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Read these Tips BEFORE Writing that College Scholarship Essay
Ready to write a college scholarship essay? WAIT! Read this first.
[2022 Edition]
Everyone loves to read true engaging stories and college scholarship judges are no different.
Writing the required essay into story form with interesting and personal details is a great way to get the judges’ attention from the beginning and keep it until the end.
This is a quote from a scholarship judge who has hundreds of essays to read in order to choose the winning applicant:
These 5 tips will help you write a stronger college scholarship essay Click To Tweet“The ones I pay attention to are AUTHENTIC. The quality of the work reflects original thoughts; they avoid broad generalizations and make their point by telling a specific story to demonstrate their point.”
After writing the essay, students need to ask themselves:
- Did I completely answer the question?
TIP: Let trusted and educated eyes read the essay without knowing the prompt and see if they can guess what question is supposed to be answered.
- Did I start out with a compelling opening?
TIP: Make sure the very first sentence engaging, interesting, and brow-raising. Start with a hook!
- Is my essay within the word limit requirements?
TIP: Carefully review all scholarship guidelines and double-check word count limits, making sure to differentiate between word count and character count as I explain in detail here in this short video:
- Do I use the beliefs or background of the organization offering the scholarship money in my writing?
TIP: Visit the “About” section of the company’s website and learn as much as possible about the organization.
- Does my essay tell a personal, true, and engaging story?
TIP: Use real-life experiences to answer the essay question, focusing on lessons learned and actual life-changing moments.
The essay is the heart of the application and can easily make or break the student’s chances of winning the scholarship money.

Open to High School Freshmen, Sophomores, Juniors, and Seniors! APPLY NOW HERE
Doing a little research into what scholarship judges are looking for is the best way to apply smarter and write great essays.
Looking for more scholarship essay tips? Read How to Write an Amazing College Scholarship Essay HERE.
I found a TON of college scholarships for my son using this book:


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.
I couldn’t refrain from commenting. Well written!
Thank you, Jack!
Where are some good places to get good free blogger templates?
Hi Alaine, I love WordPress. 🙂