common scholarship essay questions and how to handle them

• Applying For Scholarships

How To Answer Common Scholarship Essay Questions

David Dec 28, 2017

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What Are Your Long and Short Term Goals?

These questions may be phrased in several ways: “Where do you see yourself in 10 years?” “How will your current education contribute to your overall career goals?” Your answers should show that you do in fact have a plan for your future that corresponds to your degree program. The scholarship committee wants to see that their money is going to a worthy cause, not someone just testing the waters in college. Create an answer that shows realistic goals that can be achieved through continued education.

What Are Some of the Most Important Issues in Your Field of Study?

Questions like this are designed to gauge your knowledge of current events in your field. A worthy scholarship applicant will be invested in his or her future career. More importantly, the education that leads to that career will ultimately be used to address current issues. At least, that’s how they will view it. Come up with solutions for each problem, or explain how your education would allow you to develop effective solutions.

What Are Your Biggest Weaknesses?

Since this is a scholarship application, you still want to create answers that will put you above other applicants. Turn your weaknesses into opportunities. “I currently have limited knowledge in this area, but with my degree, I will be able to…” you may be sensing a trend here – scholarship committees love solutions . Coming up with a solution shows that you are forward-thinking and intuitive, and both of those qualities are worthy of being rewarded.

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Why Do You Need a Scholarship?

Describe an Adult Who Had a Major Influence on Your Life

These are common scholarship essay questions because they give a glimpse into you past. While most people will say a parent, grandparent, or instructor, you could choose someone that is slightly less expected. This doesn’t take away from the value of a good parent, but think about how many scholarship applicants respond with those answers.

If you were raised by a single parent, you could discuss how the other parent was a strong influence because you had to learn how to live without him or her in your life. If you had a neighbor who had a positive work ethic, you could explain how that shaped the dedication you have to your degree. Take some time to look beyond the obvious choices, and you may be surprised by what you come up with.

What Are Your Greatest Personal Achievements?

You can choose any achievement you want for this answer as long as you relate it back to your education or career. For example, if you won a singing competition, you could explain how you learned the importance of practice and preparation. Those lessons could help you during your degree and your career. Take the opportunity to brag on yourself, but don’t forget the mission of the scholarship application.

When All Else Fails, Ask Yourself WHY

Why are they asking me this? What will my answers tell the scholarship committee about my life, my goals and my future? What can I say that will show how worthy I am to accept this award? No matter what scholarship essay questions you come across, try to identify the underlying reasons behind the prompts. This will help you create the best answers to earn their financial support.

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The 16 Most Popular Scholarship Essay and Application Questions

by Gabrielle McCormick | Nov 17, 2018 | Applying for Scholarships , Finding Scholarships , Scholarship Essays | 0 comments

Believe it or not, scholarship committees generally ask the same types of questions and have similar applications.

That’s right! The scholarships you find are going to fit into specific themes which you must be able to identify in order to save your family time, frustration, stress, and most importantly – money.

The 16 themes below are designed for you to use as a reference until you can spot them on your own. Also, make sure you check out our Scholarship Fast Track videos , specifically the Application Accelerators Module , that outlines these scholarship essay themes and questions even more!

The Top 16 Scholarship Essay Themes

• Committee Composition
• Competition
• Contribution
• Credentials

I’ve provided a definition as well as common scholarship question examples for each theme.

[info-box type=”success”] Real Talk: These questions are not made-up and, in fact, come from actual scholarship applications that are open to students at all levels. I hope that they serve you well in preparing for your upcoming applications. [/info-box]

Common Scholarship Questions and Essay Prompts

Scholarship essay theme: career.

The career theme is pretty self-explanatory. The committee wants to know any and everything relating to you or your student’s career goals.

Common Scholarship Questions:

• What do you want to do after you graduate from college?
• Why did you select this career?
• How will you change the field/industry?
• Where do you see yourself 10 years from now?

Scholarship Essay Theme: Catch-All

This is a student’s life summary or autobiography which usually includes information about the past, present, and future. Some committees refer to it as a personal statement or brief bio. (Warning: Not all personal statements will be looking for a life summary. Make sure you read the application carefully.)

• Please write a short autobiography including information about your family, work experience, community involvement, hobbies, spare time activities, and what you hope to do in the future.
• Please include a short summary or personal statement describing your accomplishments and goals.
• List any honors and awards you’ve received.
• List your extra-curricular activities.

Scholarship Essay Theme: Challenges

Everyone loves a good underdog story. An essay theme that focuses on Challenges asks the student to identify a time when they were down or faced conflict. The committee wants to hear how instead of giving up, you rose to the occasion or at least learned what was necessary to achieve success.

• Write a short essay that describes areas in your life where you demonstrated leadership and overcame obstacles either through your school, social, or family life.
• What’s the most difficult challenge you’ve ever faced? How did you handle it?

Scholarship Essay Theme: Champion

Why you? Out of all the available applicants, why should you or your student earn the scholarship?

• Why do you need this scholarship?
• Please list any additional comments you believe would be helpful in the committee’s decision.
• In 100 words or less, tell why you would like to receive the XYZ scholarship.

Scholarship Essay Theme: Change

This is one I’m starting to see more and more of in the scholarship world. Committees are interested in the opinions, thoughts, and ideas of applicants. With topics like legislation, population control, and the environment, committees want to see analytical and critical thinking skills.

• What do you think we should do about gun control in this country?
• How would you handle texting and driving?
• Create an innovative solution to reduce waste.

Scholarship Essay Theme: Character

As Defined by Merriam-Webster , “Character is the way someone thinks, feels, and behaves .” Essentially, it’s what makes you who you are.

• Describe a time in your life that has shaped who you are as a person.
• This is what I believe in…
• How do you define success?
• What traits do you possess that will enhance your education or future career?

Scholarship Essay Theme: Classroom

Academics, teaching methods, assignments, and anything that pertains to student learning fall under this category.

• How has technology impacted student learning?
• If you could design a college curriculum, what would it be?
• Do you believe that standardized testing has helped or hindered student learning?

Scholarship Essay Theme: College

This is one of the most common scholarship essay themes. The premise: Why do you want to go to college?

You’ll often see this theme attached to others as an additional question or a required component of the application.

• Why do you want to go to college?
• What do you expect to gain from earning a college degree?
• What are your educational goals?

Is this helping you? Are you beginning to see how this can save you a lot of time? If so, let me know in the comments below, Tweet Me @ScholarshipTalk, or just share the following message and I’ll know you see the benefits of organizing your scholarships based on themes. ?

[clickToTweet tweet=”Organizing my scholarships based on the 16 core essay themes has saved me time! #OwnYourDegree” quote=”Organizing my scholarships based on the 16 core essay themes has saved me time!”]

Scholarship Essay Theme: Committee Composition

I’m sure you’ve seen some of the eccentric scholarships out there that challenge you to write about your favorite ice cream, talk about using their product, or design a logo for their company. These scholarships tend to be unique or inspired by the sponsoring organization.

• Create a greeting card and be featured in our upcoming holiday card collection.
• Design a mascot for our company.
• Write an essay about how lights and fixtures could impact your mood.
• Develop an innovative video to end smoking.

Scholarship Essay Theme: Community

This is also a popular scholarship theme. Instead of looking at a student’s GPA, test scores, or major, the community essay theme focuses on community service, community initiatives, and community improvement.

• Describe a meaningful volunteer experience?
• Make thank-you cards for military service members.
• Share a project you developed to change your community.

Scholarship Essay Theme: Competition

A common theme for athletes, band members, dancers, or those involved in groups/organizations is the Competition scholarship essay. It highlights participation and its associated benefits.

• What does it mean to be a good student on the field, in the classroom, and in the community?
• Define what it means to be a good teammate?
• Describe a moment of sportsmanship.

Scholarship Essay Theme: Contribution

Again, this is another scholarship essay theme that you may see added to another scholarship question or application. The committee wants to know about you or your student’s contribution to society at various levels.

• How will you make a difference in our world?
• How have you made a difference in your community?
• What do you think our country should do to foster unity?

Scholarship Essay Theme: Control

Control , i.e. leadership, oftentimes stands alone as a scholarship theme because of the many questions that can be asked. From being a leader to follower and everything in between, the committee is seeking answers regarding group interaction, the organization of people, or participation within a group setting.

• What does leadership mean to you?
• Explain a family, social or school situation, in which your leadership made the difference. What was accomplished?

Scholarship Essay Theme: Creative

I’m starting to see a rise in Creativ e scholarship essays as well. You may notice some similarities with the Committee Composition theme because these scholarships are usually committee-driven and created.

The committee will provide a question, but give you freedom in depicting or representing the theme or category they’ve selected.

• Write a short story of 2,000 words or less.
• Create a video of 2-minutes or less to encourage young people to stop texting and driving.
• Submit a photograph depicting the word “family”.

Scholarship Essay Theme: Credentials

As defined by Merriam-Webster , “Credentials are a qualification, achievement, personal quality, or aspect of a person’s background, typically when used to indicate that they are suitable for something.”

These scholarships will require specific credentials to apply or may use the credential within application questions.

• To apply for this scholarship, you must be a female student majoring in a male-dominated industry. Please tell us why you selected this career?
• Applicants must be a member of the LGBTQI community. Describe a volunteering activity you conducted for your community.
• Students must be a dependent of an active military member or veteran. Why do you need this scholarship?
• Students applying for this scholarship must be undergraduate students entering their first semester. What study habits do you think are imperative to freshmen student success?

Scholarship Essay Theme: Culture

Cultures can be comprised of many different components. From college communities to hometown traditions, the Culture theme is based on the defining characteristics of a student’s environment.

• Tell the committee why you decided to attend college out-of-state?
• What does your university’s tradition and pride represent?
• Submit a piece of artwork that captures your town.

[info-box type=”alert”]Do you want a downloadable version of these themes and questions for your notes? Click here for a FREE copy . [/info-box]

Save a Ton of Time by Using These Themes

Scholarship applications may have one or several themes present. Focus on identifying your possible scholarship themes.

Labeling scholarships by themes and working on them at the same time allows the student to divide and conquer. If your family can get good at identifying themes, you’ll immediately save hours of time on applications .

As I start to see new themes emerge, I’ll be sure to add them to the list. For now, this should keep you pretty busy as you continue to find and apply for scholarships.

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Overview of Common Scholarship Essay Prompts

Gabriel Jimenez-Ekman is a content editor and writer at Scholarships360. He has managed communications and written content for a diverse array of organizations, including a farmer’s market, a concert venue, a student farm, an environmental NGO, and a PR agency. Gabriel graduated from Kenyon College with a degree in sociology.

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Applying for scholarships can be intimidating, but it’s reassuring to remind yourself that many applications share common essay prompts. Once you come up with answers to some of the most common scholarship essay prompts, applying for new scholarships becomes much easier. Our overview of common scholarship essay prompts will help you write your best essays to date.

In the guide below, we offer advice about answering eight of the most popular scholarship essay prompts. When you encounter these questions on your applications, you can refer back to this list for guidance on how to answer the prompts effectively and leave an impression on your reader.

Don’t miss: Top writing and essay scholarships

“Tell us about yourself.”

This is a very open-ended question, and the most common problem that students face is trying to accomplish too much in their responses. To avoid this pitfall, remember why the scholarship committee is asking the question: they want to get an idea of your passions, your ambitions, and any life events or circumstances that may be relevant to the scholarship you are applying for. 

While it is impossible to give a thorough rundown of your entire life in a short essay, it is much more feasible to give a succinct overview of the information about your life that is relevant to the scholarship. Here are some ideas of what to include in the essay:

• Formative experiences that inspired you to pursue your field of study
• Values that you hold that align with the values of the scholarship organization
• Demographic information
• Short-term and long-term goals for the future

“How will this scholarship help you?”

This question is a great opportunity to describe the opportunities that you will be able to take on as a result of receiving the scholarship. Scholarship committees are not only looking for qualified candidates, but also candidates who stand to benefit the most from their assistance. 

EXAMPLE: A scholarship might help a student accept an unpaid internship in a lab this summer rather than working as a lifeguard to save up money to pay for tuition for next year. Or it could allow them to attend their first-choice college rather than a college that was lower on their list but offered a better financial aid package. 

See also: How to write a statement of financial need

“Tell us about a time where you demonstrated leadership.”

There is a lot of room to get creative when answering this question. You should tell an anecdote about a time that you demonstrated independent thinking and effective teamwork. This can be in a formal leadership position or an informal one; a creative interpretation of the idea of “leadership” could help your essay stand out. 

The most effective part of this essay will not be the story itself, but rather your reflection on it. Try to communicate your story succinctly to leave adequate space for reflection. Discuss how the values and skills you learned will make you successful in college and beyond.

It can be helpful to tell your story to a friend or family member, and ask them what values or characteristics they think it demonstrates. They might be able to identify characteristics about you that you hadn’t even noticed.

Read more: How to start a scholarship essay (with examples)

“Tell us about a time that you failed and what you learned from it.”

This question allows you to show an advanced sense of self-awareness, as well as an ability to learn from your mistakes and adapt to a situation. As a general rule, try to avoid any failures that are overly personal or speak poorly to your character. 

EXAMPLE: You could write about failing to meet a project deadline at school or at your job. This incident could teach you about the importance of scheduling your time and to seek out help from your teacher or supervisor when you need it. This response depicts a failure that many people face, but puts you ahead of the crowd by showing that you learned a skill that will be very useful in a college environment.

Related:  How to answer scholarship essay questions about your career goals

“Where do you see yourself in five years?”

With this question, the scholarship committee wants to know about your ambitions that extend past your college career. In your essay, you should apply your educational goals towards some specific career and personal goals. This question will help persuade the scholarship committee that you will go on to be a success story for their organization. 

You can also use this prompt to showcase your understanding of the path to achieve your goals. After laying out your ambitions, you should provide an explanation of how you envision yourself reaching them, to show that you have researched your goals and are confident in your choice to pursue the degree you are pursuing.

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“tell us about a contribution you’ve made to your community.”.

This question is a great opportunity to demonstrate the impact you’ve had and hope to have on the people around you. Your contribution may have been formal or informal; you can write about anything you’ve done in your community that has affected others. This could be volunteering with a local nonprofit, working in a student organization at your high school, or even a creative project that you shared with the public. 

Remember, the main reason why a scholarship committee cares about what you’ve done in your past is how it forecasts what you’ll do with your future. After you have described your contribution, make sure to reflect on it and describe how it relates to the contributions you hope to make in the future.

Read more: What’s the best scholarship essay format?

“How are you planning on paying for your education?”

When answering this prompt, you should show that you have a thorough plan to finance your college education. This demonstrates a sense of responsibility and shows that you have a feasible plan to finance your education should you receive the scholarship. 

You can outline all of your revenue streams, but emphasize the ones that you have taken the lead on. Make sure to include:

• College savings accounts
• Jobs that you have worked to save up for college
• Other financial planning such as research about different types of loans
• Mention that there is still a gap between your funding and the amount you are being asked to pay, to show the importance of the scholarship to you

“What are your academic and professional goals?”

This is a similar question to “Where will you be in 5 years?” An effective answer will provide an overview of your future goals and how you plan on getting there. You can also circle back and emphasize how this scholarship would help you to achieve those goals. It’s also a good idea to relate these goals to your values; discuss personal experiences that led you to set these goals. 

Key Takeaways

• Because so many scholarships use very similar prompts, you should save and compile your responses so you can adapt them for future prompts
• Most prompts will ask you questions about yourself, so you should become as comfortable as possible with writing essays about yourself
• While some applications may ask you the same questions, you should keep in mind that it can be worth changing some of the language to address the values of a specific scholarship organization
• Remember to have a well-researched financial plan as well, as that may be something you are asked about and you should be prepared to answer

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Frequently asked questions about common scholarship essay prompts

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What are Scholarship Essay Prompts & Questions?

Of all the hardships, finding the right scholarship essay prompts is the toughest one. Essay prompts are the questions or statements that prompt you to answer them in appropriate logic. These research questions are used across all the academic landscape thus providing the answer to the college committee on student’s creativity. College essay prompts provide a thought-provoking question that must be answered by students. In short, by answering this short statement in your essays, students can showcase their eligibility and skills to win a scholarship case.

Don’t worry if you are finding this topic indigestible, today our essay-writing specialists will help you sort out things. In this blog, we will dissect this topic for thorough evaluation and nullify all the assumptions, thus promoting only logical reasoning. Let’s get down to it!

Table of Contents

20+ Amazing Colleges Scholarship Prompts

Here we will present the amazing and astounding college essay prompts that will help you plead your case move forward. Have a look!

• Describe a person you admire.
• Why do you want to attend this school?
• What is a significant experience you’ve had, and what impact did it have on you?
• Describe a problem you’ve solved or a problem you’d like to solve.
• Discuss an accomplishment, event, or realization that sparked a period of personal growth and a new understanding of yourself or others.
• Reflect on a time when you questioned or challenged a belief or idea. What prompted your thinking? What was the outcome?
• Describe a topic, idea, or concept you find so engaging that it makes you lose track of time.
• Share an essay on any topic of your choice. It can be one you’ve already written, one that responds to a different prompt, or one of your own design.
• Discuss the challenges and rewards of making your contribution.
• Has there been a time when you’ve had a long-cherished or accepted belief challenged? How did you respond? How did the challenge affect your beliefs?
• What is the hardest part of being a teenager now? What’s the best part? What advice would you give a younger sibling or friend (assuming they would listen to you)?
• Submit an essay on a topic of your choice.
• Describe a time when you made a meaningful contribution to others in which the greater good was your focus. Discuss the challenges and rewards of making your contribution.
• What do you want admissions officers to know about you that is hard to communicate through the application?
• Reflect on your engagement with a community to which you belong. How do you feel you have contributed to this community?
• If you could change one thing about your high school, what would it be and why?
• How has your family history, culture, or environment influenced who you are?
• If you could go back in time what would you change about your life?
• If you were given the ability to change one moment in your life, would you do so? Why or why not? If so, what moment would you change and why?
• Presume the reader of the essay has never met you before. By the end of the essay, what three words would they use to describe you?
• If you had the chance to have a 30-minute conversation with any person in human history (either living or deceased), who would be the person you choose? Why? What topics would you discuss with this person?
• Select a creative work — a novel, a film, a poem, a musical piece, a painting or other work of art — that has influenced the way you view the world and the way you view yourself.
• Discuss an issue that is significant to you and how your college experience could help you address it.
• Tell us about something that is meaningful to you and why.
• If there’s anything else that is important for us to know about you but didn’t find a question or place in the application to tell us, now’s your chance.

Remember, these are just scholarship prompts and it’s important for your essay to be unique and personal. You can make them more creative and flexible to your challenges and requirements.

