Essay “Why did you deserve this scholarship” (+examples) (2023)

Getting a scholarship is a blessing not only for a student but also for the family.

It is extremely difficult to get a full scholarship, but you caneasily find college scholarshipswhich offer smaller amounts ranging from $1000 to $5000 if you have the right approach. This is a great remedy for mounting college debt and other expenses.

But one obstacle you must overcome to secure funding isWriting the scholarship essay. It's hard to understand that many students fail to recognize and harness the tremendous power of a well-written essay. It is one of the basic requirements for admission to college.

Most, if not all, exams to get into higher academic programs such asMCAT for prospective physicians, or theLSAT for those trying to enter law school, or theGMAT for those pursuing an MBA, have essay questions. The same applies to the vocational matriculation examination.

An essay provides answers for those who want to know who you are, what you offer and what you stand for. And one of the most important questions that many students have to answer is “why did you deserve this scholarship?”

In this article, I will tell you exactly how to answer this question and maximize your chances of getting the scholarship. At the end you will also find an example of an essay that you can use for inspiration.

Twelve Keys to a Successful Scholarship Essay (summary):

1. The right length - about 500 words.
2. Correct formatting, Grammatik uVocabulary.
3. Provide strong reasons why you deserve it.
4. Share powerful, unforgettable stories.
5. Use language that creates an emotional impact.
6. Prove your achievements.
7. Grab their attention at the very beginning of the essay.
8. Show your positive attitude.
9. Paint yourself a bright future.
10. Ask for the money politely.
11. Follow the attachment instructions carefully
12. Address the mission and vision of the grant provider

Why Do You Deserve This Scholarship – How To Write An Essay That Gets The $$$

1. Write at least 500 words

This shows that you are interested and really want the scholarship. But the essay will not be too long to bore the exam committee.

2. Observe the rules of grammar, vocabulary and formatting

5 paragraphs (1 for the introduction, 3 main paragraphs and 1 for the conclusion). Make sure the essay is free of typos and grammatical errors (Use ProWritingAidto avoid embarrassing mistakes). This is the first stepWriting a Successful Scholarship Essay.

3. Provide compelling reasons why you deserve the grant and what you will do with the money - be specific.

Strong reasons determine human behavior. You can think of your essay as a persuasive letter that needs to evoke certain feelings and emotions.

Brainstorm and come up with some good reasons why you deserve it. Adding the word "because" increases the chances of eliciting a positive reaction.

A famous example from a persuasion study:

"I have 5 pages, can I use the Xerox machine before you because I'm in a hurry" received a 94% success rate versus 60% when no "reason why" was given.

An example you could use in your scholarship essay:

"I deserve this scholarship because I graduated at the top of my class even though I still had to help my little sister with her homework."

"I would be so thankful if I could get this scholarship because my family is in difficult financial situation now and my younger sister also dream to go to college."

4. Add a strong, memorable story

There was oneEssay that got a student into 14 colleges, including Harvard, Stanford and Princeton. Although a scholarship essay is different, you can use principles from an admissions essay to get the results you want.

The secret ingredient in this one was a powerful personal story about bullying and reconciliation with a homeland.

Here is an excerpt:

This memory has become woven into my philosophy and my dreams. Knowing very personally that millions live in such a way that electric toothbrushes are an unfathomable luxury (my cousin, Aina) has given me these personal rules:

• Education is an opportunity, not a burden;

• You always have enough to share.

• Even though I'm not sure of my future, I know for sure that I want to serve.

If you can, include a beautifully written, personal story like this in the essay, you'll get that much closer to the scholarship you deserve.

5. Use words with emotional impact

Pushing the right emotional buttons is the key to persuasion. Tell stories about your needs.

If you're in a difficult financial situation, say so. If someone in your family has a chronic illness and you need financial and emotional resources to help them, speak up.

However, focus mainly on positive emotions. Talk about your childhood dreams and the great things you will do in the future.

In a great book called Contagious, emotional triggers were one of the five main elements that help spread things and move us to action. use them

Example: “Ever since I was a little boy, I always wanted to be a great scientist. I used to hang posters of astronauts and planets on my bedroom walls and dream of making great discoveries. That dream is still alive somewhere deep inside me. But now I'm not sure how to maintain it. I would like to focus on my studies but due to my difficult financial situation I have to take odd jobs instead of following my dreams.”

6. Prove why you deserve it

If you really want to convince the committee that you really deserve a scholarship, you need to back up your claims with solid evidence.

It's not enough to share strong stories and give strong "reasons why." You also need to add credibility to the case by proving that what you say is true.

You have to be really specific in this area.

Did you have excellent grades in high school? Is your grade point average off the charts? Have you participated in any interesting extracurricular activities? Do you have high achievements in sports and athletics? Have you been recognized for your achievements?

An important person praised you? Do you haveScore north of 1400 on your SATor notched aScore of at least 24 on the ACT?

You can use these things to make your claim more believable. Make it appear that you earn the money because of your true achievements and hard work.

