One of the biggest problems students run into has to do with time. Procrastination will kill you! If you are applying for something that requires an essay (or two or three!) then you need to start working on them immediately. Do a rough draft and let one of your teachers or another adult read it. Take their comments and re-write your essay. Do not turn in your essay until you are sure it is perfect and says exactly what you want to say!

1.       Essays must be within word count limit indicated. This is an easy way to get eliminated! If the word count is 250, your essay must be 250 words or less. There are no exceptions to this!

2.       The reader(s) of your essay want to learn something about you. Really think about the question you are being asked and come up with a way to answer that is personal, interesting and unique. What makes YOU an outstanding candidate? What sets you apart from the other thousands of people applying for the same school or scholarship?

3.       Don’t state the obvious. If you are applying for a scholarship, you clearly have a financial need so you don’t have to say so. However, you may want to explain what extenuating circumstances exist in your family that prevents them from being able to contribute to your educational costs. (Single-parent home? Parent in jail? Parents unemployed for a long period of time? Health issues? Do you have a baby?, etc.) Your job is to explain how receiving the scholarship would impact your dreams, educational journey and future. For example, if you are selected, would you use the funds wisely? Explain this.

4.       Consider your reader. Make sure your essay has the correct tone and appropriate language. The reader is not your friend! Your essay is just like a formal paper for school. It should be spell-checked, typed and well-organized. There should be NO texting language or abbreviations.

5.       Be yourself. You are fine just the way you are! Lying or making false claims about activities you have been involved in, classes you’ve taken or the number of volunteer hours you completed will get you instantly rejected.

6.       Answer the question as completely as you can, but stop there. Don’t fall into the trap of writing more and more just because you haven’t filled up the space you were given. Say what you have to say, explain yourself completely, and then stop.