50+ General Scholarship Essay Topics

Finding a suitable essay topic for your scholarship application is tricky for many learners. It has been observed that students make poor choices when it comes to getting it right. Hence, finding, using and explaining your purpose of scholarship application is pertinent to picking the right topic. Here are the best topics we have curated for your after a lengthy brainstorming:

• The impact of COVID-19 on global education
• Climate change: myth or reality?
• The role of social media in modern politics
• The future of artificial intelligence
• The ethical implications of genetic engineering
• The influence of pop culture on society
• The effects of poverty on mental health
• The importance of mental health awareness in schools
• The role of women in STEM fields
• The impact of technology on interpersonal communication
• The pros and cons of online learning
• The influence of video games on youth behavior
• The effects of music therapy on mental health
• The role of the United Nations in maintaining world peace
• The impact of immigration on the economy
• The influence of the #MeToo movement on workplace culture
• The future of space exploration
• The effects of deforestation on biodiversity
• The role of cryptocurrency in the global economy
• The impact of veganism on the environment
• The influence of mindfulness meditation on stress reduction
• The future of renewable energy sources
• The effects of overpopulation on resources consumption
• The role of artificial intelligence in healthcare
• The impact of fast fashion on the environment
• Cybersecurity in the age of digital transformation
• Mental health issues among college students
• Impact of globalization on local cultures
• Influence of parental involvement on academic achievement
• Role of diet and exercise in managing chronic diseases
• Challenges faced by international students in a foreign country
• Impact of climate change on agriculture and food security
• Influence of advertising on consumer behavior
• Role of technology in enhancing learning outcomes in classrooms
• Impact of social media on body image and self-esteem
• Importance of financial literacy among college students
• Influence of childhood experiences on adult personality traits
• Role of sports in promoting physical and mental health among youth
• Impact of political instability on economic development in a country
• Influence of peer pressure on adolescent behavior
• Role of teachers in shaping students’ character and values
• Impact of drug abuse on individual health and societal fabric
• Influence of celebrity culture on youth aspirations and identity formation
• Role of community service in fostering empathy and civic responsibility among youth
• Impact of sleep deprivation on cognitive function and academic performance
• Influence of family structure (nuclear vs joint family) on child development
• The Role of Artificial Intelligence in Modern Scientific Research: Discuss how AI is revolutionizing various fields of science, from data analysis to prediction models.
• Climate Change and the Science of  Global Warming : Explore the scientific evidence supporting climate change and discuss the technologies being developed to combat it.
• The Impact of Quantum Computing on Future Technologies: Discuss the potential implications of quantum computing in fields like cryptography, optimization, and simulation.
• Genetic Engineering and the Future of Medicine: Discuss the ethical and scientific challenges and possibilities in the field of genetic engineering.
• Space Exploration and Technological Advancements: Discuss how advancements in technology have fueled our exploration of space.
• Nanotechnology in Medicine: Explore the potential applications and implications of nanotechnology in medical science.
• The Science Behind Renewable Energy Technologies: Discuss the scientific principles behind different types of renewable energy sources like solar, wind, and hydroelectric power.
• The Role of Science in Understanding Mental Health: Discuss how scientific research has contributed to our understanding of mental health conditions and their treatment.
• The Impact of Scientific Developments on Society: Discuss how scientific developments have shaped society throughout history.
• The Future of Robotics and Automation: Explore how advancements in robotics and automation could impact various sectors like manufacturing, healthcare, and transportation.

We have provided just like we promised. These scholarship topics will amaze the scholarship selection committee of any prestigious university. It’s up to you to make the maximum out of these topics and impress your professors.

10 Most Popular Scholarship Questions

One of the tough work is getting through the application process for scholarship is answering all the questions asked by panelists. Here we will present the 10 most asked questions that will help you prepare yourself prior to commencing the essay writing process.

• Could you provide us with a brief overview of your personal and academic background?
• How would this scholarship contribute to your educational journey and future aspirations?
• Could you share an instance where you encountered failure and the lessons you derived from that experience?
• Can you describe a significant contribution you have made to your local community?
• What are your academic or professional objectives for the future?
• Can you recount an occasion where you assumed a leadership role and the impact it had?
• Who has been the most influential figure or source of inspiration in your life, and why?
• What motivates your desire to pursue higher education?
• How do you plan to finance your college education?
• Why do you believe you are a deserving candidate for this scholarship?

These top 10 questions are the ones typically asked in every application essay for scholarship or admission. Some universities have adopted a new approach that’s more dynamic and based on psychoanalysis. Still these examples will help you curtain out missing details and answer these queries wisely.

How to Address Scholarship Essay Prompts?

Scholarship essay prompts encourage critical thinking and brainstorming among students. It’s one of the best ways to develop argumentative skills in yourself. Here’s how you can address the prompts accurately with sufficient details and perfection.

Share your Story

The first thing an essay prompt asks from the students is to share their storyline. You can start with information such as your first dog, cat or an animal. Additionally, students can also add their first achievement such as top achievement in the class or sports club etc. By sharing your story, it offers an introspective view of your personality. This step helps you win a scholarship application for higher education.

Describe a Person you Admire

When writing an essay about a person you admire, it’s important to structure your thoughts and ideas in a coherent manner. Here’s a simple guide:

Introduction : Start by introducing the person you admire. Mention their name, what they do, and why they are significant to you. This sets the stage for the reader.

Body : This is where you delve into details. Discuss their qualities, achievements, and characteristics that you admire. Use specific examples or anecdotes to illustrate these points. For instance, if the person is a public figure, you could mention their contributions to society. If it’s someone you know personally, you could talk about instances where they’ve impacted your life.

Conclusion : Summarize why this person is worthy of admiration. Reflect on their influence on you and others.

Tell About a Contribution to your Community

Scholarship prompts that focus on answering the questions of tangible effects of a student’s community service can be approached in the following manner:

Introduction : Start by introducing yourself and the community you’re a part of. Briefly mention the contribution you’ve made.

Background : Provide some background information about your community. This could include its location, size, culture, and any unique characteristics it has.

Your Contribution : This is the main body of your essay. Describe in detail the contribution you’ve made to your community. This could be volunteering at a local charity, organizing community events, or any other activities that have had a positive impact on your community.

Impact : Discuss the impact of your contribution. How has it benefited your community? Has it solved a problem or improved a situation? Use specific examples to illustrate this.

Reflection : Reflect on what this contribution means to you. How has it affected you personally? Has it changed your perspective or taught you something new?

Conclusion : Summarize your points and reiterate the importance of community involvement. You could also mention any future contributions you plan to make.

What are your Academic and Career Goals?

Students are required to answer their goals for the future such as in academics and career wise. These goals help your assessors to determine whether you’re a fit or suitable candidate for this worthy scholarship or not;

Educational Objectives :

The educational goals a student must show or possess are given below. If you’re in sixes and sevens over this, read them and guide your ship in the right direction.

Pinpoint your objectives:  Contemplate your desired achievements, the abilities you aspire to acquire, and the relationships you aim to establish at the university.

Establish attainable and realistic objectives : Educators can offer a framework to assist students in setting educational objectives that are feasible, suitable, and attainable.

Develop a regular study schedule : Determine your study times and establish a goal for each study session to aid in achieving your overall educational objective. Evade procrastination and establish a favorable study atmosphere.

Regularly reassess and modify your objectives : The practice of setting goals, coupled with regular reflection and modification of these goals, can equip students with self-regulated learning tools for fostering an academic growth mindset.

Professional Objectives:

Professional goals depict what a student will pursue after completing their studies. It’s not necessary that education completion will lead to immediate hirings. However, it shows the inclination of students into a particular field. Here’s how you can demonstrate your career choosing goals:

Envision success:  Elite performers condition themselves to visualize their objectives immediately prior to a contest. This technique can be applied in various scenarios, whether you’re preparing for a job interview or strategizing your next career step.

Break down professional objectives into manageable steps:  Initially, pinpoint your ultimate objective and then divide it into smaller actionable steps.

Formulate specific yet adaptable professional objectives : Professional objectives should be specific but also allow enough flexibility for course correction when necessary.

Enhance performance:  Consider setting an objective to boost your job performance, including your productivity and efficiency.

Pursue an internship at a company you respect:  Internships offer practical experience and enable you to experience the work environment of the career you’re interested in.

How will this Scholarship Help You?

When explaining how a scholarship will help you, it’s important to consider several key points:

Financial Support:  Scholarships provide financial assistance, reducing the burden of educational expenses such as tuition, books, and housing. This can allow you to focus more on your studies instead of worrying about financial issues.

Educational Opportunities:  Scholarships can open doors to educational opportunities that might otherwise be inaccessible due to financial constraints. This could include studying at a prestigious institution or pursuing a specific course of study.

Career Advancement:  Many scholarships offer networking opportunities and internships that can lead to job offers post-graduation. They can also enhance your resume, as they are seen as a testament to your abilities and dedication.

Personal Growth:  Being awarded a scholarship can boost your confidence and validate your hard work and dedication. It can also motivate you to continue excelling in your academic pursuits.

Remember, when writing about how a scholarship will help you, it’s important to personalize your response. Share your specific goals, challenges, and how the scholarship will assist in overcoming those challenges and achieving your goals. It’s not just about the financial aspect; it’s about how the scholarship will contribute to your overall growth and future success.

Tell Us About a Time You Failed and What You Learned From It?

Although every student has their subjective opinion when it comes to failure and coping with it. Many students have experienced fight or flight phenomena when it comes to failures. For better understanding how to respond on such questions, here’s a mock example for taking a fruitful lesson from it:

“In my previous role as a project manager, there was a time when I failed to deliver a project on time. The project was complex and required coordination across multiple teams. Despite my best efforts to keep everything on track, unexpected challenges arose that caused delays.

The failure was a tough pill to swallow, but it taught me valuable lessons. I learned the importance of contingency planning and risk management. I realized that while it’s crucial to be optimistic about project timelines, it’s equally important to anticipate potential obstacles and have backup plans in place.

Since then, I’ve incorporated these lessons into my work. I now spend more time during the planning phase of each project, identifying potential risks and preparing for them. This approach has significantly improved my project delivery times and reduced last-minute surprises.”

Remember, the key to answering other scholarship questions is to show that you’re capable of learning and growing from your mistakes. It’s not about the failure itself, but what you did afterward that counts. It shows resilience, determination, and a willingness to learn – qualities that are highly valued in any role.

Final Thoughts

Scholarship essay prompts help the student’s assessment board understand their mind under a certain hypothetical scenario. These prompts and question statements also guide students to think critically and offer solutions relative to their understanding. All in all, it’s imperative for scholarship seekers to thoroughly read and understand the prompts and then answer them. We do provide comprehensive answers on this topic. For any ambiguity ask your professors to guide and prepare you for better knowledge on successfully completing these steps.

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• How to Write a Scholarship Essay | Template & Example

How to Write a Scholarship Essay | Template & Example

Published on October 11, 2021 by Kirsten Courault . Revised on May 31, 2023.

A good scholarship essay demonstrates the scholarship organization’s values while directly addressing the prompt. If you plan ahead , you can save time by writing one essay for multiple prompts with similar questions.

Table of contents

Apply for a wide variety of scholarships, make a scholarship tracker spreadsheet, tailor your essay to the organization and the prompt, write a focused and relevant personal story, scholarship essay example, other interesting articles, frequently asked questions about college application essays.

Scholarships are a type of student financial aid that don’t require repayment. They are awarded based on various factors, including academic merit, financial need, intended major, personal background, or activities and interests.

Like college applications, scholarship applications often require students to submit their grades, standardized test scores, letters of recommendation, and an essay.

A scholarship essay shares your values and qualities in the context of a specific question, such as “How does technology affect your daily life?” or “Who has had the greatest impact on your life?”

Be wary of scholarship scams

While some applications may not require an essay, be wary of scholarship scams that do the following:

• Guarantee you scholarship money for a fee
• Claim scholarship information is exclusive to their company
• Ask for your bank or credit card information to hold the scholarship

Some legitimate companies do charge for releasing comprehensive scholarship lists or creating a tailored list of scholarship opportunities based on your profile.

However, you can always discover scholarship opportunities for free through your school counselor, community network, or an online search.

Many students focus on well-known, large scholarship opportunities, which are usually very competitive. To maximize your chance of success, invest time in applying for a wide variety of scholarships: national and local, as well as big and small award amounts. There are also scholarships for international students .

In addition to charitable foundation and corporate scholarships, you should consider applying for institutional scholarships at your prospective universities, which can award money based on your application’s strength, your financial situation, and your demonstrated interest in the school.

Check with your guidance counselor, local organizations, community network, or prospective schools’ financial aid offices for scholarship opportunities. It’s a good idea to start applying as early as your junior year and continue throughout your senior year.

Choose the right scholarships for you

Choose scholarships with missions and essay topics that match your background, experiences, and interests. If the scholarship topic is meaningful to you, it will be easier for you to write an authentic and compelling essay.

Don’t shy away from applying for local scholarships with small dollar amounts. Even a few hundred dollars can help you pay for books.

Local scholarships may be more tailored to your community, background, and activities, so they’re likely more relevant to you. Fewer students apply for these scholarships, so you have less competition and a higher chance of success.

Some places to look for local scholarships include

• Civic organizations, such as the Rotary Club, Lions Club, etc.
• Your church, mosque, synagogue, or place of worship
• Community groups, such as the YMCA
• Ethnicity-based organizations
• Your local library or local small businesses
• Organizations related to your intended major
• Your city or town
• Your school district
• Unions, such as SEIU, the Teamsters, CWA, etc.
• Your employer or your parents’ employers
• Banks, credit unions, and local financial institutions

Prevent plagiarism. Run a free check.

While researching scholarship opportunities, create a scholarship tracker spreadsheet to keep track of the following:

• Scholarship amounts
• Required application materials

You can use our free Google Sheets template to track your scholarship applications.

Scholarship application tracker template

You can also include scholarship essay prompts in your college essay tracker sheet . By grouping or color-code overlapping essay prompts, you can plan to write a single essay for multiple scholarships. Sometimes, you can also reuse or adapt your main college essay .

Even if you’re adapting another essay, it’s important to make sure your essay directly addresses the prompt, stays within the word count limit , and demonstrates the organization’s values. The scholarship committee will be able to tell if you reuse an essay that doesn’t quite respond to the prompt, so be sure to tailor it to the questions asked.

Research each organization

Before writing, research the scholarship organization’s mission and reason for awarding the scholarship. Learning more about the organization can help you select an appropriate topic and relevant story.

While you should tailor your essay to the organization’s values, maintain your authentic voice. Never use false or exaggerated stories. If the organization’s values don’t align with yours or you can’t brainstorm a relevant story for the scholarship, continue searching for other scholarship opportunities to find a more appropriate one for you.

After researching the organization, identify a specific personal experience that embodies its values and exemplifies why you will be a successful student.

Choose a story with the following criteria:

• Responds to the prompt
• Demonstrates the organization’s values
• Includes an authentic story
• Focuses on you and your experience, not someone else’s

A good scholarship essay is not

• A resume of your achievements
• A lengthy opinion piece about the essay topic
• An essay featuring a negative tone that puts down others

If appropriate, you can briefly address how the scholarship money will help you achieve your educational goals. You should also end with a brief thank-you.

Take a look at the full essay example below. Hover over the underlined parts to read explanations of why they work.

Prompt: Describe how working for Chelsea’s Chicken restaurant has developed leadership skills that will help you succeed in college. Give specific examples of leadership characteristics that you have exhibited during your employment with us.

As a nervous 16-year-old, I walked into Chelsea’s Chicken for my first day of work determined to make enough money to put gas in my car and buy pizza on the weekends. My only previous job was mowing my neighbors’ lawns when they were on vacation, so I had no idea what to expect. I was a bit intimidated by my new responsibilities, especially handling money and helping disgruntled customers.

However, it didn’t take me long to learn my way around the cash register and successfully address customer complaints. One day, Roger, the store manager, asked me if I wanted to join Chelsea’s Chicken Leadership Training Initiative. He said he saw leadership potential in me because of my attitude with the customers and my enthusiasm for learning new job responsibilities. It surprised me because I had never thought of myself as a leader, but I quickly agreed, and Roger handed me a three-ring binder that was thicker than my math and science textbooks put together! He told me to take it home and read over it during the following week.

In that binder, I discovered that being a leader means taking the initiative, especially when the job is undesirable. One week later, I got to practice that idea when a little kid threw up in the bathroom and missed the toilet. It smelled terrible, but I stepped forward and told Roger that I would clean it up. My coworkers thought I was crazy, but I started to believe in my leadership potential.

That night as we closed the store, Roger pulled me aside in the parking lot and told me that he could tell that I had been studying the manual. He wanted to give me more responsibility, along with a dollar-per-hour pay raise. I was surprised because I had been working there for only a couple of months, but his encouragement helped me make a connection: good leadership helps other people, and it often is rewarded. I was determined to experience more of both.

Within a month, I was ready to take the Team Leader exam, which mattered because I would receive a promotion and a much bigger raise if I passed. But, when I got to work, two of the scheduled team members had called in sick. We were noticeably short-handed, and our customers weren’t happy about it.

I walked back to the lockers, put on my vest and hat, and took my place behind an open register. Customers immediately moved into my line to place their orders. Roger looked at me with surprise and asked, “Did you forget that you’re testing tonight?” I responded, “No, sir—but what’s the use of taking a leadership test if you aren’t going to lead in real life?” Roger smiled at me and nodded.

He stayed late that night after we closed so that I could leave early and still take the test. I noticed that Roger was always staying late, helping employees learn new skills. His example taught me that leaders take the initiative to develop other leaders. He gave me a clear picture of what shared leadership looks like, making room for others to grow and excel. When I asked him where he learned to do that, he said, “From the same leadership manual I gave you!”

Chelsea’s Chicken has offered me so much more than a paycheck. Because of Roger’s example, I have learned to take the initiative to care for my family and friends, such as being the first to do the dishes without my mom asking or volunteering to pick up my friend for our SAT prep course. Now, as I prepare to enter college, I have confidence in my leadership ability. I know I’m signing up for a challenging major—Biology, Pre-Med—yet I also know that Chelsea’s Chicken has helped me to develop the perseverance required to complete my studies successfully.

If you want to know more about academic writing , effective communication , or parts of speech , make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples.

Academic writing

• Writing process
• Transition words
• Passive voice
• Paraphrasing

 Communication

• How to end an email
• Ms, mrs, miss
• How to start an email
• I hope this email finds you well
• Hope you are doing well

 Parts of speech

• Personal pronouns
• Conjunctions

A scholarship essay requires you to demonstrate your values and qualities while answering the prompt’s specific question.

After researching the scholarship organization, identify a personal experience that embodies its values and exemplifies how you will be a successful student.

Invest time in applying for various scholarships , especially local ones with small dollar amounts, which are likely easier to win and more reflective of your background and interests. It will be easier for you to write an authentic and compelling essay if the scholarship topic is meaningful to you.

You can find scholarships through your school counselor, community network, or an internet search.

You can start applying for scholarships as early as your junior year. Continue applying throughout your senior year.

Yes, but make sure your essay directly addresses the prompt, respects the word count , and demonstrates the organization’s values.

If you plan ahead, you can save time by writing one scholarship essay for multiple prompts with similar questions. In a scholarship tracker spreadsheet, you can group or color-code overlapping essay prompts; then, write a single essay for multiple scholarships. Sometimes, you can even reuse or adapt your main college essay .

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Crafting Compelling Scholarship Essays: An In-Depth Guide to Making Your Mark

In the diverse and dynamic landscape of scholarship opportunities , it's not uncommon to stumble upon some unique, obscure options that may not attract a multitude of applicants. However, unless you're fortunate enough to discover such a niche and exclusive opportunity, you'll inevitably find yourself in a highly competitive environment vying for that coveted college scholarship award. The competitive nature of these opportunities is a universal truth, a consistent element that brings both thrill and challenge to every hopeful college student seeking to lighten their financial burden through these awards.

The fierceness of the competition is particularly intense when it comes to scholarship essays. These contests, attractive due to their straightforward entry requirements or substantial monetary awards, tend to draw a plethora of candidates from all walks of life. The potential scholarship money reward often outweighs the efforts needed to apply, making these contests an alluring target for a wide array of school students. Hence, the number of applications for these scholarships escalates significantly, causing a spike in competition levels that can be as exhilarating as it is daunting.

