Q&A for How to Start a Scholarship Essay

A scholarship essay can be formatted as a 5-paragraph essay and should show how you align with the scholarship's purpose and values.

Check the application instructions for the scholarship itself—it'll usually tell you what grade applicants should be. Usually, scholarships are open to graduating seniors, but some are also open to juniors. Many scholarships are also open to students who are already in college.

There are a couple of ways you can start a scholarship essay. If the scholarship was created to honor a specific person, you can try comparing yourself to them demonstrate what you have in common with the namesake. Read up on that person and find out what you have in common with them. Drawing parallels between their life and yours could give you a leg up for the scholarship. It's also a good idea to reference some of the buzzwords in the essay prompt. Make it so many, if not all, of these words appear in the first paragraph of your essay. This lets the reader know that you're paying attention to the prompt and addressing it directly. Remember, most scholarships are designed to benefit a specific type of person (a Southern writer or a woman from Kentucky, for example). So if you can show how you're the perfect person for the scholarship, it can help boost your chances.

Scholarship essays should do a couple of things to help boost your chances of receiving the support. Try not to freak out or stress about the essay too much. The idea is it should give the scholarship committee more information about who you are and why you might be a good fit for the scholarship. The best way you can do that is be honest and open about yourself and your experiences. If you try to deceive or exaggerate details about yourself, your essay can come off as phony and it could cause the committee to reject your essay. Usually, the committee is looking for a specific person, so read up on the background of the organization. Find out what their core values are and how you can best communicate that you embody those values. Their website is a good place to start, but you might also search for any articles written about the organization, as well as previous winners of the scholarship for clues.

Yes! You absolutely should introduce yourself in a scholarship essay. In fact, that's one of the most important aspects. Your scholarship essay should provide more information about who you are so the committee can decide whether or not they think you're a good fit for the scholarship. Introduce yourself in the beginning of the essay and draw comparisons between yourself and the values the scholarship is seeking. For instance, if the scholarship is designed to be for adopted children trying to go to college, you can talk about your experience growing up as an adopted child while you introduce who you are.