EXCITING NEWS! The 2026 versions of the How to Win College Scholarships ebooks are now available!
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College Scholarship Tip: Answer the Question!
This college scholarship tip is SO EASY, yet many students do not take the time to follow it, and their essays suffer as a result.

When writing scholarship essays, always make sure the question asked is fully answered. This may seem like a simple college scholarship tip, but it is one that is all too often ignored by many scholarship-seeking students.
As the essay is being written, students need to keep referring back to the original question and ensure they do not ramble and stray from the prompt.
College scholarship essays are the heart of the application, so taking extra care with each one can make the difference between a winning app and a losing one.
Here is an extremely effective way to make sure the scholarship essay is completely answered:
Students can give their essays to a trusted adult to read, but do not tell the trusted adult the question or prompt.
After the reader finishes, ask them what they think the question was. If the answer matches the scholarship essay prompt, the student knows for sure they have answered the question.
If there are fuzzy areas, there is still time to rewrite for clarification.
Also, while the trusted adult reads the essay, the student should look for any emotional responses. A lack of responses will tell them that their essay needs more creative and interesting content.
Scholarship judges have hundreds, and possibly thousands, of essays to read. A great essay is KEY!
I go into great detail about how students can write stand-out scholarship essays in my How to Win College Scholarships ebooks for parents and their students. Download your copies right here.

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Read more scholarship essay tips here.
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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.