Consider, if you will, the colossal responsibility resting on the shoulders of the scholarship committees who are choosing the few scholarship winners. They find themselves facing a mountainous pile of college essays, each representing a student's hopes, dreams, career goals, and potential future.

In this scenario of high-stakes scholarship program contests, the thesis statement to your essay becomes a critical piece of your college application. It's not merely an opening paragraph or a preliminary summary of your thoughts. The scholarship essay introduction serves as your initial personal statement, the opening essay topic of your application symphony, and the spark that can ignite a genuine interest in your life story filled with personal experiences.

Capturing the Reader's Attention: The First Sentence

The initial sentence of your scholarship application is your first, best, and perhaps only opportunity to seize your reader's attention. If you're aiming to optimize your chances of bagging scholarships, you need to understand how to launch your essay on the right foot.

Outlined below are several tips to aid you in crafting an attention-grabbing introduction that steps through the door and grants your application the attention it rightfully deserves.

Crafting Your Introduction: Tips and Tricks

• Embrace Authenticity - Put it in Your Words: Though commencing with an inspirational quote is a prevalent tactic in speeches and certain forms of the essay writing process, it might not be the most effective strategy for a scholarship application essay. Beginning with a famous quote demonstrates to the reviewer that you're capable of reading, but it doesn't offer much insight into you or your ideas. Kick off with your own words and if a quote fortifies or elevates your argument, contemplate incorporating it later in your entire essay.
• Steer Clear of Clichés and Overused Phrases: One of your essay's key objectives should be to set you apart from the crowd, and it won't achieve this if it merely regurgitates the same trite expressions that everyone else uses. Bear in mind that the scholarship provider reviewing your essay will likely be perusing hundreds or possibly thousands of applications. What might seem clever or adorable the first time quickly loses its charm after the 50th or 100th repetition. A good principle to abide by is that if a phrase belongs on a bumper sticker or in an e-mail from your mom, it probably has no place in your scholarship essay.
• Establish a Personal Connection: If your experiences offer you a unique viewpoint on the essay's subject matter, reveal this to your reader. Many people are drawn to personal anecdotes, given that the tales are captivating and well-narrated. Make sure that the life experiences shared in your story actually enhance your essay and bolsters your overall message. Be careful not to get overly dramatic, and don't let your introduction get bogged down in an overly long, intricate, or irrelevant narrative but do mention all of your academic performances.
• Venture Beyond the Typical - Say Something New: Are you arguing a point that deviates significantly from the usual array of canned responses? Consider leading with your thesis statement, or at least some of the insights or revelations that steered your essay towards the hot topic of your choice. There's no superior way to differentiate yourself from a stack of fairly standard responses than to contribute something fresh and thought-provoking with your scholarship application.

With a robust introduction and a thoughtful, well-crafted response, you're well on your journey to authoring an essay worthy of a scholarship award.

Scholarship Essay Example

Title: unleashing ai's potential in battling climate change: my journey towards a green future.

Being a graduate student in computer science often feels like standing at the edge of a vast ocean, watching the waves of artificial intelligence (AI) crash onto the shores of every possible discipline, reshaping landscapes as we know them. In my view, nowhere is this transformative wave needed more urgently than in the realm of environmental conservation.

Climate change, a looming specter of our own making, has ceased to be a distant alarm - it is at our doorstep. Traditional methods have made strides but fall short when it comes to the scale of the task. This is where my chosen focus, AI, steps in - not as a magic wand, but as a potent tool in our toolkit.

AI’s ability to sift through mountains of data and draw out patterns can provide us with a deeper, more nuanced understanding of our environment. For example, analyzing satellite images can track deforestation, spot illegal fishing activities, or anticipate wildfires. These capabilities scratch just the tip of the AI iceberg.

Peering into the future is another strength of AI. It can help us predict various climate scenarios, enabling us to prepare and adapt better. Whether it's forecasting water shortages or anticipating extreme weather patterns, AI gives us a valuable head start against these challenges.

AI’s potential influence also extends to industrial and agricultural sectors. Algorithms can help optimize energy consumption, reduce waste, and minimize carbon footprints. In farming, AI can predict crop yields, manage water resources, and control pesticide usage, thus fostering a sustainable way to feed our ballooning population.

The journey of employing AI for environmental conservation, however, isn't without bumps. There are real concerns around data privacy, the digital divide, and the ethical implications of AI decision-making that demand attention. Transparency, fairness, and accountability are principles we must uphold in our AI systems.

As I stand on the precipice of my research, I acknowledge these challenges. But far from being deterred, I feel a surge of resolve. I am confident that a judicious mix of technological advancements, policy frameworks, and our innate capacity for innovation can help us navigate this complex terrain.

Winning this scholarship would catapult my research into new heights. It would enable me to probe deeper into the intersection of AI and environmental conservation, to collaborate with thought leaders across disciplines, and potentially to design AI solutions that make a substantial impact.

It isn't just a route towards a sustainable future; it's a lifeline for our very existence. I am thrilled about what lies ahead and am eager to leave a positive imprint on this world through my work. After all, our capacity to adapt and innovate is the essence of humanity.

Frequently Asked Questions

What should i avoid when writing a scholarship essay.

Steer clear of clichés, overused phrases, or information that doesn't support your argument. Also, avoid being overly dramatic or straying from the essay prompt. You need to follow the scholarship essay format and make sure that you check all the boxes when it comes to the scholarship application process. As much as you might want to, don't get carried away with fonts, stick to Times New Roman in 12-point font size. And don't be boring; write something you would actually want to read.

Can I start my essay with a quote?

Please don't. And don't start with "Webster's dictionary describes..." It's been done to death and no essay reader will find it compelling or set you apart from the rest of the essays they're reading. At least not in a positive way. Starting with your own words typically helps to establish a personal connection and set the tone for your essay.

How do I stand out in a scholarship essay?

Be yourself and speak from your unique perspective. Be genuine and ensure your essay reflects who you are. A fresh, thought-provoking idea can also set you apart.

Is it okay to reuse a scholarship essay for multiple applications?

You may find it much more efficient to do so, acutally. Just be sure to read the rules and instructions very carefully. If you can "re-use" an essay you've already written with some editing, it could save you hours of your valuable time. However, it's crucial to tailor each application to the specific scholarship and its unique requirements. Recycling an essay without adjusting it can make your application seem impersonal and unthoughtful.

How long should my scholarship essay be?

The length of your essay can vary depending on the scholarship's requirements. Typically, the number of words or characters or pages, font size and spacing will be specified in the official rules. Always stick to the guidelines provided. If no length is specified, aim for 500-1000 words, as this is a standard length that allows for depth without becoming too lengthy.

Should I share my scholarship essay with others for feedback before submitting it?

Absolutely, it can be extremely beneficial to have others review your essay. They can provide constructive criticism, catch any typos or grammatical errors, and provide an outside perspective to ensure your message is clear and compelling.

A Comprehensive Guide to Writing a Winning Scholarship Essay

A winning scholarship essay is the pinnacle of your application. It’s your chance to make a case for why the sponsor should fund your college education. However, writing a winning scholarship essay may be very daunting for you. You may be challenged by one of the four issues I hear from students all the time, like: 

• “I don’t like to write.” 
• “I don’t know what to write about.” 
• “I don’t know how to develop your story to make an impact.” 
• “I am exhausted from all the writing.”

Do any of these statements sound familiar to you? My goal is to help you move past these common roadblocks that students have when writing scholarship essays. Keep reading to learn about: 

• The five most common essay types that scholarship sponsors ask students to write about 
• How to write a winning scholarship essay for each one of these essay types
• How to get past roadblocks that may stump you in your writing or ability to convince the sponsor of your worthiness.

We have also included sample scholarship essays that you can use as a guide to inspire your writing. By following these strategies, you’ll walk away with tools and shortcuts to reduce the time it takes to write a winning scholarship essay that meets what the scholarship sponsor is looking for.

Key Takeaways

• A scholarship essay is an important part of an application for college funding.
• A winning scholarship essay expresses your passions and interests in detail to create a compelling story.
• The dos and don’ts of writing a winning scholarship essay.
• Sample winning scholarship essays are included in this post.

Table of Contents

What is a scholarship.

A scholarship is a financial award given to a student to help pay for educational expenses . Scholarships are typically awarded based on academic or athletic merit or personal attributes such as community service, leadership, or financial need.

Why is the Scholarship Essay Important?

The scholarship essay your write is essential because it gives you a chance to demonstrate to the selection committee what makes you the best candidate for the scholarship. It allows you to showcase your academic achievements, personal strengths, and any extracurricular activities or volunteer work you have participated in. It also allows you to explain your unique circumstances or hardships and how they have shaped you. Ultimately, a well-written and thoughtful essay can help you stand out from the competition and make a positive impression on the selection committee.

Private sources award 1.7M scholarships, with a total value of $7.4B annually. National Center for Education Statistics

Is the Scholarship Essay the Same as a College Essay?

A scholarship essay is different from a college essay. You would write a scholarship essay to apply for a particular award from a nonprofit organization, college or university, or other entity that is awarding funding for college. The purpose of a scholarship essay is to show why you deserve the scholarship. A college essay, on the other hand, is usually used to apply for admission to a college or university. The college essay is meant to give the admissions committee a better understanding of your strengths as a candidate. You can, however, use the essay you’ve written for college admissions for scholarship applications with some tweaking.

What Do You Write in a Winning Scholarship Essay?

What you write in your winning scholarship essay will depend on the question asked by the scholarship sponsor. In my experience coaching students, I have observed that scholarship sponsors ask five types of questions.

5 Types of Scholarship Essay

Personal statement essay.

If a scholarship essay prompt asks you something like, “ To apply, tell us about yourself, the challenges you’ve overcome, and how you plan to make a difference in the world with your education,” such as found in the Yvela Michele Memorial Scholarship , you are being asked to tell your big picture story and why you deserve a scholarship. The personal statement essay makes a great essay that tells a broad story of your

Sample Personal Statement Essay

My name is David Morris, and I am a senior at North High School. Over the last four years, I have completed a challenging course curriculum, been an active member of my school community. I have strived to gain admission into my top school, the University of Texas at Austin, where I’ll attend in the fall.

While UT was generous in offering me a $20,000 merit scholarship, I need additional funds to afford the school. Therefore, I am humbly requesting consideration for the Mae Gold Foundation Scholarship for $5,000. Based on my research, I have the academic background, achievement history, personal mission, and goals that align with the Foundation’s objectives to “send deserving students from the state of Indiana to college.”

My goal is to study psychology at UT Austin and then study medicine and become a psychiatrist. My passion for this career path started as a junior when I volunteered at Wishard Hospital. My assignment was to assist Dr. Patel, a psychiatrist, with 35 patients with schizophrenia, bipolar, and other mental illnesses. As part of group therapy support, I interacted with the patients. I played games like chess, pool, and table tennis with patients. I shadowed Dr. Patel, learning his day-to-day and watching how he impacted the lives of his patients. This experience taught me workplace skills such as time management, teamwork, and planning. But most importantly, it exposed me to the possibility of being a doctor. 

While I know the journey is long, I am confident I will persevere and keep going until I achieve my goals. Throughout my education, I have challenged myself at every turn. I have taken 7 AP classes and 5 honors courses. During the last two summers, I have taken computer science classes at IUPUI. Also, I am in leadership positions in my school’s Key Club, play golf, and work a part-time job at Kroger. 

The only barrier to achieving my dream is financing college. The cost of attending UT is $52,000. Even after the scholarship, I’d have to pay $32,000. I am aggressively looking for scholarships to lessen the amount of student loans I’ll have to take on. So far, I’ve won awards from various scholarship agencies totaling $15,000. The $5,000 award from Mae Gold will give me so much closer to my goal. By investing in me, you’ll help me become the first person in my family to graduate college and enter a STEM field where students like me are underrepresented.

Leadership Essay

A leadership essay prompt essentially asks you to reflect on an activity that is unique and has reached and impacted people, like the one asked by the Glenda W. Brennan Foundation , which asks, “ tell us how you give back to your community and what your plans in the travel industry are.”

Sample Leadership Essay

While in high school, I have had significant leadership experiences, both in volunteer service and paid positions. These opportunities have given me a unique perspective and have helped me learn new skills, such as working with people, communicating, and being efficient.  

Over the last three years, I have volunteered at Seven Loaves Food Pantry. Every Saturday, I help prepare bags of food for families in need. My job is to sort out food and place it in a bag. Once a staff member announces on the megaphone, “Get ready for the run!” I gather a few carts and run out to the cars in line for their groceries. As I pile groceries throughout their car, I get many thanks of gratitude. There’s one that I remember vividly, a mother with a young child said to me, “Thank you for all of your hard work. Our community needs this. God bless.” Having the privilege of interacting with the recipient face-to-face is the most rewarding feeling, and it is why I chose to volunteer for this organization. The kindness and positivity this program has presented to me are what I strive to portray in my personal life. 

Also, since 2018, I have volunteered at the public libraries for the City of Plano. I read to children at story time events and assist them with Legos, counting money, watercolor painting, and other crafts. I love making their day and seeing the intrigued looks on the children’s faces as I read or play with them. In one particular event, a child’s parent came up to me after and said that her daughter truly enjoyed her time and wanted to come back and see me the next day. These responses develop my desire to help and interact with children in any way possible.

I have worked at Dallas Country Club since 2018. My duties involve filing documents and assisting the HR Director with organizing the file area to reduce backlog and clutter and increase productivity. Also, I learned a new computer program, which I use to file new hire employee information and payroll. During the holidays, I help coordinate catering packages for members, including taking orders, organizing and packing trays of food, and solving concerns as they come up. I dress up as characters, like the Easter bunny, entertaining children. Since joining the Country Club, my problem-solving, communication, and project management skills have advanced. In other aspects of my life, I have applied these skills, including at school when I am assigned group projects. I usually am the one who takes the lead in organizing and assigning tasks for each person, making sure every member gets their work done on time, and encouraging my group to work as a team to be more efficient. 

Overall, I have learned several things from my leadership experiences. With my new skills and knowledge, I also understand that my actions significantly influence others. I feel more prepared for college and my future.

Future Plans Essay

A future plans essay prompt asks you to share your academic progress and discuss your intent, promise, and future career goals in detail. A good example of a future plans essay prompt is the one asked by the Jacques Borges Memorial Scholarship , “ Why are you passionate about becoming a civil engineer? What are some of the problems you’d like to address in your community? how do you believe you can contribute to the solution to these issues? Sponsors would like to know what you expect to achieve in your future career, what inspired that choice, the aptitude you demonstrated that prove you’ll succeed in this career choice, and the role your college will play in your future success.

Sample Future Plans Essay

Last summer, I read Anthony Burgess’ A Clockwork Orange, which I found to be one of the most profound books I had ever read. In the text, Alex, the protagonist, has his right to choose taken away by a totalitarian government. Learning about the hardships and moral dilemmas Alex faced helped me appreciate my freedom to decide my career pathway. I want to work at a law firm and handle civil rights cases to protect people’s natural born rights. 

Someday, I hope to be as influential as civil rights leader Julius Chambers. Chambers opened a law practice in Charlotte and is most famous for the integration (by busing) of public schools in the 1971 case Swann v. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education.  Like Chambers, I believe that nothing should slow the advancement of civil rights. I will strive to get a position on a state supreme court to rule in landmark cases involving violations of the rights and protections guaranteed by our Constitution and laws. 

I believe that vision, hope, hard work, and my education at Georgetown University will position me for a successful career in law. I chose Georgetown because I would like to pursue rigorous academic coursework and conduct research alongside expert practitioner professors and like-minded students passionate about learning. I will take advantage of being part of the Honors Program to develop my thinking skills further. The course I am looking forward to most is called “What is Politics For?” In the class, I will explore questions that dominate public discourse and join the discussion with peers who value learning as much as I do. 

In addition, I plan to research under the guidance of political science professors like William Winstead. He examined Nietzsche’s Practice of Warfare influenced German culture and determined how Germany interacts with foreign nations today.  With his in-depth knowledge of how to gather adequate resources on a topic and synthesize a more significant meaning between history and modern-day politics, I hope to understand the rationale of political behavior in the United States.

Also, I am excited about participating in extracurricular opportunities offered at Georgetown University that will prepare me for a career, such as volunteering abroad in England to understand better how their unitary form of government works or securing a prestigious internship with parliament. Hands-on experiences juxtaposed with working with relevant and active professors will provide me with the foundational knowledge and expertise that will prepare me for law school and a career someday as a lawyer.

In closing, I hope you will consider my application for the Newfield Scholarship. The scholarship will go towards educational costs and allow me to focus on my studies in my first year. I will ensure that the investment in my education is returned tenfold in the communities I plan to serve in the coming years. Thank you for this opportunity, and I look forward to your decision.

Struggle Essay

A struggle essay prompt is one that asks you to speak about a challenge you faced and how you succeeded in persisting through and eventually overcoming the challenge.As an example, The Cat Zingano Overcoming Loss Scholarship asks the question, How has the loss of a close family member or loved one caused you to focus on what matters most in your life and what you want to “fight” to achieve?” When you craft your winning scholarship essay, you’ll speak about any problem or challenge you have dealt with, the actions you took to work through the problem, how you’ve grown as a person after facing the challenge, and the learnings from this experience that will help you in the future.

Sample Struggle Essay

I struggled in Mrs. Hennessey’s geometry class. While classmates intensely followed her lesson, studying the whiteboard as she drew perfect shapes and angles, I couldn’t keep up. After school, I’d go home and practice drawing lines and shapes for hours until it got dark outside. My eyes were sore, and my fingers blistered from pushing too hard on the loose-leaf paper to draw shapes like Mrs. Hennessey’s. 

After a few weeks of noticing my late nights studying, my parents offered, “We will get you a tutor [if] it will help.” But I always refused. You see, looking back, the problem was not that I didn’t understand geometry. I didn’t need tutoring, so I didn’t want to waste their money. What I wanted instead: that I could draw every point, segment, line, and triangle straight, clean, and 90 degrees. Geometry made me fully aware of my flaws, and I hated it. 

This all changed, for the better, when I took Art 1-2D. On my first day of class, the teacher, Mrs. Pierce, introduced herself, saying, “I would like you to draw what you want our world to look like. There is no right or wrong in this class. Art is how you, as the artist, choose to interpret it.” Staring down at the blank sheet of paper, I had trouble getting started. Seeing everyone around me had a clear objective and art skills, I defaulted to drawing six stick figures united, holding hands. I looked over at my classmates’ drawings. While I cannot remember precisely what they drew, it looked more creative and professional. My figures were not perfect in any way, and it bothered me. Their legs and arms weren’t straight, their heads were not perfect ovals, and they all appeared different. 

When my art teacher walked by my desk, I expected her to criticize my work and tell me what needed to be fixed. Instead, she kneeled in, close to my paper, and said, “Kaeli, that looks great!” I felt relieved as the weight had been lifted off my shoulders. In her validation of my art, down went the pressure to be perfect. In my art class anyway. 

Over the next few months, Mrs. Pierce assigned us so many projects that I loved — that broadened my perspective of art.  One example includes a distorted art project. The project tasked me with picturing myself in an object that reflected distortion. Using a decorative tissue box cover, I placed my phone at eye level, hit the red button, and hoped for the best. The image reflected my face: twisted, deformed, and imperfect.  I immediately knew the exact point of this assignment and its lessons applicable to other parts of my life.

