Scholarship Essay Do'S & Dont'S
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1
2Scholarship Essay Do’s & Don’ts
Don’t
Do
1. Cluster the scholarship applications by common
1. Procrastinate
topic, but also create a calendar of their due dates
2. Write the essays without help
2. Brainstorm!
and feedback
a) Freewrite
3. Let parents, teachers, or friends
b) List
get so involved that the essay
c) Cluster, map, web
stops being about you.
d) Who, what, when, where, how, why
4. Think that one essay will fit
e) Talk to everyone who really cares about you
every application
and your ambitions—let them help you
5. Rely on clichés to make your
remember the important things about you that
point
connect to the scholarship question
6. Use verb phrases when you can
3. Research each scholarship—understand the values
use a single verb
and key words/ideas—connect to them in your
7. Use mechanical thesis
essays
statements (In this essay I will
discuss…)
4. Hook the reader in your introduction with a
8. Say “it has been said…”
fascinating claim, a deep question, or fact that
9. Use filler like “a lot” or
helps you stand out
“things”—avoid vague abstract
5. Be organized—think about how the question can
help you outline the essay; if there are no real tips
nouns (society).
there, then have a specific arrangement (three
10. Try to be Mr. or Ms. Witty,
reasons, three ideas, three experiences, etc).
saying something that says
6. Use active voice (if you don’t know what that is,
nothing about what’s important
look it up in your campus style guide, EasyWriter)
to you.
7. Imbed a story—give them a vivid sense of your
11. Never rely solely on a
experience—let them get a sense of you—what
spellchecker.
you stand for, how you’ve lived, the importance of
your ideas and goals
8. Include transitions between paragraphs—set up
ideas in the very first sentence of each paragraph,
Obey Basic Comma Commandments!
letting readers in on how you are thinking (in
addition, consequently, however, etc)
Comma after an Introductory
9. Conclude with your best reason, idea, or
Element
experience that wins you the $
10. Write precisely—cut unneeded words (“In my
Ex: First of all, the students must
opinion,” “I think that”)
understand the basic comma rules.
11. Follow length and format requirements precisely
12. Have others read your drafts not only for editing
Comma in a Compound Sentence
(sentence-level problems), but ideas—the
Ex: The student used commas well, so
moments when the writing goes flat or bores.
the scholarship committee showered her
with money.
Comma in a Series
Ex: I like gold, jewels and scholarship
money.
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