• Your essay must be in electronic format 

• Your essay should be 700-800 words. 

• Still Need Help Getting Started or Have a Different Idea? 

The following is an easy guide to help you arrange your ideas and thoughts into a well-thought-out essay: 

Simons' TIP: One of the easiest ways to write this essay is to think in terms of Past, Present and Future: 

• • • • • • • • • Where have you been? Where are you now? Where are you going? 

                • Life experiences and circumstances that have led you to choose your educational and career goals; 

                • Reasons for choosing these goals or experiences which have influenced your decisions; 

                • What have you done and what are you doing now in your life to achieve your goals; 

                • What are your plans for the future and what will you do once you have achieved your educational goal and how you will contribute to society. 

Paragraph 1 : summary (the intro)

• • • The introduction, unlike the rhetorical analysis, is the most difficult part of the narrative/scholarship essay. This is where you want to catch the reader’s attention and make them want to continue reading. Be creative. Don't start your essay with, “My name is John Doe and I am applying for this scholarship.” 

    • Explain qualities about yourself of which you are most proud, activities or academics in which you excel, certain attributes of your personality, or an obstacle you’ve overcome and has helped you be a bigger, stronger person. 

paragraph 2: Flashback (your story)

• • • The body of your essay should be the main part of your essay. 

    • This is where you get more specific in telling about you, your story, and/or your life.

• • • • You’ll need to communicate not only what happened, but why it mattered to you. What is meaningful about this story? Why are you telling it?

• • • Be sincere and speak from your heart. Try not to be too wordy or make it too long (or cliché). 

      • If you have had negative circumstances or difficulties in your life, they can be mentioned briefly, but state how you have positively overcome them. Avoid dwelling on how tragic or sad your life has been. The scholarship committee is looking for individuals who have prevailed over difficult circumstances and have a commitment to succeed despite a hard or unstable life. 

      • If you mention any of your personal qualities, give an example of how you have used or demonstrated that quality. For example, if you state that you are a responsible person, give an example of how you have shown responsibility. 

      • Talk about your academic history, what classes you have taken to further your educational goal, your scholastic successes, what your plans are at your future University and how they will translate into your career and life goals. 

Conclusion: Slow motion-the epiphany

• • • This should reveal an epiphany or have some kind of valuable "life lesson" included in it. This is where you are positive in relaying who you are today and how much stronger you are because of the story you have shared. You may mentioned how you will give back to society or the community, for example. 

 Final Touches

• • After you have written a first draft, put it away and don’t think about it for awhile. Then, re-read it. This will help you have fresh thoughts and ideas to make necessary changes. 

  • Re-write and re-vise several times. If it is too long, shorten it by taking out unnecessary sentences. 

  • Read your essay out loud to yourself to see if it flows well. 

  • Have other people read it for content and ask for feedback. 

  • The most important of all: have someone read it to check for correct grammar, spelling and punctuation!