In my geometry days, taking an hour to draw perfect lines and symmetrical shapes took a toll on my mental health. I spent more time worrying about the aesthetics of my work than the content and purpose of learning. Welcoming art into my life changed all of this for me. Art has reset my views: it has no expectations and lacks perfection.

Thematic Essay

A thematic essay prompt asks you to write a response related to a quote, mission, or concept. This essay will vary by the sponsor, so you cannot write it ahead of time unless another sponsor asks a similar theme question. For example, The Bryent Smothermon PTSD Awareness Scholarship asks student applicants: “ What have you learned about yourself or the world around you through your experiences with service-related PTSD? How do you hope to use your experience to help other veterans who are currently suffering from PTSD?” Thematic essays are creative and give you an opportunity to tell the scholarship sponsor a unique story about yourself and your life experiences that show you’re worthy of scholarship funding.

Sample Thematic Essay

Often, it’s difficult to resist the temptation of my phone. Seeing the screen light up in the corner of my eye while struggling to focus on the road ahead is challenging. Aside from my phone, there are endless disturbances that many young people and I encounter while driving. 

Distracted driving affects thousands of people. But specifically, I have seen teens physically and mentally connected to their phones because it’s how we grew up. That’s all we know. It is a constant battle—fighting the urge to return a friend’s text, skip to the next song, or post on Instagram. This nagging fear of missing out drives us to indulge in hazardous activities that distract from what’s most important, keeping our eyes on the road. 

Regretfully, I have been both a distracted driver and an accomplice to distracted driving. One example I can still see clearly in my head was during the homecoming of sophomore year. I was in the car with my friends, Anya and Sophia. I was sitting in the passenger seat next to Anya, who was driving. Sophia was sitting in the back seat. It was 9:00 PM, the windows were down, and Shawn Mendes’ new song was blaring as we cruised down Preston Road with no care at the moment. But within seconds, that reality faded once our oblivion carried us through a still red light, almost colliding with another vehicle. My heart stopped, and shock took over my body. I still remember the look on the little girl’s face in the other car. She must’ve been barely five years old. I thought to myself: we could’ve killed her. We could’ve killed ourselves. 

Beyond escaping a near-death experience, that night taught me three things:

• I learned the importance of safe driving.
• I can see now how easy it is to lose control of a situation while distracted.
• I have learned the significance of spreading awareness of being a safe driver.

Every day I sit in the driver’s seat, I do what I can to prevent myself from distracted driving. Before I start the ignition, I connect my Bluetooth, put on my music, and input the directions to where I am going. If I get a text from my parents or friends while driving, I ignore it and respond when I can safely pull over. Also, I avoid eating while driving. And my rule is never to have more than two passengers in the car. Taking these actions and being an example to my friends who observe me while driving can be crucial in saving lives.

As a result, I’m 17 years old and can proudly say I have maintained a clean driving record. I have no tickets or accidents to report. Praising me for my driving maturity, my parents have allowed me to take road trips with my friends as far as 100 miles from our home.

How to start a scholarship essay?

Crafting a successful scholarship essay doesn’t have to be a challenging process. Start with an outline, focusing on the essentials of what you want to present. Be sure to include compelling anecdotes and examples to back up your viewpoint. While working on your essay, forget about worrying over word count, as the most important thing is getting your ideas down on paper first. Once that’s done, take time to read through it carefully, refining and tightening it until it answers the prompt clearly before submitting your application.

How long should a Scholarship essay be?

Writing a winning scholarship essay can vary in length, but most are around 500-1000 words. However, it is important to follow the specific requirements set by the scholarship provider.

Dos and Don’ts of writing a scholarship essay.

Writing a scholarship essay can be a daunting task. Here are some do’s and don’ts that you’ll want to adhere to as you write your winning scholarship essay.

• Carefully read all instructions and requirements. Make sure your essay is following all the requirements, or it may not be considered.
• Use proper grammar and spelling. A well-written essay will make a good impression on the reader.
• Make sure you stay within the word limit.
• Proofread your essay. Check for any typos or errors.
• Don’t wait until the last minute to start writing your essay. Make sure you give yourself enough time to plan and write your essay.
• Don’t exceed the word limit. This could lead to points being taken off your essay.
• Likewise, refrain from utilizing excessively informal language or slang.
• Don’t plagiarize. Make sure your work is original, and cite any sources you use.
• Therefore, don’t submit your essay without proofreading it first. Additionally, be sure to check for any errors or typos.

Conclusion + Next Steps

Now that you know how to write a winning scholarship essay and have seen examples of great scholarship essays, you can begin to write your own scholarship essay. By following these tips, you’ll be well on your way to writing a winning scholarship essay that stands out to the reader and wins you the funds you need to pay for college.

Don’t forget to download the Scholarship Starter Pack , which includes fill-in-the-blank essay templates and other resources to get you started with finding and winning scholarships to pay for college.

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13 Tips to Bring Your Scholarship Essay to the Next Level

Applying for scholarships would be a piece of cake if it wasn’t for the essay, which often forces us to reflect on ourselves, who we are as people, and what we’ve accomplished so far in life. While it can be the most difficult part of the application, it’s also the most important part.

The Planning Phase

1. plan far in advance, 2. know your audience, 3. follow the instructions & answer the prompt, 4. choose a topic that you’re interested in and passionate about, 5. consider reusing an existing essay., the writing phase, 6. create a strong introduction, 7. keep a good structure, 8. show emotions, 9. use real life examples (“show, don’t tell”), 10. keep the tone inspirational & positive, 11. stay away from dreary & boring conclusions, the editing phase, 12. proofread and ask for help, 13. take advantages of resources, but where you do apply.

The scholarship essay is your chance to make a case for yourself and to show the committee why you deserve to win. It gives you the chance to show your personality and what you’re most proud of in life. Your scholarship application should inform, but your scholarship essay should persuade. Scholarship committees read hundreds, or even thousands, of essays, so making your application stand out from the rest is crucial.

Luckily, you don’t need perfect writing skills to make it happen. With a few scholarship essay tips and tricks in mind, you can easily bring your scholarship application to the next level.

Here are our 13 scholarship essay tips to help you succeed:

If you wait until the last minute to write your scholarship essay, the quality will likely suffer. To make sure that you have enough time for the planning phase, create a calendar ( like this one ) with the deadlines and requirements for all the scholarships you want to apply for. Make sure to give yourself plenty of time for brainstorming and proofreading!

Hot tip : If you use Going Merry to find and apply for scholarships , you can save your favorite scholarships, and then our dashboard will keep track of all your upcoming deadlines for you. We’ll even email you reminders so you don’t miss out! Learn more about how Going Merry works here .

The best way to give the scholarship committee what they’re looking for is to actually know what they’re looking for. Figure out who their ideal candidate is and how you fit into that picture. But be careful not to cater to their expectations too much.

Don’t sacrifice your voice and personality to fit the bill. Rather, take a look at your strengths and then determine how you can spin them to become the ideal candidate.

Hot tip : Not sure how to do this? Check out the “Financial Literacy for Hispanic Women” and “Life Happens” scholarship essays here , for examples of past winners who’ve clearly taken the scholarship provider’s missions into account.

It might seem like one of the more obvious scholarship essay tips, but many applicants make their first mistake before they even begin – they don’t read the directions. Exceeding (or not meeting) the word count can hurt your chances since it shows that you didn’t prepare your essay as well as other applicants. Also, double check to make sure you’re responding thoroughly to all parts of the prompt and that you’re following the correct scholarship essay format.

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Your topic can have a heavy impact on how well your essay turns out. If you choose a topic that bores you, you’ll likely bore your reader too! Try to choose a topic that you’re passionate about or that interests you in some way, rather than a topic that you feel you should write about – that way, your personality and excitement can shine through in your writing!

Many scholarship essays use the same essay prompt. Some scholarship providers even use the ones from the Common App or allow you to choose your own topic. This means you can literally copy and paste your essay to submit to multiple applications (yay!).

Other times, scholarships use similar essay prompts, or ask questions that can be answered in the same way. You might be able to slightly change an existing essay, rather than writing a new one altogether. For example, these two prompts can often be answered the same way: 

• Discuss a moment or experience that caused significant personal growth.
• Discuss a time when you had to overcome an obstacle.

Since overcoming an obstacle often results in personal growth, if you have an essay for one of these prompts, you can usually tweak it to make it work for the other prompt.

Hot tip :  Going Merry makes it easy for you by combining scholarships with similar essay prompts into application bundles . This way, you can apply for multiple scholarships with just one essay. Sign up today .

Since the introduction is what draws the reader into your essay and convinces them to keep going, it should be one of the strongest parts of your essay . Instead of starting off with a general overview, why not hook your reader with a surprising first line?

For example, which of these two opening lines pulls you into the story more? Which one makes you want to keep going?

My first time traveling abroad was during a family vacation to Mexico in 2010.

It was 2010; I had just crossed the border into Mexico and my life was about to change.

The second sentence gives the reader something to look for; it makes them curious about not only how your life changed during your trip but also why it changed. It gives the readers unanswered questions and they have to keep reading to find the answers.

Overall, you’ll want to give your reader a quick preview of what they can expect from your essay – think of it like the written version of a movie trailer. Why should they keep reading? 

After the introduction, it’s important to make sure that your reader can follow along with your essay without too much effort. Creating a basic outline is a great way to make sure this happens!

To create an outline, first organize your thoughts. Write down the main points that you definitely want to cover in your essay. Next, organize those thoughts into various sections: introduction, body, and conclusion. Your ideas can either be in sentence form, short phrases, or simple words – whatever you prefer! Lastly, make sure your ideas flow in a logical order and, if necessary, add more detail under each point. Check out this source for more information .

Also, try to avoid going off on a tangent by taking the time to determine which information is relevant and which isn’t . Similarly, consider just how much detail you should include. Providing some detail can make your point clearer or more compelling, but  too much detail can bog down your essay. 

Hot tip : Check out Joseph Lee’s “What makes a good doctor?” essay here , for an example of a well-structured scholarship essay.

Connecting with an audience through writing can be challenging but, when done right, it can create a very powerful connection between the reader and the author. Showing your emotions is a great way to do that and to get the reader personally invested in your essay. Showing emotion can help the reader see you as a person, rather than a faceless author. Even though it’s crucial, it’s one of the scholarship essay tips that people tend to ignore the most.

We all have vulnerabilities, so don’t be afraid to show them. Scholarship committees don’t expect you to be perfect and want to see how you’ve grown as a person and handled the obstacles that life has thrown your way. In fact, opening up about times where you felt nervous or scared demonstrates maturity and self-awareness – two great qualities for a scholarship applicant to have.

Hot tip :  Check out Jesus’ winning scholarship essay here, which discusses a really tough moment in his life. It’s a great example of showing vulnerability.

Instead of telling your reader about your experiences, show them. Don’t be afraid to provide real-world examples of your experiences and/or how you’ve changed as a person. Nearly every applicant will have a somewhat similar response to the essay prompt and your personal examples are your chance to transform your essay from generic to unique.

Consider the difference between these two passages explaining why the scholarship applicant wants to pursue a career in science:

VERSION 1:  I have always been interested in science, even from a young age. Since my family supported my interest enthusiastically, I continued to pursue it throughout school. As I’ve gotten older, though, my scientific endeavors have become increasingly complex. 

VERSION 2: Too young to enter the school science fairs, I took to my family. Force-feeding different animal food to my siblings and parents, I graphed their favorite types. While I was only six, my family has never forgiven me; my “experiments” remain the family joke. Nevertheless, I have progressed from my dog food days, leaving taste tests for DNA gel electrophoresis experiments.  [ essay from Lauren Croda ]

Which is more engaging? While Version 1 explains things and may be well-written, it’s a bit boring, right? Version 2 makes the subject come alive and showcases the author’s quirky personality. While anyone (and probably many applicants) could write Version 1, only Lauren could write Version 2. It helps her stand out.  That ‘s the power of examples and “show, don’t tell.”

One of the most important scholarship essay tips is based entirely on your perspective and tone. Nobody wants to read a depressing and self-pitying story. Even if you’re writing about difficult or sad events in your life, try and keep the tone positive and inspirational. Rather than just writing about how you were negatively affected by an event, focus on how you grew from the experience and overcame the obstacle.

Most people use the conclusion to simply paraphrase their entire essay…but don’t be afraid to think outside of the box! Do something surprising and innovative. Make your essay interesting and attention-grabbing from the first letter until the last period.

One great way to bring your conclusion to the next level is to leave your readers with an interesting question for them to think about. For more ideas, check out these helpful tips .

As much as we like to believe that we’re perfect, we all make mistakes…which is why it’s so important to take the time to proofread your essay. One great way to find mistakes is to read your essay out loud. For more ideas, check out these helpful tips .

Once you’ve taken the time to proofread your own essay a few times, have someone else do it for you. Asking a family member or friend for help can provide you with a different perspective on your writing and a second set of eyes might catch a mistake that you didn’t.

When it comes to writing, you don’t have to do it completely on your own. Check out some of our resources including scholarship essay examples from Going Merry winners ,; a breakdown of why these 5 scholarship essays worked; and our guides to writing personal statements , academic goals essays , or career goals essays .

If you’re in college, most schools have a writing center that offers free feedback and guidance to students. They might even have some insightful scholarship essay tips that you (or we!) didn’t think about. Some high schools, communities, or libraries might also have similar services.

Now that you’re writing stellar essays, start applying for scholarships! Here’s a list of 10 scholarship search sites , but we’d just recommend you go straight for the best one: Sign up  for free with Going Merry , and then upload your essays to your documents section. Get started with your scholarship applications today.

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Scholarship Essay Writing

Scholarship Essay Prompts

Scholarship Essay Prompts 2024 For Students

16 min read

People also read

How to Write a Standout Scholarship Essay | Tips & Examples

Scholarship Essay Format Explained with Examples

Top Scholarship Essay Examples: Winning Essays for 2024

In the scholarship application process, essays give students a great opportunity to showcase their abilities and strengths. 

A well-written scholarship essay can be the most effective part of the whole application process. So, it is important to put much time and careful attention into its preparation. 

Take a look at this guide, find some easy scholarship writing prompts for different universities, and learn how to address them. 

• 1. Our Selection of College Scholarship Prompts
• 2. Common College Scholarship Essay Prompts
• 3. The Gates Scholarship Essay Prompts 
• 4. Robertson Scholarship Essay Prompts
• 5. Bryan Cameron Scholarship Essay Prompts
• 6. Jackie Robinson Scholarship Essay Prompts
• 7. Dell Scholarship Essay Prompts
• 8. APIA Scholarship Essay Prompts
• 9. Flinn Scholarship Essay Prompts
• 10. Vanderbilt Scholarship Essay Prompts
• 11. How to Address Scholarship Essay Prompts? 
• 12. Sample Scholarship Essay Prompts 

Our Selection of College Scholarship Prompts

We've compiled a range of essay prompts commonly used by the following scholarship programs:

• The Gates Scholarship Essay Prompts

Vanderbilt Scholarship Essay Prompts

Robertson scholarship essay prompts.

• Bryan Cameron Scholarship Essay Prompts 
• Jackie Robinson Scholarship Essay Prompts 

Dell Scholarship Essay Prompts

• Apia Scholarship Essay Prompts

Flinn Scholarship Essay Prompts

Select any prompt and write your scholarship essay or personal statement . Show the admission committee why you deserve financial aid. Make sure you follow the proper scholarship essay format .

Common College Scholarship Essay Prompts

Here are some common scholarship essay topics and popular essay questions used by colleges, to improve your scholarship chances.

• How will this scholarship benefit you?
• How have you made a positive impact in your community?
• Share some information about yourself.
• Describe a time when you failed and what you learned from that experience.
• What are your academic or professional aspirations?
• How have sports influenced your life?
• Why do you deserve this scholarship?
• Talk about a moment when your belief or idea was challenged.
• What makes you unique? (Consider your background, identity, interests, or talents)
• Why are you interested in studying/pursuing [X]?

The Gates Scholarship Essay Prompts 

• Describe the subjects in which you have excelled. What do you believe are the reasons for your success in these areas?
• Identify the subjects you have found challenging. What factors contributed to these difficulties, and how have you addressed them to prevent future issues? In which areas have you seen the most improvement, and what challenges remain?
• Provide a brief description of a time when you or others faced unfair treatment or were denied an opportunity you believed you deserved. Why do you think this occurred, and how did you respond? Did your response lead to any improvements in the situation?
• Outline your short-term and long-term goals. Are some of these goals connected, and which ones are your top priorities?
• Reflect on a leadership experience you have had in any aspect of your life, such as school, work, sports, family, church, or community. What led you to take on this leadership role, and how has this experience shaped your goals?
• Discuss your participation in and contributions to a community near your home, school, or elsewhere. Choose an experience that is different from the one mentioned in the previous question, even if it also involved leadership. What did you achieve, and how has this experience influenced your goals?
• Apart from school classes, in what areas have you gained knowledge or skills? How did you acquire them?
• Is there anything else you would like to share that might help us in evaluating your nomination, such as personal traits or challenges you have overcome?
• Describe a significant leadership experience you've had. What challenges did you face, and how did you overcome them?
• Discuss a community service project you initiated or were deeply involved in. What impact did it have on your community and on you personally?
• Share an instance where you used innovative thinking to solve a problem. What was the outcome?
• Reflect on a time when you experienced significant personal growth. What triggered this change, and how has it shaped who you are today?
• Describe an experience that broadened your global perspective. How has this influenced your views and actions?
• Discuss a subject or academic pursuit you are passionate about. How have you explored this interest, and what do you hope to achieve in this field?
• Describe an ethical dilemma you faced. How did you resolve it, and what did you learn from the experience?
• What are your long-term goals, and how do you plan to achieve them? How will the Robertson Scholarship help you in this journey?
• How have you contributed to promoting diversity and inclusion in your school or community? Why is this important to you?
• Share a story of a setback or failure you experienced. How did you recover from it, and what did you learn?

Bryan Cameron Scholarship Essay Prompts

• Reflect on a time when you took a stand for social justice or equity. What motivated you, and what impact did you make?
• Describe your involvement in environmental conservation efforts. How do you envision addressing environmental challenges in the future?
• Discuss an interdisciplinary project or initiative you undertook that bridged different fields of study or interests. What did you learn from this experience?
• Cultural Immersion: Share an experience where you immersed yourself in a different culture or community. How did this experience broaden your perspective?
• Describe a project or idea where you applied technology to address a pressing issue or improve lives. What inspired this innovation?
• Reflect on a mentorship experience that significantly impacted your personal or academic growth. How did this relationship shape your goals?
• Discuss a problem you encountered and the creative solution you devised to solve it. What was the outcome?
• Describe a situation where you had to navigate ethical dilemmas as a leader. How did you uphold your values while making difficult decisions?
• Share your involvement in a civic engagement initiative or political campaign. What motivated you to participate, and what change did you hope to achieve?
• Reflect on a significant challenge or obstacle you faced and how you persevered despite it. What did you learn about yourself in the process?

