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College Scholarship Essay Tip: Win with a Hook
Students who use this college scholarship essay tip will WOW the judges and greatly increase their chances of winning more money for school!
[2023 Edition]
College scholarship essays might not be fun to write, but they should be fun and memorable for the judges to READ. This scholarship essay tip is crucial if students want the judges to remember them.
Take a look at the beginnings of these two essays:
The little girl was bleeding and crying, but while everyone else started panicking, something inside of me kicked in and I calmly applied pressure to her wound and spoke to her in a soft, reassuring voice. It was then I knew with 100% certainty that I was meant to be a pediatrician …
- I need this scholarship money because I’ve always wanted to be a doctor. Blood does not scare me at all. I know I will have to go to school for lots of years, but I’m sure I’ll be a great doctor…
Which one has a hook, a leading first sentence or two that draws in the reader and compels him or her to WANT to read more?
I hope you picked the first one and can see the difference between a mundane start to an essay and an exciting one that draws the reader in.
Scholarship essays need to start and end with a HOOK
Give your essays a great hook and get those judges to enjoy reading your essays, learn more about your passions, and have more reasons to pick YOU as their scholarship winner.
Students who use this college scholarship essay tip will WOW the judges and greatly increase their chances of winning more money for school! Click To TweetOne of the hardest things for students to do in regard to the scholarship essay is to write the very first sentence.
A common essay question on scholarship applications is, “Why do you deserve to win our scholarship money?”
Another scholarship essay tip that is extremely effective is to NOT begin the essay with, “I deserve to win this scholarship money because…” This is what MOST students do and to stand out and get noticed by the judges, there must be a “hook” that intrigues the reader because it is interesting and different.
The hook should be something personal and unusual that instantly grabs the reader’s attention.
[Be sure to read: 10 Epic Tips Straight from a College Scholarship Judge]
Scholarship judges have hundreds, and maybe even thousands, of essays to read. Students who use this scholarship essay tip and start off with a *BANG* will impress them right from the beginning.
That’s how to write a memorable essay, stand out from the crowd, and win more college scholarships!

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Monica Matthews is the author of How to Win College Scholarships. She helped her own son win over $100,000 in college scholarships and now shares her expertise with other parents and their students. She truly has “been there, done that” in regard to helping parents and students navigate the scholarship process.
Her method of helping students in finding college scholarships, writing unique and compelling scholarship essays, creating amazing scholarship application packets, and more have taught desperate parents to help their own students win thousands of scholarship dollars. She teaches them how to apply S.M.A.R.T. with outstanding results.
Monica’s scholarship tips have been featured on many prominent websites, and she has been dubbed the “Go-To” expert on college scholarships.