Example: “In my senior year of high school, I received the MVP award for my football achievements. My coach said he sees me in the big leagues if I work hard enough for it."

7. Catch – grab attention from the start

The grant committee has to review dozens of essays and applications every day. Most of them are pretty boring and follow the same tired script.

To get noticed, you have to come up with somethingan attention-grabbing paragraphthat will stop them and focus them. This is called a "hook".

There are a few ways you can do this. You can start with:

• An anecdote
• An interesting number or is a statistic
• A strong quote
• Ask a question

Example: "More than 70 percent of workers say they are unhappy with their career choices, and I think we're in for a serious epidemic."

8. Show the right attitude

Being humble but keen and ambitious is the attitude you must show if you want to get the scholarship.

Don't be demanding, arrogant, or come across as a beggar. This will immediately disqualify you.

Rather, be kind, positive, optimistic, forward-thinking, respectful, and promising. That kind of attitude goes a long way.

9. Paint a bright future

Try to stimulate the imagination of the recipients of your essay. How will this money help you move forward? What great things will you achieve in the future? What would you like to do after you graduate? What are your goals for the next 5 years? How do you want to help people and contribute to society?

By answering some of these questions, you'll prove to the committee that you're worth investing in.

Example: “Deep down I know that I will be successful and that I will help many other people along the way. It's only a matter of time."

10. Call to Action (Close the essay with a bang)

At the very end of the essay, try to summarize why you deserve the scholarship, and then politely but firmly ask for the money. You have to state your intention - "please and you will receive, right?"

Example: “I have great expectations for the future and this scholarship would help me achieve my dreams. I will eagerly await your positive response.”

Additional tips for editing and managing the scholarship essay

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, there are over 750,000 scholarships available to students. That's over $122 billion distributed each year. In fact, about two-thirds of students receive some form of financial aid during their college years.

So - someone gets the money. And that is why you must apply and submit the essays to as many scholarship and grant giving organizations as possible. Think of it as a part-time job.

Well, among those 750,000 organizations (whether federal, university, or private), the majority, one way or another, will ask, "Why should you get this grant?"

Of course, you do not send a completely individual essay with every single application.

You must learn to recycle them intelligently and adapt them to the situation at hand.

For example, if you are applying for a college scholarship, the focus should be on academic performance and a future in science and technology. If it's a military organization, talk more about self-discipline, organization, and willpower.

religious groups? Adapt the essay to refer to denominations. Company? Discuss the student's entrepreneurship and ability to do socomplete tasks.

You understand it.

As you write the essay, put yourself in the other person's shoes and think, "If I were that person, what reasons would I do that for?"convince me that this student deserves a scholarship?”

Transform yourself and your child into a scholarship copywriter and gradually adapt the approach. Nothing gets your application rejected faster than receiving a "cookie cutter" essay that goes to hundreds of organizations without modification.

An example of an essay “Why did you deserve this scholarship?”.

Note: See how the essay incorporates the rules and elements I described at the beginning of this article.

Also: if you need more inspiration, here they arefourteen examples of scholarship essaysthat has won thousands of dollars.

Two thirds ofStudents who have earned a four-year degree on loan for college. And the average student loan is $28,500. These numbers seem bland compared to what lies ahead for me and my family.

My older brother and sister are already in college because my mom always wanted us to bewell educated and positive influenceon society. But that caused us to borrow and now we owe over $60,000. Our father is never here to help us as he left us when we were little kids.

But that didn't stop me from dreaming and painting a better vision for my future. I know that to get out of this situation I have to work harder than everyone else around me. Although I'm young, I've already worked part-time at a local canteen andearn some moneypart-time blogger to help my family.

My true calling is architecture. Ever since I was a child, I've flipped through the pages of the book The Most Beautiful Buildings in the World at the nearby library, thinking that one day I too will be able to build magnificent structures full of light and color.

I draw as much as I can and have already filled 12 notebooks with my projects. I've also gotten straight A's in mathematics and physics since I started school. I even took first place in my high school art competition, and my teachers say I'm going to achieve great things in the future.

I'm dedicated to success no matter what, but these days it's getting harder and harder because I have to save every penny and worry about money almost all the time.

I'm afraid that instead of pursuing my dream, I'll have to settle for a low-paying job just to survive and help my mother. But I don't want to postpone my studies and wait for my siblings to pay off their debts. I don't want to put everything on hold.

If I could get a little bit of financial help, it would be so much easier for me to go through college and become someone.

I deserve this scholarship because of my hard work, dedication, amazing grades and entrepreneurial spirit. I promise I will take this money far andcontinue my efforts to create the worlda better place. I eagerly await your reply.

Diploma

As you can see,Writing an essay “Why did you deserve this scholarship?”.is not as complicated as it seems. Once you have the final draft, you can use it as a template (with modifications) when applying for many scholarships.

The most important thing is to push the right emotional buttons, share the specific reasons why you deserve the money, and never give up until you get the grant.

Don't trust the companies that say they will find and write the scholarships for youthe best essaythat guarantees success. Nobody cares more about your situation than you, and you have to put in the work to make it work. Much luck!