Jackie Robinson Scholarship Essay Prompts

• Describe a time when you brought together people from different backgrounds to achieve a common goal.
• Reflect on how you've worked to improve education in your community.
• Share an experience where you helped young age people overcome challenges or reach their goals.
• Talk about a project you started to address a social issue.
• Describe a time when you communicated well across different cultures or languages.
• Discuss your efforts to promote fairness and inclusion.
• Share a story that shows your sportsmanship and good character.
• Describe how you've encouraged diversity in science, technology, engineering, and math fields.
• Reflect on how you've been involved in protecting voting rights or encouraging people to get involved in their communities.
• Talk about what you've done to support equality between genders.
• Describe a personal or family financial challenge you've faced and how it has affected your educational journey. How has it shaped your determination to succeed?
• Imagine the most significant challenges you may face transitioning to and while in college. Explain specific strategies you'll use to overcome them, highlighting your resilience.
• Explain your commitment to pursuing a college degree and how it aligns with the Dell Scholars Program's mission of empowering underserved students.
• Discuss your academic achievements and future career path. How will a Dell Scholarship help you bridge the gap between your goals and financial limitations?
• Share a time when you demonstrated resourcefulness and overcame obstacles with limited resources. How did this experience prepare you for the challenges of college?
• Describe a situation where you identified a need in your community and took initiative to address it. How did you make a positive impact?
• Reflect on the impact of a mentor or role model on your academic and personal experience. How has their guidance shaped your goals?
• Imagine you receive a Dell Scholarship. Explain how you would utilize the program's resources and support network to maximize your potential.
• Beyond academics, what kind of impact do you strive to make on the world after college? How does your chosen field of study contribute to your goals?
• The Dell Scholars Program emphasizes giving back. Describe how you envision yourself contributing to your community or a cause you care about after graduation.

APIA Scholarship Essay Prompts

• Leadership Experience: Describe a time when you assumed a leadership role. How did you feel leading, and what qualities do you believe define a good leader? Reflect on your leadership experience and identify areas for improvement in your leadership skills.
• Cultural Identity Impact: Reflect on how being Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and/or Pacific Islander has shaped your life. How does this aspect of your identity intersect with other aspects of who you are? Discuss how your unique identity contributes to your personal narrative.
• Defining Success: Define success in your own terms and outline your goals for the future. What are your passions, dreams, and aspirations? Don't worry if you haven't fully mapped out your path yet; focus on articulating your vision for success.
• Community Significance: Explore the concept of community and its importance to you. Who comprises your community, and how have they impacted your journey? Reflect on the support you have received from your community and the ways in which you have reciprocated that support. Write authentically about the people who have played pivotal roles in your life.
• Share a meaningful leadership experience and its impact on your community.
• Explain your commitment to service and civic engagement and how it aligns with the mission of the Flinn Scholarship.
• Discuss a project or initiative you've undertaken that exemplifies your passion for creating social change.
• Describe a time when you've worked with diverse teams to address a complex issue.
• Reflect on a book, research paper, or intellectual pursuit that has influenced your academic interests.
• Explain your long-term career goals and how the Flinn Scholarship will enable you to achieve them.
• Discuss a challenge you've encountered while pursuing your academic or extracurricular interests and how you've overcome it.
• Share a global issue that concerns you and the role you envision in addressing it.
• Explain how you've demonstrated a commitment to ethical leadership.
• Reflect on a time when you contributed to a significant positive change in your community.
• Bronson Ingram's Legacy of Innovation: Share your thoughts on the best way to innovate. How do you use this approach in your own work? How can it help create more opportunities at the crossroads of business and impactful philanthropy?
• Serving the Common Good: What does it mean for people and businesses to "serve the common good"? How do these ideas influence your career goals?
• Scalable Civic/Community Service Project: Describe a community service project you've been involved in that could benefit from being expanded. How would you go about scaling it?
• For applicants to the School of Engineering, Peabody College of Education and Human Development, and Blair School of Music: Why are you interested in your chosen academic program? Discuss your related experiences, goals, and interests. Please keep your response to 500 words.
• For applicants to the College of Arts and Science: How will you take advantage of the diverse courses and experiences at the College of Arts and Science? How will a liberal arts education fit into your academic journey or passions? Please keep your response to 500 words.
• Chart of Community Building Activities: List activities that show your commitment to bridging gaps among different groups in your high school community. For each activity, include:
• Responsibilities
• Years Involved
• Hours Spent
• Chancellor’s Scholarship Values: Describe how one activity from your list above has deepened your understanding of leadership, scholarship, diversity, or citizenship. Please keep your response to 500 words.
• Curb Leadership Scholarship: Tell a story using seven items that show how you've combined creativity, entrepreneurship, and leadership to make a positive impact. You may include links or images. Please limit your response to 2,500 words.
• Fred Russell-Grantland Rice Scholarship: How will you use your time at Vanderbilt to develop your career in sports journalism? Include up to ten samples of your published work.

How to Address Scholarship Essay Prompts? 

The way to address your scholarship essay prompt will determine how successful your application is. 

Every scholarship essay question should be approached differently. Below, you can find some common scholarship essay prompts, examples, and guidelines on how to approach them. 

Where Do You See Yourself in 5 Years? 

To answer this question, you need to show that you have a plan for your future that corresponds to your degree program. 

The scholarship committee will make sure that their money is going to a deserving candidate. So, you need to create an answer that shows your realistic goals and how they can be achieved through education.

Let's look at the example below to get an idea about answering this question;

Why this Answer Stands Out: The answer to the question is well-structured and concise. It tells a compelling story that includes a clear vision, connects to education, and shows passion and commitment. These are all important parts of a good scholarship essay.  

What Is Your Biggest Weakness? 

Remember, there are thousands of students applying for the scholarship program. So make sure your answers set you above the other candidates. 

To address this question, you need to turn your weaknesses into great opportunities. Starting with a problem and then coming up with a solution will show that you are forward-thinking and that quality is worth rewarding. 

Let’s look at the example below; 

Why this Answer Stands Out: The response strikes a balance between acknowledging a genuine weakness and demonstrating self-awareness and a proactive approach to personal growth. 

It also leaves room for further discussion if the interviewer wants to explore how the candidate manages this weakness in a professional context.

What Is Your Greatest Personal Achievement? 

To answer this question, you can choose any achievement in your life. You just need to make sure that you can relate it to your education. 

The example below can help you get an idea of how to answer this;

Why this Answer Stands Out: This answer does a great job of relating personal achievement to their academic journey. It also shows that the person understands themselves and how this achievement connects to their future goals.

What Are Your Contributions to Your Community? 

This is a very common scholarship essay question in which you need to describe your experience in community service. Share your experience and the work you have participated in. 

In this prompt, you need to address what you have learned by participating in community service and how you plan to contribute to your community in the future. 

Here is how you can answer this;

Why this Answer Stands Out: The answer shows the applicant's dedication to community service, their participation in various activities, and their goal of setting a good example. 

It's an informative description of their community contributions, making it a strong choice for a scholarship essay.

What Makes You Unique? 

Everyone has a traitor, an attribute that makes them different and unique. It could be their habit or interest. 

Provide as much detail as possible to answer this prompt in the best way possible. 

Sample Scholarship Essay Prompts 

Unique Scholarship Essay Questions

Do not forget to check the scholarship essay examples blog to learn how to respond to each prompt in the best way from sample essays.

Wrapping it Up, It is not easy to predict every scholarship essay question. Nevertheless, knowing some of the important ones can give you an advantage in applications. 

Still, if you don’t know where to start or are looking for expert help, get one-on-one help from the best essay writers at MyPerfectWords.com.  

Our scholarship essay writing service is all you need to stand out from other applicants and win the scholarship. 

Just head over to our website to receive assistance with your " Do my essay " request!

Frequently Asked Questions

What not to include in your scholarship essay.

Here are nine things you should avoid in your scholarship essay. 

• Inspirational quotes
• Overly general phrases and platitudes
• Cliche stories or themes
• “Text speak”
• “Hot takes” of the day
• Emojis, photos, and funky fonts
• Extreme declarations
• Put-downs of other applicants

What is a good hook for a scholarship essay?

A good hook for a scholarship essay could be a compelling personal anecdote or a thought-provoking question. For example:

"Standing on the stage, heart pounding, I realized that leading my school's robotics team had taught me more about resilience and teamwork than any classroom ever could."

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Popular scholarship essay prompts (and how to stand out when you answer them).

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The scholarship search is an essential process for many college students who need financial aid for college. As you may know, the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA ® ) offers aid in the form of grants, federal student loans, and work-study . However, students can maximize their aid by applying for scholarships offered by a variety of sources, including nonprofits and companies.

Many scholarships require students to write an essay for the application, and while writing endless essays may seem overwhelming, it doesn’t have to be. If you’ve ever done a scholarship search or even started applying, you might be aware that many of the essay prompts on the applications are similar. Knowing the most popular prompts and how to stand out will help you prepare for the scholarship application process.

What's a scholarship essay prompt?

Scholarship boards review many applications every year, and your essay is one way for them to get to know you. An essay prompt is a question on the application requiring a short answer determined by the organization awarding the scholarship. Your response gives the board or awarding committee insight into who you are and why you may be deserving of the award.

Not all scholarship applications have the same prompt. That being said, many are similar, and there are certainly popular prompts. Below are some common scholarship essay questions you might see as you’re applying.

Popular scholarship essay prompts

Knowing the common essay topics can help get you organized as you begin your scholarship search. Picking a few of these and creating outlines or rough drafts ahead of scholarship applications being released can help give you a head start.

1. Tell us about yourself

The “tell us about yourself” essay prompt is exactly what it sounds like — a way for the scholarship board to get insights into who you are, what you like to do, and why this scholarship will help you.

This is a common question on many applications. You’ll likely see this question pop up as you apply for jobs, further your education, or join organizations in the future, too.

How to make your answer stand out

Keep your answer relatively short and include essential information that might wow the board, such as:

• Your academic accomplishments and achievements
• Community service and passion projects
• What you hope to accomplish by furthering your education
• How this scholarship fits into your goals

It’s never easy to condense yourself into a few short paragraphs. So, stick to the information that's likely to make you stand out.

2. What are your academic and professional goals?

Thousands of scholarships are designed to help you achieve specific goals. For instance, if you’re going to school for computer programming to become a coder, there may be a specific scholarship for that career path, which is why this essay prompt comes up a lot.

Sit down and think about why you are choosing this career path and what you hope to accomplish throughout your career.

When you think about your ideal future, what does that look like? What do you hope to accomplish by the time you graduate college? And where do you see yourself as you start your career? Where do you see yourself ten years from now?

Include the answer to these questions and go big! You want to stand out and show your drive and determination — so don’t be afraid to include your biggest goals.

3. How will this scholarship help you?

Scholarships are designed to help students accomplish their higher education goals. But beyond that, many scholarship boards want to understand why their specific scholarship is the right fit for you.

With this prompt, you want to try and get as specific as possible. Thousands of scholarships are available, but you chose to apply for this one. Why?

As you begin to answer, consider including the following:

• What caught your attention about this scholarship?
• Why do you believe you fit the awarding criteria for this scholarship?
• How do you think this scholarship will help you accomplish your education and career goals?

By researching the scholarship and understanding how it applies to you, you can show the board your interest and dedication when it comes to furthering your education.

4. Why do you deserve this scholarship?

It’s no secret that many students apply for scholarships each year, which is why determining who will be awarded one is a big job. Sometimes, hearing a student’s words about why they believe they deserve the funds can make all the difference. That’s why you’ll see this prompt pop up from time to time.

Don’t be shy about being honest. If you’ve gone above and beyond throughout your high school education to reach your goals, share that information in your essay. What have you accomplished? Better yet, what have you overcome to achieve those accomplishments?

Share your journey in your essay and tell the reader why you believe that journey is deserving of the scholarship award.

5. Who's been your biggest influence or inspiration?

Many students are inspired to accomplish and achieve their goals because of someone who inspired them — whether that’s a teacher, parent, sibling, or mentor. Those who inspire you often say a lot about who you are and why you achieve the things you do.

People inspire us for all kinds of reasons, but scholarship committees want to understand why and what you’ve achieved due to that influence. Tell your story honestly, and don’t be afraid to showcase how this person inspired you to accomplish a goal you may not have otherwise.

Final thoughts

As we mentioned above, essay prompts can help decision-makers determine if you should receive a scholarship. While they may seem like something you can power through quickly, it’s important to spend time crafting answers that are compelling, honest, and insightful.

You want to double and triple-check your work, even allowing someone you trust to read through it and provide feedback. Keep in mind this is an opportunity to help you pay for your college degree, and you should put your best foot forward.

While essay prompts might seem overwhelming, with some preparation, time, and energy, you’ll find opportunities to help yourself stand out.

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Scholarship Essay Writing

Scholarship Essay Prompts

Most Popular Scholarship Essay Prompts & Questions

11 min read

Published on: May 16, 2023

Last updated on: Jul 23, 2024

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Are you dreaming of a scholarship that could help you achieve your academic goals? The good news is that you're not alone, and we're here to make the process a little less intimidating. 

Don't know where to start?  No worries! We've got you covered with this guide on how to tackle the most common scholarship essay prompts. By the end, you'll be able to confidently share your unique story, stand out from the crowd, and win the scholarship of your dreams.

So, let's dive into the world of scholarship essays and show the judges why you deserve that financial support!

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Popular Colleges Scholarship Prompts We Cover

In this article, we provide you with the best and most commonly used essay prompts for the following colleges.

• College scholarship essay prompts
• Robertson scholarship essay prompts
• Park scholarship essay prompts
• Vanderbilt scholarship essay prompts
• Easy scholarship essay prompts
• UCLA alumni scholarship essay prompts
• Gilman scholarship essay prompts 
• Johnson scholarship essay prompts

Feel free to choose any and start writing your scholarship essay or personal statement and show the admission committee why you indeed deserve the financial aid. Make sure to follow the proper  scholarship essay format  when you are answering these questions.

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Current Scholarship Essay Prompts - 2024

• Discuss a current global issue and explain how you would propose a solution to address it.
• Describe a personal experience that influenced your decision to pursue a particular field of study.
• How have you overcome a significant challenge in your life, and how has it impacted your personal growth?
• Share a time when you demonstrated leadership and the impact it had on those around you.
• Discuss the importance of diversity and inclusion in today's society and how you have contributed to promoting these values.
• Describe your career aspirations and how you plan to achieve them.
• Discuss a book, movie, or other piece of media that has had a significant impact on your life and explain why.
• Share a time when you had to work with someone with a different perspective or background, and how you navigated those differences.
• Discuss a community service project you have participated in and the impact it had on the community.
• Explain the importance of financial literacy and how you plan to manage your finances in the future.

List of Best College Scholarship Essay Prompts

Here are the most common scholarship essay question examples that you can find on most college applications in the US.

• Tell us about yourself.
• How will this scholarship help you?
• Where do you see yourself ten years from now?
• How will you make a difference in our world?
• Describe a volunteer experience?
• Why do you need this scholarship?
• Describe a challenge you have overcome.
• Who do you admire the most?
• Why do you deserve this scholarship?
• Briefly describe your short- and long-term goals.
• What are your academic and future goals?
• Tell us about a time when you had failed in something.
• What makes you unique?
• Does any quality or attribute distinguish you from others?
• What are your most important extracurricular activities?
• What is your biggest strength and weakness?
• What are your greatest accomplishments?
• What are your strongest personality traits?
• How has your education contributed to who you are today?
• What is your most prominent achievement, and how does it relate to your field of study?

Additional Scholarship Essay Prompts

• Describe a time when you had to step out of your comfort zone and take a risk. What did you learn from the experience?
• How have your experiences with diversity and inclusivity shaped your perspective and goals?
• What motivates you to pursue your academic and career goals, and how do you stay focused on them?
• Describe a moment when you faced adversity and how you overcame it.
• How have your family, cultural background, or community influenced your values and beliefs?
• Discuss a book, movie, or event that has impacted your life and explain why.
• What is the most significant challenge facing your generation, and what solutions would you propose to address it?
• Describe a time when you collaborated with others to achieve a common goal. What did you learn from the experience?
• What impact do you hope to make in your chosen field or industry, and how will this scholarship help you achieve that goal?

Describe a mentor or role model who has inspired you and explain why.

General Scholarship Essay Topics

Here are some more random scholarship essay topics that you can choose from

• A person who has a major influence on your life
• Things you have done outside of the classroom that has demonstrated your skills
• Have you struggled for something and succeeded?
• What leadership qualities do you have?
• Why do you want to be a ___?
• How do you define leadership?
• Describe the importance of a good teammate?
• What do you expect to gain from a college degree?
• What does success means to you?
• A book that has affected you deeply

The 16 Most Popular Scholarship Questions

We have compiled a list of the 16 most popular scholarship questions and how to effectively address them. Let's take a look!

1. Career How will this scholarship help you achieve your career goals?

When addressing this prompt, discuss your future career aspirations and how the scholarship will support your academic and professional pursuits. Highlight any relevant experiences, skills, or certifications that will contribute to your success.

2. Catch-All Why do you deserve this scholarship?

This prompt allows you to discuss your overall qualifications and achievements that make you a strong candidate for the scholarship. Discuss your academic achievements, extracurricular activities, community service, and future goals.

3. Challenges Discuss a personal or academic challenge you have overcome and how it has shaped you.

When addressing this prompt, be honest and open about a challenge you have faced and how you have overcome it. Highlight any lessons or skills you have gained from overcoming this challenge.

4. Champion Who is a person that has influenced you and why?

When addressing this prompt, discuss a person who has had a significant impact on your life and why. Highlight how their influence has shaped your personal or academic pursuits.

5. Change How will you make a positive impact in your community with the help of this scholarship?

When addressing this prompt, discuss your future community service goals and how the scholarship will support these efforts. Highlight any past community service experiences that demonstrate your commitment to making a positive impact.

6. Character How have your personal values and beliefs influenced your academic pursuits?

When addressing this prompt, discuss your personal values and beliefs and how they have influenced your academic and career goals. Highlight any experiences or achievements that demonstrate your character and commitment to your values.

7. Classroom How will you contribute to the academic community at your future college or university?

When addressing this prompt, discuss how you plan to contribute to the academic community at your future college or university. Highlight any academic or leadership experiences that demonstrate your potential to make a positive impact.

8. College Why have you chosen this particular college or university and how will this scholarship support your academic goals there?

When addressing this prompt, discuss why you have chosen your particular college or university and how the scholarship will support your academic pursuits. Highlight any relevant experiences or goals that align with the college or university's mission or values.

9. Committee Composition What unique perspective do you bring to the scholarship selection committee?

When addressing this prompt, discuss your unique experiences, skills, or background that you believe will contribute to the scholarship selection committee. Highlight any achievements or experiences that demonstrate your potential to make a positive impact.

10. Community How have you contributed to your local community and how will this scholarship support your future community service efforts?

When addressing this prompt, discuss any past community service experiences and how they have made a positive impact. Highlight any future community service goals and how the scholarship will support these efforts.

11. Competition How have you demonstrated your competitive spirit and drive for success?

When addressing this prompt, discuss any academic or extracurricular achievements that demonstrate your competitive spirit and drive for success. Highlight any leadership roles or experiences that demonstrate your potential for future success.

12. Contribution How will you contribute to your field of study through research or other academic pursuits? When addressing this prompt, discuss any research or academic goals you have for your field of study. Highlight any past academic or research experiences that demonstrate your potential to make a positive impact.

13. Control How have you taken control of your academic or personal life and achieved success?

When addressing this prompt, discuss any personal or academic challenges you have faced and how you have taken control of your life to achieve success. Highlight any skills or lessons you have gained from these experiences.

14. Creative How have you used your creativity to solve a problem or make a positive impact?

When addressing this prompt, discuss any experiences or achievements where you have used your creativity to make a positive impact. Highlight any problem-solving skills or unique approaches you have taken to achieve success.

