of stadiums and demolition is no simple task as rent prices are as high as mortgages. It’s odd they don’t want me to stress or have it become my problem but I know it is, and I want to do whatever I can to help.My older sister is the first in my family to go to college. I was always the shyer one. She’s taught me through her efforts that the only limits you have are the ones you place on yourself. With my sister’s example I have followed in the footsteps of never letting money become a reason why I can’t or won’t do something. If my sister can do it, I can do it. I see the leadership characteristic is genetic and it runs in my entire family. I witness my parents be leaders everyday as they tackle cultural obstacles in a country that wasn’t the one they were born into, speaking a language that is not their own, and raising children to succeed in a system of higher education; one they never had the privilege to be part of. My family and I are one. We stack our efforts, and obstacles on top of each other to further our successes as a whole. When I think back to my family’s story I’m amazed to think that my grandpa came to the US in the midst of WW2, a bracero, leaving his family to help feed millions of Americans in time of war. My grandpa, a man of the fields, paved the way so I could defy the odds with my prosperity.At home, the teacher role often switches within my family. I am responsible for translating documents to my parents and explaining procedures and concepts as I, myself, am learning them. I have had the responsibility of helping assist my younger sister who has a mild case of Cerebral Palsy. Due to her pre-existing condition, she is a slow learner. I have dedicated a lot of time this past year, helping her with her transition from elementary to middle school and helping her adapt to such a drastic change.Sometimes, I only sleep 4 hours as I wake up and rush out the door in order to make it on time to 6am tutoring. Having to manage my schoolwork and home responsibilities has been difficult but I’ve managed to maintain high academic achievement by managing my time correctly and being persistent. If I truly want something, I need to go after it, and I will get it done. Sometimes being tired isn’t an option.” [source: collegeessayguy.com – “Fourteen Scholarship essay examples that wont thousands 2024”]
“Internet marketing has gone from an optional method of advertisement to a vital step in business outreach. Even small businesses in remote towns look to the internet to attract customers and spread the word about their services. I am currently pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Business Marketing with an emphasis on Digital Marketing. With this training, I will be able to enter a profession that will only grow year by year. When I was younger, I found print advertisements to be fascinating. I loved reading the newspaper with my father just to see the full-page ads in between stories. When I got older though, those ads became less appealing because they were not adaptive. They seemed dated, static and ill-fit for changes in society. That’s when I discovered internet marketing. It was still in its infancy when I was in middle school, but by the time I graduated high school, it had become a staple in business development. I loved the way internet marketers had to constantly adjust to fit Google’s algorithms, new mobile devices, and new audiences. I knew this was the career for me.Originally, I planned to focus solely on business marketing because there were not many digital marketing degrees available. Over the last two years though, several schools throughout the country have developed internet marketing courses that explain fundamental methods of search engine optimization, website analytics, and more. These are the foundations I will build my career around.The best part about internet marketing is that there is always something new to learn. I can use my creative mind and exploratory nature to try new advertising methods that help businesses succeed. Every time they do well, I do well. This is the kind of job fulfillment most people can only dream of, but my educational plan and job prospects will allow me to achieve it.I have picked up some freelance jobs online to supplement my studies and help pay for my education. It is difficult to maintain a steady stream of income in freelance because I spend so much time on my school work. This scholarship could offset some of the costs and reduce my workload as a whole. While I will still work throughout the semester and full-time in the summers, having extra financial aid would greatly reduce my stress in college.I look forward to a future where I can use my marketing skills to help business owners achieve their career goals. I plan to spend the first few years after graduation working for a successful, long-standing digital marketing company. After I have enough on-the-job training to feel confident in my abilities, I will open my own internet marketing company in Chicago, where my family lives. I have a clear picture of where I will be in the next 10 years, and I know this degree is going to help me get there.” [source: scholarshipowl.com – “Writing tips for a career goals essay”]
“My grandmother is someone who has profoundly affected my life and always ceases to inspire me. I saw her steadfast courage, tenacity, and undying love while she faced hardship as a child. She endured a great deal of difficulty, including financial difficulties and the death of loved ones, yet she never lost her spirit or her will to improve things for herself and her family. Despite obstacles, I will never forget my grandmother’s unwavering commitment to pursuing her degree. She was raised in a period and place where it was taboo for women to pursue higher education, yet she bucked convention and did so. Her dedication to studying and personal development showed me the significance of education as a tool for opportunity creation and self-empowerment. I personally witnessed how education changed her life and gave her the skills she needed to escape the cycle of poverty. I have a profound respect for the importance of resiliency, education, and perseverance as a result of seeing my grandmother’s path. My desire to pursue a profession in teaching with the goal of uplifting underprivileged youngsters and giving them the means to overcome their situations have been influenced by her tale. As my grandma has been for me, I want to be a source of inspiration and support for young people going through similar struggles. In closing, I would want to say that my grandma has always been an inspiration to me because of her strength, fortitude, and commitment to education. Her tale has molded my desire to have a good influence in the field of education and assist others in overcoming hardship. I’m inspired to carry on her tradition by being as tenacious, passionate, and unflappable as she has been throughout her life.” [source: rostrumedu.com – “Conveying your enthusiasm through the ‘what inspires you’ essay prompt”]
