Personal Statement/Essay Tips:

· The committee wants to know three things: why are you right for the scholarship, why it is right
for you, and why it is important to you.
· Your personal statement/essay is viewed as the equivalent of a face-to-face interview.
· Avoid long, drawn out, essay responses. While a background story is sometimes necessary, try
to get to the point but don’t be so brief that the importance is lost. Remember the committee
members reading your essay have many more applications to read.
· If the essay prompt calls for an explanation and you provide an article, still explain what you
have done and do not simply put “See attached article.”
· If you have a story that reflects overcoming obstacles, tell it. If not, express your appreciation
for the benefits of a solid home life; it’s still the best gift parents can give.
· If you make a case based on financial need, you need to do so carefully and convincingly; that is,
NOT simply say, “I really need this scholarship.”
· For scholarships that have a financial need component, tell your story if there is something that is
out of the ordinary. If you don’t know if your story is unusual but you wonder, ask the high
school counselor or any financial aid person, including the scholarship administrator. If
something impacted your EFC (Expected Family Contribution) that was a one time situation, most
will consider the difference.
· Make connections between areas of study, career goals, interests, and personal philosophies.
· You should be certain that all requested topics are covered in your personal statement/essay.
Use specific examples whenever possible.
· Part of your proofreading should include attention to the tone of what you have written. Do you
sound like a student that the donor’s organization would be proud to sponsor?
· Remember to BE YOURSELF. Do not try to give a response that you think will be liked by the
selection committee. All selection committees are looking to decipher your own, UNIQUE
personality, not one crafted to fit what you think the judges are looking for. An honest reply will
usually get you far.
· Save your essays on the computer or a disk. It will save frustration when websites have errors
or it could save you time when you come across the essay question for a different scholarship.
You can pull up the old essay you wrote, edit or expand on ideas, and submit your revised copy.
That will save you time that you could use to apply for additional scholarships.
· Really make the most of essay questions. For example, if asked, "Of all the activities you are
involved in, which one means the most to you?" Keep in mind that this does not necessarily have
to be the activity you spend the most time doing. In one case, when writing this kind of essay, a
student was torn between describing involvement in the school's theater troupe or a role on the
school's honor council. Though more hours were spent rehearsing for and performing in plays,
the student felt like the work as an honor prefect had done more to impact the life of the school
community and also to change the way that integrity was defined and priorities were viewed.
Therefore, the student was able to show more about personality and values by writing about
honor council.
· If you start to feel like you’re bragging about yourself too much, don’t worry about it. In a sense,
that’s what you are trying to do. You’re hoping to impress the scholarship committee with your
accomplishments.
· Don’t just describe what you have accomplished, but also share how you felt when making those
achievements.