15. Credentials How do your academic credentials and achievements make you a strong candidate for this scholarship?

When addressing this prompt, discuss your academic achievements and credentials that make you a strong candidate for the scholarship. Highlight any honors, awards, or certifications that demonstrate your academic excellence.

16. Culture How have your cultural experiences and background influenced your academic pursuits and goals?

When addressing this prompt, discuss how your cultural experiences and background have shaped your academic pursuits and goals. Highlight any experiences or achievements that demonstrate your unique perspective and potential to make a positive impact in your field of study.

How to Address Scholarship Essay Prompts?

Below you can find some of the most common scholarship questions and tips to answer them. Keep in mind these guidelines while answering the scholarship essay topic of your choice.

Your answers should show that you have a plan for your future and are serious about it. The scholarship committee wants to see that their money is going to someone who has the necessary drive, so don't be shy with what you say.

There's a competition going on - one that you can't afford to lose when your future is at stake. You need to stand out, and the best way to do it is by addressing any weakness with an answer like 'I currently have limited knowledge in this area, but I will be able to make up for my lack of experience through diligent study.' These scholarship committees look for applicants who show potential rather than people who already know everything about what they want from life.

It is very important to show the scholarship committee that you are passionate about your goals and ambitions. This will help them decide who they offer scholarships to, so it makes sense to take this question seriously.

While it is impossible to paint a complete image of your entire life in such a short time, you can give an overview of the information about your life that matters most with this scholarship.

To answer this question, show you have a serious plan for the future through education.

Maintaining a strong GPA throughout college is not enough; scholarship committees want more than just an educated student. They also want someone who will use their degree in ways that correspond with it. You'll have some tough competition when trying to prove yourself as a deserving candidate. So, make sure you are realistic about what types of goals and plans can realistically be achieved by going back to school or taking on another graduate program at one university.

This common scholarship essay question is a perfect way to share your thoughts about the importance of community service.

This prompt allows applicants to discuss what they have learned by doing this work and why more students should participate so that communities everywhere will improve.

Tips for Writing an Effective Scholarship Essay

Here are some key tips to keep in mind when writing your scholarship essay:

• Address the Prompt: One of the most important things you can do when writing your scholarship essay is to address the prompt directly. Make sure you understand what the prompt is asking you to write about, and focus your essay on that topic.
• Be Concise: Scholarship essays often have strict word limits, so it's important to be concise and to the point. Make sure every sentence in your essay serves a purpose and contributes to your overall argument.
• Focus on Personal Experiences: Scholarship committees want to get to know you as a person. Thats why it's important to share personal experiences and stories in your essay. Use specific examples and anecdotes to illustrate your points for the scholarship.
• Edit and Proofread: Once you've written your essay, take the time to edit and proofread it carefully. Look for typos, grammatical errors and make sure your essay flows smoothly and is easy to read.

Other Scholarship Questions

Here are some scholarship essay prompts with answers in the form of PDF samples:

Why Do You Deserve This Scholarship?

Describe a Challenge You Have Faced and How You Overcame It

Who Has Been The Biggest Influence in Your Life, and Why?

How Will You Use Your Education to Make a Positive Impact on Society?

Remember, it's not easy to predict every scholarship essay question. But trying out an AI essay generator can give you an advantage in your application

If you're still not sure where to start or if your essay needs some expert help,  CollegeEssay.org  is here for you.

We offer a top-notch college essay writing help  that can provide you with an impressive high school or college essay. Our service is the best and only option you need for all your scholarship essay needs. 

Contact us today to receive expert guidance on how to succeed and win. Don't hesitate, connect with our scholarship essay writing service now!

Frequently Asked Questions

How long should a scholarship essay be.

Scholarship essays are usually about 500 words or one page long. If you can't find the information about the word or page limit for the essay, it's usually safe to stick to 500 words or one page.

Do scholarship essays need a title?

You can also include a title for your scholarship essay if you want, but this is usually unnecessary. 

Is it okay to lie on a scholarship essay?

Scholarships are a great way to save money for college, but lying about your academic achievements could result in serious consequences.

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How to Write Winning Scholarship Essays

Scholarships & Financial Aid

Updated on November 24th, 2021

The vast majority of legitimate and reputable scholarships are going to require an essay as part of the application process, which means your student needs to know how to write winning scholarship essays. Otherwise, they may miss out on exciting opportunities for free money to help pay for college, increasing the odds that they’ll need student loans to make ends meet.

While “no essay” scholarships do exist, most of these are no more than sweepstakes, and some of them are incredibly sketchy. If you want to know more about no-essay scholarships, check out this article: What You Need to Know About No Essay Scholarships

Writing winning scholarship essays isn’t as challenging as it sounds, as long as your student knows the best approach. To help them get started, here is an in-depth guide on how to write a scholarship essay that will grab the attention of the committee for all of the right reasons.

If you and your student would like to learn more about  how to find scholarships  that can help pay for college, sign up for our  free college scholarship webinar ! We cover how to spot the scams so you can make sure your student is applying to scholarships that are actually worth their time. Join the next free training here:  www.thescholarshipsystem.com/freewebinar.

• 1 Read All of the Instructions to Write Winning Scholarship Essays
• 2 Define the Audience for the Scholarship Essay
• 3 Brainstorm Before Writing Scholarship Essays
• 4 Choose the Right Topic to Cover
• 5.1 Writing the Scholarship Essay First Draft
• 5.2 Refining First Drafts into Winning Scholarship Essays
• 6 Get an Outside Opinion
• 7 Finalize and Submit the Essay

Read All of the Instructions to Write Winning Scholarship Essays

While this may seem like common sense, many students rush through the instructions section before they start writing their scholarship essay. Why? Because reading instructions isn’t fun and many students are fairly pressed for time.

Ultimately, winning scholarship essays always adhere to the instructions. If your student misses a requirement, their essay may be automatically discarded, meaning they spent all of that time writing for no gain.

Have your student examine the instructions to look for details that outline the process including these:

• The topic they must cover
• Formatting requirements
• Sourcing requirements

Only after this step is complete should they move forward.

Define the Audience for the Scholarship Essay

The audience of a scholarship essay is whoever will be reading it, and catering the content to those groups of people helps create winning scholarship essays.

While you likely won’t know exactly who is going to review their essay, they can infer a lot of information based on the organization or business that is providing the funds. For example, if your student can discuss a topic that relates to a company’s products, services, values, or mission, it may be easier to connect with the reader on a meaningful level.

Typically, you can figure out the audience’s priorities by reviewing the organization’s website. Read through the product or service descriptions, About Us section, as well as any mission statements to get insight into the group’s values.

Brainstorm Before Writing Scholarship Essays

In many cases, scholarship essay topics give your student a lot of leeway regarding what they can write. In fact, they may be able to choose from multiple prompts, something that may make it harder to figure out what winning scholarship essays for this organization entail.

When writing a great scholarship essay, brainstorming is an important part of the process. They should grab a sheet of paper, list every topic or prompt, and jot down notes of examples that apply to each one. With our students in The Scholarship System , we teach them mind-mapping for this step, a powerful tool to uncover creative essay ideas.

Usually, brainstorming only takes a few minutes, but it can make a world of difference when writing winning scholarship essays. It allows them to organize their thoughts and identify ideas that excite them.

Choose the Right Topic to Cover

After your student brainstorms, they should focus on topics that ignite their passion. If they are excited about the idea, it’s often easier to write about it. Plus, their enthusiasm will shine through.

Review the list of ideas and choose an option that peaks interest and fits the prompt. This makes writing winning scholarship essays feel like less of a burden, which can go a long way when your student wants to apply to a long list of scholarships.

Some key aspects to look for when selecting a topic include:

• One that speaks to core values
• Why the investment (the scholarship) is worth it
• How it led them to their degree choice or career path

Ideally, the topic should relate back to at least one of the points above, creating a connection between the content of the scholarship essay and your student’s future.

Structuring Winning Scholarship Essays

Winning scholarship essays are always well-structured, so creating an outline is a smart move. Most high school students are familiar with essay outlines, so your student should be able to handle this with relative ease.

Scholarship Essay Introduction

Begin by structuring the introduction. Usually, your student will want to have an attention-grabbing first sentence followed by a short explanation of what will be discussed and a thesis statement that directly addresses the prompt. Students can get creative here but any story, question, or attention-grabbing beginning should clearly tie into the rest of the essay and of course, relate to the prompt.

Scholarship Essay Body

Ideally, each body paragraph should discuss a single point that relates to the topic, usually in a few sentences. If possible, it’s a great idea to make the point through a mini-story or example. This keeps the essay interesting for the reader and helps them understand the writer even better. For example, rather than saying “I initially decided I wanted to be a lawyer in 9 th grade…,” a student can instead share a quick story or example and sum it up with “That is when I first discovered my passion for law.”

Transitions

Having quality transitions between paragraphs is also essential as it improves the flow of the essay. To structure this portion, your student can write each point they want to cover and arrange them in an order that promotes readability and logical segues.

Scholarship Essay Conclusion

The conclusion should wrap everything up by reemphasizing how the prompt was addressed, discussing lessons learned, and even speaking to the core values of the audience. Depending on the essay prompt, students can stress how this essay shows they are a great candidate for the scholarship. Again, a few sentences will usually suffice.

After writing the outline, review it to make sure that it adheres to every requirement in the instructions and that every component provides value to the reader. Remember, winning scholarship essays always meet the requirements, so it’s wise to review this before the writing phase begins.

Related articles:

• 8 Best Websites to Find College Scholarships
• How to Win Scholarships with the Right Scholarship Essay Format
• How to Find Local Scholarships for Your Teen’s College Education

Writing the Scholarship Essay First Draft

With the outline in hand, your student now has a guide for writing a high-quality first draft of their scholarship essay. How they decide to approach this phase may depend on their personal style.

Some students like to begin with the introduction, move through the body, and then create a conclusion. However, others may prefer to write the body first and then craft the introduction and conclusion after. Both approaches are perfectly acceptable as long as the final paper flows logically.

First drafts are allowed to be rough, so it’s fine if your student just lets their ideas run rampant while they create. Let their passion guide them as they get their thoughts down on paper.

It’s also okay to ignore spelling or grammar errors as they write as these can be cleaned up during editing. Writing the first draft is more about getting all of their ideas on paper than anything else, so a degree of sloppiness isn’t inherently a problem.

Refining First Drafts into Winning Scholarship Essays

Once everything is written, now is the time to refine the content. First, your student should correct any mechanical issues, like spelling or grammar mistakes. There are a variety of tools that can help them do that, but it’s also important to not rely on technology entirely.

A great approach for finding errors is to read the essay out loud. This allows your student to potentially hear problems, which can be easier than spotting them with their eyes. In some cases, using a text-to-speech program can work too, allowing your student to listen for issues.

In the vast majority of cases, winning scholarship essays are error-free, so finding mistakes and correcting them is critical for your student’s success.

Once the errors are corrected, the draft can be reviewed for flow. Ideally, each paragraph should shift naturally into the next, following a logical thought pattern or progression through an event. If a transition feels awkward or a detail feels out of place or unnecessary, then edits should be made.

After that is complete, your student should recheck it a final time to ensure that all of the requirements set forth in the instructions are met. This includes everything from properly covering the topic to meeting word count minimums and not going over maximums. Similarly, they should take a look at the formatting to make sure they used the proper font and size, margins, spacing, and anything else listed in the instructions.

Related Video:

• 7 College Scholarship Essay Ideas to Win More Funding

Get an Outside Opinion

After the draft is refined, it could be time to get a second opinion. Often, it will be difficult for your student to review their essay objectively, so having someone else take a look is smart.

Who they choose is up to them, but some options worth exploring include trusted teachers and tutors. Parents can also make a good choice if their writing skills are strong, but some students won’t be comfortable with their parents reading what they wrote, depending on the topic. In those cases, selecting someone else is a better option than trying to force the issue.

Finalize and Submit the Essay

After the essay is reviewed by someone else, your student should make any final edits based on the feedback they receive. Then, once it is ready, it’s time to submit the scholarship application and essay for consideration.

By following the steps above, your student can increase their odds of writing winning scholarship essays that help them find free money for college. After they use the process a few times, it will likely begin to feel like second nature, making each essay easier to complete than the last.

Want even more help on writing scholarship essays? Grab a copy of our Free 3-Step Scholarship Essay Writing Guide where you learn the exact 3 steps we teach our students. This 3-Step Method helps even those students who hate writing!

• Pinterest 102

January 31, 2019 at 7:42 am

Wow! this is very deep and insightful.

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wow! This is an amazing update. One would really love it.

October 13, 2019 at 3:06 am

I love the article on writing a winning essay, the problem most persons face is the Essay Introduction. One of the best ways to present your introduction is to get the attention of your reader with something interesting, unique, fact or ask a question.

November 8, 2019 at 3:46 am

Very well crafted essay and the way you write is also appreciable. Thanks for sharing the tips

November 14, 2019 at 11:58 am

Your content is so sweet thank you

January 28, 2020 at 6:56 am

A scholarship essay is all about highlighting what you are as a student and this post will make it easy for students to write their scholarship essays in a clear step-by-step way. Getting a second opinion on the essay draft is a really useful tip and is a must-do before submitting a noteworthy scholarship essay!

January 29, 2020 at 7:16 am

Thanks for bringing up this article.

February 20, 2020 at 8:31 pm

I actually followed some of this steps and it worked well for me. I received my first scholarship not long ago

April 8, 2020 at 8:00 am

May 10, 2020 at 3:20 pm

Thanks for writing this article I love this website

September 20, 2020 at 10:21 am

Scholarship essays to me is more important than the scholarship itself because without passing through this stage you can never get the scholarship. Thank you for sharing. It’s been helpful

September 29, 2020 at 3:02 am

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March 27, 2021 at 7:11 pm

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June 21, 2021 at 9:13 pm

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July 23, 2021 at 10:33 pm

Scholarship essays to me is more important than the scholarship itself because without passing through this stage you can never get the scholarship. Thank you for sharing. It’s been helpful

July 23, 2021 at 10:35 pm

This is literally the best website I’ve gotten this wonderful piece of article from. Thank you for sharing.

November 9, 2021 at 7:07 am

Scholarship essay is an integral part of your application

December 11, 2021 at 1:13 am

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It is an amazing post and you explained it in a detailed way. Nice to see this here. I will bookmark your blog for more details. Keep sharing new things like this.

August 14, 2023 at 6:28 am

I liked and thought your blog exercise was exciting. Please keep giving us excellent and outstanding blog posts. At some point in a student’s life, he/she would need to write a Scholarship Essay, this essay can be for various purposes such as commencing a college program or funding research. Hence, this piece can either hinder or help students achieve their academic goals. Please read the post I made to my blog, It might be helpful to you in any way.

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​How to Write a Scholarship Essay (With Examples)

6-minute read

• 22nd August 2022

Writing a scholarship essay can seem like a daunting task. For many students , higher education isn’t possible without financial aid, and scholarships are especially valuable because the money awarded doesn’t have to be paid back.

Even though the stakes are high, there are a few manageable steps you can take to ensure you write a great essay to submit with your scholarship applications. We have a few top tips to help you get started, along with writing examples to demonstrate some key points. Check out our guide below to learn more.

A scholarship essay is a great opportunity to present yourself and your accomplishments in an impactful way. It is, therefore, essential to be aware of each scholarship deadline so you can allow sufficient time for the writing process, which typically includes the following:

·   Read the essay prompt and brainstorm ideas.

·   Create an outline covering the key points you want to address.

·   Write a draft and seek feedback from trusted teachers, family, or friends.

·   Make any necessary revisions and proofread before submitting your final draft.

Scholarship review committees will be able to tell if you rushed through your essay, so give yourself the best chance of winning an award by staying organized and on schedule!

Who and What?

Researching the scholarship provider and diligently reviewing the essay prompts can help you write an essay that makes you stand out as a top candidate.

1. Who are you writing to?

Learn more about the organization offering the scholarship and why the scholarship fund was created.

For instance, a scholarship may honor its organization’s founder, and the founder’s qualities (e.g., integrity, good citizenship, and leadership) might be the same values guiding the scholarship program as a way to continue the founder’s legacy.

If you identify with any of the same qualities, you can incorporate those keywords into your essay to demonstrate your shared values. Remember to remain authentic, though!

2. What are you writing about?

You must read the essay prompt carefully to identify precisely what you need to accomplish with your essay.

Some prompts ask about your career goals and how you plan to achieve them or your achievements and the challenges you overcame to reach them.

You’ll write about common topics across multiple scholarship applications – some may even be similar to your college admission essay – so you can repurpose your essays as long as you’re diligent about tailoring each one to its prompt.

Your application will likely require other items such as transcripts and test scores, but the essay is your chance to offer something entirely unique. Write about key experiences that highlight who you are and what you’ve accomplished, or you could mention something you’re passionate about.

Remember to follow any specific instructions regarding length and formatting, and be sure to answer all questions listed in the prompt. It can hurt your chances if you’re unable to show the committee that you’re detail-oriented and can follow directions.

Structuring Your Essay

Your essay should follow a standard format that includes a clear beginning, middle, and end. Typically, you should:

·   Establish your main idea in the introduction.

·   Include a separate body paragraph for each key point that supports your main idea.

·   Draw it all together and revisit your main idea in the conclusion.

Scholarship committees read thousands of essays each year. And often, there are hundreds of applicants for an award that can only go to a select few candidates. Writing a powerful introduction and conclusion gives you a chance to make a lasting impression.

1. Introduction

Write an introduction that hooks the reader and encourages them to stay engaged till the end of your essay. Don’t be afraid to add personal, tangible details and an anecdote .

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For example, if you’re writing about your career goals, demonstrate why you’ve chosen that career:

It was the biggest game of the season, and the stands were packed despite the bitter cold. My heart was beating louder than all of the cheers, and I was filled with the anticipation that one more run into the end zone would give us the championship. Everything went silent during that run when the tackle shattered both my leg and my dreams.

My world has always revolved around being an athlete – until one day it couldn’t. I spent many frustrating months rehabilitating, but I got through it because of my dedicated physical therapist, who helped me recover both physically and mentally after a devastating loss. And it was that profound experience that led me to pursue a career in the exercise sciences.

2. Conclusion

The conclusion is the last thing your reader will see, so it’s another opportunity for you to make your essay memorable.

Rather than summarizing with a general statement such as “this is why you should award me a scholarship,” perhaps explain what the financial assistance will help you achieve:

My parents never had the opportunity to go to college, and neither did their parents. I watched them work hard every day just to make ends meet, and I often questioned whether I could achieve anything more. Nevertheless, I spent four years working as hard as I saw my parents work, and I beat the odds by getting accepted to college. A scholarship could be invaluable for me, as it would allow me to attend and be successful without having to worry about finances.

Persuasive Writing

While you don’t want your scholarship essay to be overly informal, you’re certainly allowed to add some creativity and personal details to help persuade your readers.

One of the best ways to do so is by writing with the modes of persuasion ; that is, ethos, pathos, and logos.

Demonstrate your credibility. Use your real-life experiences and interesting details to establish, for example, how you’ve contributed to your community:

I saw how much bullying was impacting so many students at my school, so I founded my high school’s first anti-bullying club and organized campaigns to bring attention to the harm that people can cause one another.

Evoke an emotional response. The “show, don’t tell ” writing technique, which involves using descriptive words when discussing actions and emotions, can be especially useful here:

During one of our first awareness assemblies, the theater was completely silent as I read aloud anonymous stories from students about the scars bullying had left on their lives. Tears were stinging in my eyes as I described the struggles my classmates were facing, but I persevered to give a voice to those who didn’t have one.

Convey your point with reason and facts. Use statistics to demonstrate what you’ve accomplished:

In the first year alone, our club improved students’ feelings of safety and acceptance at our school by 53%.

Proofreading and Editing

Don’t forget the importance of proofreading your essay, as spelling and grammar mistakes can leave a bad impression on your reader. Our expert editors can help ensure your writing is clear, concise, and error-free. Give yourself a better chance at impressing scholarship committees by submitting a free trial document today!

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Scholarship Essay Prompts and Topics - Best Questions and Answers

Preparing a scholarship essay is always a significant step for a high school or college student. Your task is to impress the admissions committee and make your case stand out. To attain that goal, you must know what message to convey and the right way to do it. How to decipher scholarship essay questions and answer them? The action plan for this paper isn't that different from your average college essay.

• Study the given scholarship essay prompts and pick the one you like the most.
• Think about the experience you can use to make the writing interesting.
• Provide supporting evidence pertaining to your common scholarship essay topic.
• Create an outline to ensure a logical flow and a balanced structure.
• Write an essay example or two to avoid mistakes and come up with a top-notch paper.

An application scholarship committee needs much more than a simple essay to grant you a fund for education abroad or reward you for succeeding in the academic field. Hence, in this guide, we are going to focus on the most important element of your preparation. We offer you a collection of common scholarship writing prompts - here, we've gathered the most general aspects you can dwell on while writing. For each essay prompt, we've picked several ideas that may inspire you or help to formulate your own subject matter (if such an option is available).

Scholarship Essay Prompts for College

When working on this essay, you have a chance to express yourself and show that you deserve a scholarship - for your academic accomplishments, sports performance, artistic skills, etc. That is possible if you:

• Have well-developed writing skills and can apply them appropriately
• Prove your academic competence as well as critical and analytical skills
• Make your writing to be more than words - provide reliable facts and examples
• Know how to show your best qualities and prepare a distinctive work

Try to pick a topic in which you can combine all these aspects well. Keep in mind that this essay should resonate with your own beliefs and attitudes toward different issues. That will let the scholarship committee to assess your writing better and decide whether you deserve to be awarded.

Leadership Prompts

Your thoughts are focused on one particular question "how to win?". Therefore, the whole process reminds a competition, and you want to be the leader by any means. This essay question is good for demonstrating your perception of this phenomenon and presenting your skills as a leader. On the other hand, after reading your work, the committee members can see you like a really self-motivated and diligent student. Here are some questions and statements that may help.

• What is leadership for you? Do you consider yourself a leader?
• The time when I learned that being a leader isn't an easy task
• What are the leader's main objectives? What aim did I have as a "boss"?
• What makes a respected leader? How can they facilitate a team spirit?
• How to distinguish leadership and lording over?
• What kind of person can become a leader easily? Is it easy for me?
• How to raise a leader in oneself? Did my family raise me as one who leads?

The meaning of leadership may vary depending on your personality, and here, the including of your own experience in an essay plays a pivotal role.

Challenges as Scholarship Prompt

It would also be effective to include your responsible attitude to problems in the scholarship essay. Any education process is usually filled with various pitfalls, and it would be a good decision to prove that you can deal with all of them easily. Or, at least, you understand how to approach them reasonably. When writing an essay on challenges, you have a wide range of aspects to emphasize and consider. Therefore, here is a list of good scholarship prompts that guarantee you a triumph:

• My biggest challenge when I was a child.
• What is your absolutely winning strategy? Have you tried it?
• How the positive/negative challenge you've encountered affected you?
• Is there a "compulsory" challenge everyone should face? Have you faced it?
• Is it true that the hardest challenge is the one you create yourself?
• Is there a challenge you would like to face again?
• Do you agree with the idea that the only way to development is going through challenges?

When you want to write about something difficult you've faced and dealt with, emphasize your personal achievements, show an attitude to wins and failures, and prove your ability to think strategically. A good set of features for a scholarship applicant!

Prompts about Social Issues Around the Globe

There are scholarships where you can show your competence and interest in current events and social issues that are highly discussed. Here, you can describe particular aspects of life through the prisms of various societies or highlight certain problems looming over us. But, you can write not only about impactful or hazardous phenomena but emphasize the bright and positive sides of this topic. By adding facts from your experience and describing your own attitude towards different phenomena, you may express concerns about particular problems or highlight the joy of every day. Below, you will find some ideas that can be covered during your writing.

• Gender discrimination and domestic violence in developed countries
• Bullying and abuse in educational institutions and ways to prevent them
• Challenges of same-sex marriage and the role of the LGBTQ in social development
• Social issues we should solve now. Your actions toward its prevention.
• Racism and cultural appropriation as stumbling-blocks for social progress.

When preparing an essay on social issues, you can come up with different thoughts or efficient solutions. If your topic mentions a certain problem, just ask yourself, "Is there something I can do to solve it?" Such thoughts may inspire you to write.

Happiness and Sadness Prompts for Scholarship Essay

These two phenomena and their meaning will remain the biggest secret for humans. Everyone has their own interpretation of sadness and happiness that help to make life more fulfilled. You can be asked to write a scholarship paper on one of these matters since such a task will show your original way of thinking, imagination, and life priorities. That's what a scholarship committee needs to know about you. Here are some ideas:

• What do happiness and sadness mean to you?
• Should we be grateful for every day of your life?
• Does being a realist mean you will always be sad?
• Can money buy happiness or ease sadness?
• How do good people around make us happy?
• Do we create our happiness ourselves?
• Are the optimists luckier?

Now, a strong scholarship essay is what can make you happy, but is there any secret of a winning paper? Confidence, attention to detail, and persuasion. We hope our scholarship essay prompts for 2020 will be helpful, and your paper will impress anyone. Good luck with reaching your goals!

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35 Common Scholarship Interview Questions (with Answers) – 2024

May 24, 2024

If you’re applying to college, you undoubtedly know that tuition prices have only been rising in recent years. Between moving, room and board, and student fees, attending college can cost a small fortune! [i] As such, scholarships are one way that you can mitigate some of the costs of attending college. [ii] There are several types of scholarships that you can find , including merit-based scholarships , fellowships, leadership scholarships, community and local scholarships, identity-based scholarships, professional scholarships, and competitive scholarships. [iii] Each will have different requirements and strategies for qualification: some are automatically granted by financial need, test scores , or place of residence. Some will require scholarship essays , recommendation letters , or lengthy application forms. And finally, many of the most competitive scholarships require an additional step: an interview. These will include many common scholarship interview questions, and in this article, we’ll detail how you can best prepare to answer these questions.

Preparing for How to Answer Scholarship Interview Questions

There is no single correct way to answer scholarship interview questions, but before you begin, make sure you’re following these five guidelines:

Have confidence in yourself

If you’ve made it to an interview, it means that the scholarship decisions committee has already decided you are a promising candidate for the award, and that your application has beat out other applicants’ submissions. Studies have actually shown that interviewees who self-promote tend to perform better in interviews. [iv] But even if you’re not naturally self-assured, take heart! The following tips on how to answer scholarship interview questions can provide a general framework for success and help you practice before your upcoming interviews. [v]

Practice makes perfect

With a parent, friend, school or application counselor, or other trusted advisor, spend time going over these scholarship interview questions and your potential responses. Remember that you want your responses to seem natural (not like you’ve memorized them or are performing them!). [vi]

Do your research

Learn everything you can about the scholarship to which you’ve applied. Does the scholarship have a particular mission statement? Who are some previous scholarship winners and what made them stand out? What precise amounts are being given away by this scholarship? This is also a good moment to think about “fit.” Specifically, based on the criteria for this scholarship’s winners, why are you the best candidate to receive this grant?

Common Scholarship Interview Questions (Continued)

Your interview time may be very short, and you want to provide as much information about yourself as possible with the timeframe you have. During rehearsals, try the “Bottom Line Up Front” ( BLUF ) strategy as you craft your responses to all of these scholarship interview questions.

Don’t panic – pivot

You may be wondering, “What happens if I can’t answer a question or haven’t practiced it?” Never fear! The good news is that most scholarship interview questions can be sorted into general categories by similar topics, with comparable strategies on how to answer each question within a category. For instance, if you practiced answering, “Tell us about one of your personal achievements,” but the interviewer asks, “What are some of your biggest accomplishments?” you should be able to pivot fairly quickly and answer the actual question with the same strategy you practiced for a different question. Below, we’ve split the top 35 common scholarship interview questions into eight categories for just this reason!

For each category of scholarship interview questions below, we’ve provided a few strategies for brainstorming robust answers. Make sure you can provide answers and examples for each individual question, but even more importantly, remember the successful moves that accompany each question category. Good luck!

Category 1: Very Open “About Me” Scholarship Interview Questions

1) Tell us about yourself.

2) Describe yourself in three words. / How would you describe yourself?

3) What is something unique about you? / What is something about you that no one else knows?

4) Tell us a few things about yourself that didn’t appear in your application materials.

You’re almost guaranteed to get one of these hyper-general interview questions as your interviewer begins questioning you. These questions may take the longest to prepare for because they are so open-ended. As you prepare, remember the three C’s: concision, color, and confidence.

• Concision : It can be soooo tempting to keep on answering this type of question for hours. Don’t! Instead, have some particular examples or biographical details ironed out, polished, and ready to list quickly and concisely. These can be facts about your work or school experience, your cultural background, and any passions or extracurriculars that are important to you. Another quick way to think of a list might be “past, present, and future.” Where have you been? What are you up to now? And where would you like to see yourself in the future?
• Color : Provide rich details that make you stand out as a unique candidate. “I really like debate,” isn’t nearly as vivid as, “I’ve been the president of my high school debate team for two years, and I believe this experience has fostered within me the desire to study pre-law.”
• Confidence : General opening questions aren’t a great moment to paint yourself in a negative light. Unless you’ve overcome a major trauma or are part of a marginalized community (more on this below), focus on achievements, milestones, and big-picture aspirations.

Category 2: More Specific “About Me” Scholarship Interview Questions

5) Who has been a role model for you? Who do you look up to?

6) What is your favorite book and why?

7) What subject is your favorite in school?

8) What is a meaningful experience or class you’ve had in school?

9) What is something important you’d like us to know about your background?

These questions are moments to focus on the details. Again, prepare by making lists of facts about yourself that are memorable, flattering, and well-considered. As you brainstorm for this category, remember: make connections and choose special examples.

Choose examples that can make connections

For instance, your ultimate favorite book of all time might actually be Twilight . And if that’s a crucial part of your core identity, we won’t tell you to lie about it. But if Jane Eyre is in your top five and you plan on minoring in gender studies, Jane Eyre might be the better example to provide connections between who you are as a person and who you hope to be, once you’ve been granted this scholarship.

Choose special examples

These examples should be unique to you and should make you a memorable candidate. Don’t just say that Amelia Earhart is your role model. Say that Amelia Earhart is your role model because you want to be an aerospace engineer and you got your pilot’s license as soon as you turned seventeen.

Category 3: Scholarship-Specific Scholarship Interview Questions

10) Why do you deserve this scholarship?

11) Why did you choose this school or program?

12) Why did you choose to apply for this scholarship?

13) Why should you be the one to receive this scholarship?

You will most likely receive a question about the scholarship itself and why you deserve it. This is the moment to do your research! Make sure you know the exact amount of the scholarship, the selection criteria for recipients, previous winners and their accolades (if possible), and the mission of the scholarship. After learning all of this, prepare for these questions by focusing on fit and promise.

What about this scholarship aligns with you as a candidate, in terms of your past, present, and / or future? It’s okay to use direct language from the scholarship description to describe why you are a perfect match. For instance, if you’re applying for an Ignatian scholarship from a foundation whose motto is “Men and women for others,” this could be an excellent moment to explain how you’ve been a “man or woman for others” in your specific public service, work, volunteerism, etc.

Next, promise

Tell the interviewer how you will put their scholarship to use in the best way possible. Think about the future here. Why are you the best candidate for this grant, based on your future goals and aspirations?

Category 4: Positive Scholarship Interview Questions

14) What is your greatest strength?

15) What activities are you involved in?

16) Tell us about one of your personal achievements.

17) What are your biggest accomplishments?

18) When have you demonstrated leadership skills? / Tell me about your leadership experience.

This is your moment to shine! For positive questions like these, prepare your answers with lists, details, expansion, and passion.

• First, lists . Similar to the general “about me” questions above, it’s good to have a ready-made list of extracurriculars and achievements that you can quickly and concisely rattle off to the interviewer.
• Second, details . Choose a short story or deeper example of your accomplishments that you can use to illustrate your answer to one or more of these questions.
• Next, expansion . Are there items on your CV or résumé that you’d like to explain more fully? This is your opportunity to do so!
• Finally, passion . Choose examples that you’re genuinely proud of, particularly those that align with the mission of the scholarship.

Category 5: Challenge and Adversity Scholarship Interview Questions

19) What is your greatest weakness?

20) Tell us about a mistake you’ve made in the past.

21) Tell us about your biggest regret.

22) What does “failure” mean to you?

23) Tell us about an experience wherein you overcame adversity.

As you prepare to answer “challenge and adversity” questions, two important words to remember are growth and emotion.

• First, growth . After you detail the challenge or adversity you’ve faced, be sure to describe how you learned from or best dealt with this particular problem (even if the interviewer doesn’t ask, it’s important to stay positive!). For instance, “When it comes to my schoolwork I can be controlling. In past group projects, I’ve tended to take over and do most of the work. One way I’ve tried to fix this is by working on clearly delegating responsibilities and seeking specific feedback from group members. These techniques allow me to maintain that sense of control but also necessitate that I’m interacting with group members, stepping back from their contributions, and not completing projects in ways that they may not want.”
• Next, emotion . You don’t need to cry during your interview, but if you’re going to share about a legitimate trauma or marginalization you’ve experienced, it’s okay to provide some detail: this kind of heartfelt illustration can paint a vivid picture for your interviewer and provoke an emotional and empathetic response.

Category 6: Scholarship Interview Questions About Your Personal Philosophies and Behaviors

24) What does your work process look like?

25) What motivates you?

26) What does an ideal college or university look like to you? Why?

27) How do you manage stress?

For this category of scholarship interview questions, focus on language and connections.

• Language can be key. While you shouldn’t directly copy, it doesn’t hurt to look up language from the school or scholarship to which you’ve applied to see if any of their philosophies match your own.
• Connections are also a good way to anchor these answers . For questions about motivation, work, and stress management, make connections between strategies (“I’m diligent in my work, habitually completing small, manageable portions of large tasks every day”) and illustrative goals (“and that’s how I wrote my first book and became the youngest-ever winner of the Houston Novelists Competition last September”).

Category 7: Scholarship Interview Questions that Look Toward the Future

28) What is your dream job?

29) What are your career goals?

30) How will this scholarship help you reach your goals?

31) Where do you see yourself in 5 years? How about 10?

32) How did you or will you choose your major?

33) How will you utilize this scholarship?

The most important move you can make with this category of question is to answer with specificity.

Use specificity

Especially in terms of the scholarship, school, or program you’re hoping to win or attend, and the academic and career goals you hold. It’s not enough to simply say, “I’ll use this scholarship to attend X university.” Explain your major and minor aspirations, courses you hope to take, internships you’ll apply for, your future career, and what timeline you’d like set for yourself over the next few years. Providing this specificity will tell your interviewer that you’re serious about the work you intend to do.

Category 8: Closing Scholarship Interview Questions

34) What questions do you have?

35) Is there anything else you want to add?

There are only a few notes for this type of closing question:

Ask a question

Even if you don’t really have any questions, it’s a good idea to ask one or two, as this demonstrates your eagerness about the scholarship. Are there elements of the award process you don’t understand? Do you have questions about previous winners and their accomplishments? Are you curious about the next steps in the selection process?

Don’t remain silent

Do you have any information you want the interviewers to know that didn’t yet come up? Now is the time to share it. Was there a scholarship interview question you prepared for that wasn’t asked at all? This is also an excellent moment to thank the interviewer for their time, to let them know you are available for further questions, and that you look forward to hearing back from them.

One more question… do you feel ready now? With a little practice, you certainly should! Good luck!

Additional Blogs of Interest

• 26 Most Expensive Colleges in 2024
• How to Win a Coca-Cola Scholarship 
• Automatic Scholarships Based on SAT/ACT Scores
• Best Scholarships for California Scholarships 

How to Answer 35 Common Scholarship Interview Questions – Works Cited

[i] Hanson, Melanie. “College Tuition Inflation Rate,” Education Data Initiative. 13 August 2023. https://educationdata.org/college-tuition-inflation-rate

[ii] Snider, Susannah. “Ways to Save Money in College,” U.S. News & World Report. 20 August 2019. https://money.usnews.com/money/personal-finance/saving-and-budgeting/articles/ways-to-save-money-in-college

[iii] Kerr, Emma and Sarah Atwood. “13 Things to Know About Merit Aid Scholarships.” U.S. News & World Report. 26 April 2023. https://www.usnews.com/education/best-colleges/paying-for-college/slideshows/things-to-know-about-merit-aid-scholarships?onepage

[iv] Paulhus, Delroy L., Bryce G. Westlake, Stryker S. Calvez, P.D. Harms. “Self-presentation style in job interviews: the role of personality and culture,” Journal of Applied Social Psychology. 10 September 2013. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/jasp.12157

[v] Carl, Helen. “Nonverbal Communication during the Employment Interview,” the ABCA Bulletin, Vol. 43, Issue 4, December 1980. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/108056998004300410?icid=int.sj-abstract.similar-articles.1

[vi] Hansen, Katharine, Gary C. Oliphant, Becky J. Oliphant, Randall S. Hansen. “Best Practices in Preparing Students for Mock Interviews,” Business and Professional Communication Quarterly, Vol. 72, Issue 3, 20 May, 2009. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1080569909336951

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Jamie Smith

For the past decade, Jamie has taught writing and English literature at several universities, including Boston College, the University of Pittsburgh, and Carnegie Mellon University. She earned a Ph.D. in English from Carnegie Mellon, where she currently teaches courses and conducts research on composition, public writing, and British literature.

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How to Answer 30 Popular Scholarship Interview Questions

What’s covered:.

• Getting To Know You Questions
• Questions About the Opportunity

Closing Remarks

Enter the collegevine scholarships.

When applying for college scholarships, you may be invited to interview if you make it past the initial screening round. The interview may feel nerve-wracking, but being offered one is great news!

Not sure how to prepare? Here are 30 popular scholarship interview questions and example answers to help you to think about your responses. Use these examples as a stepping stone for brainstorming and drafting your own unique responses. You can apply this same formula to many other scholarship interview questions as well.

Getting to Know You Questions

1. tell us about yourself..

This is the most popular among all scholarship interview questions. It’s often used to “warm up” the interviewee. It’s also a very general question that can cause those unprepared to answer to ramble or waffle in their response.

A good answer is concise, provides a brief bio, and highlights why you’re the right person for the scholarship. Use your answer as an opportunity to spotlight the achievements, personality traits, skills, and experiences that make you an ideal candidate for the scholarship.

Example: I’m a sophomore at Carlsbad High School. I’ve been passionate about technology and its impact on human life since my early childhood days. Over the past few years, with the help of my parents and teachers, I managed to explore this passion by taking extra courses in programming languages such as C++, Android app development, and graphic design. My hobby is to help fellow students with their Android apps and program games for them.

See more examples in our guide about responding to “tell me about yourself” in college interviews .

2. Were you involved in any activities at school or in your community?

Interviewers use this question to better know an interviewee’s interests outside of their application and gain an understanding of their involvement at school and in the greater community.

This interview question is great for students with leadership roles, providing them an opportunity to talk about their experiences and involvement in clubs or sports. It’s also a chance to talk about how you contribute to your community or help people in need.

Example: I’m the editor of our school newspaper. As an editor, I manage other students who write articles for the paper and come up with topic ideas. Additionally, I’m a member of the swim team and volunteer at the historical society. I enjoy having a balance between physical, intellectual, and community activities because they keep me active in different ways.

3. Tell us about your greatest strength and greatest weakness.

Interviewers love this question, as it allows them to judge your self-awareness, honesty, and interest in personal growth. When talking about your strengths, prioritize quality over quantity and focus on two or three attributes that are relevant to the scholarship. Stories are more memorable than generalizations, so share examples of how you demonstrate your best characteristics.

It can help to reframe the second half of this question—instead of thinking of areas of weakness, they’re opportunities for improvement. No one is perfect, but you’re conscious of the areas in which you struggle and are taking steps to improve. It’s especially important to avoid cliches when responding to this question; you don’t want to be the 1,000th student to answer “I’m a perfectionist.”

Example: My greatest strength is that I can prioritize what needs to be done first today and which tasks can wait until tomorrow. Because of this, I’m efficient with my time management and able to succeed in both school and extracurricular activities. However, my greatest weakness is that I can become too focused on one task and forget about other assignments or projects which need attention. I’ve been working on this by setting reminders in my calendar throughout the day.

4. Tell us something about yourself that no one else knows.

This is another question designed to allow the interviewer to better get to know you and while it’s a personal question, it’s important to avoid sharing anything too personal or sensitive. Focus on something unique and interesting about yourself—such as an accomplishment, hobby, talent, interest, or experience—that makes you stand out from other applicants.

Example: I am proficient in sign language. This has always been a passion of mine and I wish to work with children in a clinical setting who are deaf or hard of hearing one day. I have studied sign language throughout high school and I plan to continue learning at university so that I can interact with these children without any language barrier.

5. How would you describe yourself?

This question allows interviewers to get to know you better as a person, understand how you perceive yourself, and gain further insight into your personality. Highlight the traits that are relevant to the scholarship and call attention to any relevant skills. This question is a great opportunity for students who might not have extracurricular activities related to the scholarship but have qualities that align with the scholarship.

Example: I believe my positive attitude and ability to work in a team environment contribute to my character. In my part-time job, I lead a team of baristas at my local café. The role is equal parts delegating tasks and ensuring customer satisfaction. My enthusiasm for coffee and my ability to operate in a collaborative environment left an impression of optimism on both my coworkers and customers. Regulars have even acknowledged that they visit my café specifically because of the happy atmosphere I create.

6. What are your biggest accomplishments?

This question allows interviewers to learn about your achievements while also gaining insight into your ability to set goals and achieve them. It’s a great chance for you to brag about yourself a little bit as well.

Bring up something that makes you stand out from other students, especially if it’s related to the scholarship you’re applying for! Whether it’s winning awards or competitions, being president of an organization, graduating at the top of your class, or anything else that enhances your application.

The STAR (Situation, Task, Action, Result) Method provides a great structure for responding to this question: provide specific details about the situation, the task or challenges you faced, the actions you took, and the results you achieved.

Example: I noticed that my high school created a lot of food waste, so I helped implement a composting program that used students’ leftovers as fertilizer for the school garden. We faced a lot of pushback at first from the school board, as they weren’t familiar with the environmental benefits of composting. After speaking at three board meetings, I was given permission to start the program. Our cafeteria was recognized by the food services director who wanted to take this idea and implement it system-wide. My team and I were then given special permission to start a “Garden Club” where we could continue to grow fresh vegetables for our peers. Since then, five additional high schools have followed suit.

7. Describe your biggest mistake.

How you respond to this question informs interviewers about your ability to take responsibility for your actions and how you learn from your mistakes. Rather than trying to appear perfect, use this opportunity to show that you can own up to your errors, learn from them, and take steps to ensure you don’t repeat them. Here, again, the STAR Method provides an outline for composing a strong answer.

Example: In my sophomore year of high school, my brother and I switched schools. My brother has always been the outgoing one and never had trouble making friends, so I failed to recognize that he was actually going through a hard transition. I had gotten so busy with my new activities that I didn’t read too much into his increased moodiness and time spent alone in his room. It was only when we got into an argument that he revealed how lonely he’d been feeling. Now, I make it a point to be more sensitive to the feelings of my friends and family, and to try to check in more regularly. I actually now have a weekly scheduled hangout with my brother where we go on a random adventure and talk about life. Last week, we went geocaching!

8. Tell me about your leadership experience.

Interviewers use this question to gauge how you build and maintain relationships, how you work with others, and how you motivate them to get something done. Highlight a time when you had to lead a team or group and how you inspired them to achieve a goal. Remember stories are more memorable than statements, so paint a detailed picture and avoid generalizations.

Example: As one of the co-presidents for my high school’s Amnesty International club , I organized and supervised the organization of all meetings and events that we attend to raise awareness about social justice topics such as refugees or endangered species. When I first joined the group, it was relatively inactive and focused mostly on letter-writing campaigns. However, in the wake of George Floyd, I rallied the group to become more involved with the Black Lives Matter movement. We attended events and reached out to local politicians to call attention to racial inequality in our community. This experience has taught me how to effectively manage a team, rally a diverse group around an issue, and organize efforts to effect change.

Do you have enough leadership experience to get accepted to your top school? Calculate your chances for free now .

9. What is your favorite book and why?

This question is asking you to show your personality and interests. It aims to get a sense of who you are so they can determine if you would be a good fit for the scholarship. Share a book that you enjoy, are comfortable talking about, is substantive enough that you can explain its importance, and aligns with your interests and passions.

Avoid choosing a book that you think will impress your interviewer—it can come off as insincere.

Example: My favorite book is Finding You by Lydia Albano. The main character, Isla, is sold into slavery, and at first, she hopes that someone from her past will come to rescue her. She doesn’t think she can escape because she’s small and not very strong. But in the end, she actually winds up saving a bunch of other girls when she creates an escape plan for them. I like this book because I would also like to work to end human trafficking. Like Isla, sometimes I feel like I can’t do anything to help, but she gives me the courage to try.

10. What subject is your favorite in school?

This is another question where you want to show your personality more than just listing off random facts about yourself. You should choose a subject that relates to the scholarship and/or one you are passionate about. You can mention how this subject makes you excited, why it’s important for you to study it, etc. Your answer demonstrates your interest in learning and in taking your education further.

Example: My favorite subject is history because I find it interesting to study how people interacted with one another over time. It’s refreshing seeing different perspectives of different cultures and studying significant historical figures. I hope to one day become a lawyer, and I know that studying history will give me the perspective, research experience, and writing skills needed to succeed.

11. What is your dream job?

This question allows the interviewer to gain a better understanding of your goals and ambitions. The position doesn’t need to be overly specific but should reflect the skills and responsibilities you hope to use. It also should tie in with the scholarship.

Example: My dream job is to work in the media industry as a producer or editor. I am passionate about sharing people’s stories and would love to brainstorm ways that we could create more awareness through reporting. This career would allow me to use my creativity to positively influence others.

12. What is a meaningful experience or class you’ve had in school?

This is a more advanced version of the question asking you about your favorite subject. Its intent is to learn how coursework has shaped your interests and shown you new perspectives on certain topics.

Example: In my senior year of high school, I took a course on Media and Society. I specifically recall the final essay assignment where we had to compare two different media elements. Analyzing the portrayal of women in video game advertisements was my topic for this project. At first, I was really nervous about the topic; would I offend some friends within my gaming circle? I didn’t want to seem like an overly sensitive female gamer. But, doing the research provided me with a better understanding of how women are often objectified in advertising, and after talking to my friends, they ended up being really supportive of my project and we have since become more aware of the kinds of media we’re consuming.

13. Who do you look up to? Who is your role model?

The expectation of this question is to see which qualities you admire, what inspires you, and who has shaped your interests or helped you become who you are today. This could be a public figure, teacher, mentor, family member, friend—really anyone. Your answer should demonstrate your values and align with the values of the scholarship.

Example: I admire Amelia Earhart because she was a women’s rights activist and broke social barriers by being the first woman to fly across the Atlantic Ocean. She was able to pursue what she wanted despite harsh criticism, which helps me feel more empowered to follow my own dreams.

14. Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

This is a question to learn about your future aspirations and goals. It’s also an opportunity to show the scholarship committee that you are ready for college and beyond. You want your answer to demonstrate that you have a plan moving forward; it doesn’t have to be super specific or set in stone, but you should have an idea of what you hope to achieve. You’ll also want to speak to how the scholarship fits into your future goals.

Example: In five years, I plan to have graduated college with a degree in economics and have landed a job in financial planning where I can put both my analytical and people skills to work. I’m passionate about helping people make informed financial decisions and meeting their personal goals and this scholarship will help me gain the education I need to pursue a career in the field.

15. How do you define failure?

This question is meant to see how you respond when faced with a challenge and gain insight into your problem-solving skills. It is important not to simply say that failure means giving up, as this will show that you lack initiative and drive. The best way to answer this question is by using personal experience, demonstrating what you learned from it and how you’ve used the lessons for self-improvement.

Example: I define failure as a missed opportunity. When I first began to play rugby during my freshman year of high school, I quickly realized that our team was not very strong. At times, it felt like we were bound to lose every game. But rather than letting this bring me down, I saw the season as a chance for me to try my hardest and become an impact player on the field. As the years went by, I continued to improve and our team grew closer together. Our losses began to transform into opportunities for growth, and by senior year, I was nominated captain. I had done everything in my power to make sure my teammates succeeded—even though it meant that on the scoreboard we would inevitably lose more than we won.

16. How do you manage stress?

This question seeks to determine how you deal with difficult situations. It’s common for students to respond that they like to focus on what is happening in the present moment, but this answer will show that you do not have a strategy for coping with stressors. A better way to answer would be by mentioning a specific skill or habit that you have developed over time. Make your answer memorable by citing a specific example of a stressful time and how you handled it.

Example: Last fall I was feeling particularly taxed—I was taking two AP courses, studying for the SAT, playing varsity soccer, and preparing to apply to college. I felt a lot of pressure to get everything done and it was overwhelming. I’m a very organized person, and when I have a lot of work to do, I break it down into manageable tasks. Seeing everything that needs to be done in one sitting can be exasperating for me, but if I give myself smaller goals to meet each day then it all becomes more manageable.

17. Tell me about a time you overcame adversity.

Interviewers ask this question for a variety of reasons, including learning about your problem-solving, creative thinking, and resourcefulness. It’s also a chance to gauge your resilience and determination. A strong answer highlights something that was difficult for you, the steps you took to meet the challenge, and how the experience would help you handle adversity you might face in the future. People remember details, so be specific.

Example: Many of my friends love playing sports and were busy much of the year with after-school practices. Unfortunately, I’m not particularly athletic. I tried out for the football team but failed to make it because I didn’t have enough experience. Instead of feeling sorry for myself, I decided to join the swim team and began training with one of the best swimmers in school. She allowed me to shadow her until she felt that my technique was on par with the rest of her team. By the end of my sophomore year, I qualified for state-level tournaments!

18. What motivates you?

This question is usually asked to see what motivates you to do your best, but more importantly, provides you with a chance to show off the positive aspects of your personality. Your answers should focus on something that aligns with the scholarship—was there something that jumped off the screen/page when you read about it? Equally important to what you say is how you say it; make sure your answer is positive and enthusiastic.

Example: Curiosity is my main motivator. I love learning new things, and I am constantly trying to figure out how things work—I attended a JAVA camp last summer just to learn more about how video games are designed. This scholarship will allow me to further explore coding and help satiate my natural curiosity.

19. Tell me about a time when you didn’t agree with an authority’s decision.

This question aims to gain insight into how you think through tough situations and is a test of your maturity. The interviewer wants to know if you are able to provide constructive feedback and what your approach would be when taking a stand against an unpopular decision.

Example: I was extremely disappointed when the school board decided not to purchase new science textbooks for our school library. While it made sense to save money, I decided that I needed to write a letter about my concerns. By explaining how this would impact the students’ discovery of new ideas and knowledge, I was able to convince my classmates to join me in signing an online petition. Luckily, they agreed with my perspective and the school board changed their decision.

20. Tell me about a time when you went above and beyond on a task.

This question is meant to see your dedication, motivation, and work ethic. A good answer will highlight a specific attribute you want to call attention to and use an example of a time you went beyond what was required to convey that attribute. While it’s tempting to talk about a big accomplishment, it’s important the story also focuses on a time you did more than you needed to. As always, include a specific example!

Example: Over the past two years, I’ve worked in my hometown library. While I always make sure that each day’s work gets done in a timely manner, I also try to go the extra mile. If someone comes in looking for help with an assignment, if possible, I stay late with them until everything is complete. It’s super fulfilling. I even had one of the students I’ve helped come in to tell me she’d improved her math grade from a C to a B+!

21. How would you describe a good school environment?

This is a question that allows you to visualize your ideal environment, and what your priorities would be if you were in charge. It’s also a way for interviewers to learn about your personality and preferences. If an interviewer asks this question, it may mean that they are trying to figure out if you would fit into the scholarship’s culture.

Example: I think the most important thing about school is being able to personalize your learning. I’m looking for a place where I can learn the specifics of my field, but also have the freedom to pursue different ways of learning. For example, in my Spanish class, we were learning about language and identity, and we had to write a paper analyzing the specific works we studied at the end. I asked my teacher if I could instead write a personal paper about my experiences with language and identity while incorporating the works. This reflection was super meaningful to me as a Mexican-American student. I want to attend a school where this sort of academic freedom is the norm.

22. Tell me about a personal achievement that makes you proud.

This question is meant to see what makes you proud in life and how you define success. Answering this question provides an excellent opportunity to brag about a big accomplishment and spotlight scholarship-related qualities, like perseverance and problem-solving. Make sure to credit those who helped you along the way and share what you learned from the experience. Let the interviewer know that you’re setting the bar high, not just coasting along.

Example: During my senior year, I helped plan out our high school’s first mock trial event. The debate team had been around since my freshman year, but they never considered a mock trial until my graduating year. I wanted to make a good first impression on the debate team since I intended to become team captain. To show my commitment, I volunteered to be a co-lead coordinator for our team which meant I helped recruit participants, organized our plan of action, and was one of the main points of contact for our group before and during the mock trial. Thanks to the efforts of everyone, the competition turned out to be a huge success, and it helped our high school stand out as one of the top debate schools in the Midwest. After that, I was asked to become the captain of the debate team.

23. Describe your personality in three words.

The interviewer is looking for a glimpse of your personality, to understand how you view yourself, and to see if you’re a good fit for the scholarship. Make sure to concentrate on your unique talents and skills in your response and avoid jargon along with irrelevant and pretentious words.

Example: I would say that I am resourceful, creative, and proactive. I have a way of finding solutions to problems, even when the answer isn’t clear. I believe in tackling challenges head-on and am willing to think outside of the box for solutions.

24. How do you start a project?

This question is meant to determine your process for getting something done. The interviewer wants to know if you are organized or just jumping into things.

Example: I start by making a list of all the things that need to be done. Then, I research everything there is on this topic to make sure that the project is feasible. Once I am satisfied with my amount of knowledge, I make an outline for myself before I begin anything else.

25. How did you choose your major?

Interviewers use this question to learn about your passions and interests. When answering, try to align your major to the scholarship. Highlight the attributes of the major you’re excited about but steer clear of talking about money. For example, engineering might be a lucrative major, but talking about it isn’t likely to score you any points. As always, specific examples and stories are more compelling than generalizations.

Example: My father is a doctor and my mother is a nurse, but when they were young, they were both teachers. They taught me that education is the foundation for everything, so I’ve always taken school seriously, and I especially enjoyed my science classes. I initially didn’t want to go into healthcare because I didn’t want to just “follow in the footsteps” of my parents, but after shadowing a doctor for a day, I realized that the field was right for me since it combines education with helping others. I don’t want to be a doctor or nurse like my parents, but I hope to be a biomedical engineer to help build innovative technologies and be a lifelong learner.

Questions About The Opportunity

While scholarship interviews will largely be about you, it’s common for them to also ask about the opportunity itself. Take a proactive approach and prepare yourself to answer questions about the scholarship.

26. Why did you choose to apply for this scholarship?

This question is designed to gauge your interest in the scholarship and your fit with it. Share specifics of what excites you about the scholarship and how it aligns with your college and future goals. Keep your answer positive and focus on the best aspects of the scholarship.

Example: I chose to apply to the Davis-Putter Scholarship because I’ve always been passionate about political activism. Throughout high school, I was active in the fight for women’s rights, particularly reproductive rights. I organized an event at the state capital in support of women’s rights, coordinated a letter-writing campaign at my school to encourage our local elected officials, and created and distributed a list of candidates coming up for election and their stances on women’s rights issues. I’m excited to use this scholarship to learn more about the causes I’m passionate about, meet other organizers, and help make the world a fairer, more equitable place.

27. Why should you be the one to receive this scholarship?

It’s sometimes easier to reposition this question to what makes you unique. Scholarships can receive hundreds, even thousands, of applications—so what makes you stand out and more deserving than other applicants? This is your chance to make a case for yourself and show the interviewer why you’re the right person for the award; link it to your passions, tie it to your skills, and show the positive effect the funds will have.

Example: I am applying for this scholarship because I believe my work ethic and determination make me an excellent candidate. Last year, I helped organize the high school student council’s first blood drive in our county, which was a big success with a 100% participation rate and inspired me to do more community-focused work. This scholarship will help me acquire the education I need to pursue a career in public service.

28. How will you use the scholarship money?

This question is to make sure the scholarship will go to good use. The interviewer wants to know if you are serious about the scholarship application and will represent the scholarship sponsor in a positive light. Have a budget prepared and highlight how you’ll use the funds to further your education. If you don’t have a plan, it will be difficult for the scholarship to believe that this scholarship will be beneficial to either party.

Example: I would use this money toward my bachelor’s degree in sociology with a specialization in gerontology. Furthermore, I would use this opportunity to shadow a gerontologist and volunteer at a nursing home so that I could gain more insight into this field. Having this scholarship would allow me to worry less about finding a paid job to fund unpaid internships or shadowing opportunities and would allow me to focus more on my studies.

How you end an interview can have an enormous influence on your odds of winning an award. The goal is to leave your interviewer confident in your personality, skills, qualifications, and fit for the scholarship.

29. What questions do you have for me?

The interviewer is looking for you to display interest in the program by asking questions. Your response should be tailored to your particular interests and any concerns that you may have had throughout this interview. This is also a great chance to engage your interviewer with questions focused on their experience with the scholarship.

Examples: What was your favorite part of the scholarship program? What characteristics, goals, or accomplishments of the scholarship are you most proud of? What do students say is the best part of this program? What are the former scholarship recipients doing now, particularly those in the fields I’m interested in?

30. Is there anything else you’d like to add?

It is crucial to show the interviewer that you are serious about this program. This question gives you an opportunity to make any additional points or highlight anything that you may have not covered in your response beforehand. If you have something relevant to share that didn’t come up naturally in the interview, this is the time to mention it.

Example: I believe that I am an ideal candidate for this program because my educational background, passions, and future plans align with what this program has to offer. I am excited to be a part of this program and I look forward to hearing from you.

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