common scholarship essay prompts

Perhaps the most important essay potential students will ever write will be your scholarship essay; this essay accompanies your application for acceptance into colleges you’ve chosen to further your studies. While talking about yourself may seem easy, perhaps one of the most difficult to convey messages are those which are self-purported statements of how we’ve treated or academic and social lives before the application was submitted. Although your choice of topics for your essay will be limited, below we’ve included some common starting points for those charged with writing scholarship essays. Perhaps the most common scholarship essay topic will revolve around why the receiving college should accept you into their ranks. It may include what academic greatness you’ve achieved, your goals in life and other pertinent reasons college admissions panels reading these essays should accept your application and teach you skills. Sometimes you’ll never want anything more than this essay type. Another common essay scholarship boards will possible asks you to write will revolve around particular setbacks, opportunities or challenges you’ve surmounted to get where you are presently. You’ll need to include the particular event, how it impacted your life and what strides were made in overcoming adversity. College advisors love seeing how people can manage crises since you’ll probably have several while in college; ineffectively handling defeats or challenges will prove you’re not ready for college. Simply put, you could be asked to write an essay pertaining to your personal background and how you believe your life, family and other social situations in early childhood affected your decision to pursue various majors you’ve indicated having an interest in. The more descriptive you are when writing this scholarship essay, the greater your chances of acceptance into your desired.
In the scholarship application process, essays give applicants the opportunity to showcase their strengths, abilities, and personalities in a compelling manner. A well-written essay can be the most persuasive part of a scholarship application, which is why much time and care should be put into its preparation. Essays are often required for scholarship applications. Therefore, it is wise to have five to seven pre-written, edited essays before beginning to apply for scholarships. This will not only help speed up the application process, but will also allow you greater time and preparation to apply for more scholarships. Your pre-written essays may not exactly match the required essay topics; however, you can use what you have already written and adjust it to the topic required by the scholarship application.  Some Possible Essay Topics: General topics.Tell us about yourself.What traits do you have that will enhance your education and future employment?Who or what inspires you? Tell us about a book or article you have read that has inspired you.Why do you need this scholarship?Why does education matter to your community?Describe something you have done in the past year that has made a difference in your community.What would you like to do to change the world for the better?Do you consider yourself to be a leader? Why or why not?Describe the solutions you would propose to improve or resolve a current issue, such as health care, the economy, discrimination, or a current topic of your choice.  Besides the more general topics, scholarship applications may also ask essay questions regarding your field of study, personal achievements, background and influences, future goals, financial need, and other topics. In order to test your problem-solving abilities and check your knowledge of current issues, applications sometimes ask questions regarding current events and social.
If you read my recent post, “5 Tips for Successful Scholarship Interviews,” you already have a good idea of what to expect during the scholarship selection process, including the common scholarship interview questions you might receive. But, do you know how to answer those questions? Some of them may seem rather simple, but your answers could ultimately make or break your chances of scoring the award. Remember, this is your one and only chance to impress the scholarship review board or committee chairperson, so you’ll need to have a game plan before entering the arena. But don’t worry — I have a few tips to help you ace some of the most frequently used scholarship interview questions. Here are five that you are likely to receive during most of your interviews. 1. “Tell us about yourself” This question is often used as an ice-breaker and should give the scholarship committee a better idea of who you are as an individual. They want to know what sets you apart from the other scholarship candidates, so don’t waste this opportunity by rehashing your résumé or transcript. Focus on something that distinguishes you from the other applicants or something that that they cannot find by reading your application. For example, you may be pursuing an engineering degree, but in your free time you create cartoons just for fun. Perhaps, you have a Tumblr page filled with crazy food concoctions that were created to illustrate engineering problems, or maybe you are the direct descendant of the person who invented indoor plumbing. The idea is to find something that sets you apart from the other applicants, whether that’s a talent or a strange genealogical fact, and let your enthusiasm shine through. 2. “Give us an example of a time you overcame adversity” Please, whatever you do, don’t use your grades for this interview prompt, unless there were some extremely rare circumstances that.
Below are some common scholarship essay questions.  You can use these as a great starting point for a pesonal statement.  Some of these essay questions are used in the Maricopa Scholarship Database. What life experiences have shaped who you are today and what challenges have you overcome in achieving your education (i.e. financial, personal, medical, etc.)? Explain why you need financial assistance. Describe your academic and career goals and your plans to achieve them and discuss any of your extracurricular/volunteer activities (both on and off campus) that you may perform. Describe an event in which you took a leadership role and what you learned about yourself. This is a sample essay to help guide you when you are writing essays for scholarships. Keep in mind that all scholarship applications are different, so you may have to design your essay to meet those specific requirements.  Paragraph I (State an overview of what you are going to talk about in the essay. If the essay is about you, give a brief description of your experiences, goals, aspirations, family background, etc. Touch on why you want the scholarship.) For as long as I could remember, I have wanted to be a veterinarian. I have been responsible for the care and feeding of pets ever since I was in the second grade. In high school, I participated in the 4-H club as well as the Junior Humane society. To reach my goals, I realize that I must pursue an eight year college education which will begin with the Fall 2010 semester. I am very excited about my future and feel that with the opportunity your scholarship will provide, I can help many animals. Paragraph II & III(Go into more detail on one of the topics listed in paragraph I. For example, elaborate on your previous experiences, family and financial situation, volunteer work, employment, academic career, future goals, college plans, etc.) My love for.
Scholarships >> Browse Articles >> Essays Check out these thought-provoking questions for scholarship essays. The essay: It’s the most important part of your scholarship application, and it can be the hardest. But, the essay shouldn’t keep you from applying. Take a look at some commonly asked essay questions and use them to prepare for your scholarship applications. Brainstorm ideas, do some research or create your own “stock” of scholarship essays. Your Field of Specialization and Academic Plans Some scholarship applications will ask you to write about your major or field of study. These questions are used to determine how well you know your area of specialization and why you’re interested in it. Samples: • How will your study of _______ contribute to your immediate or long range career plans? • Why do you want to be a _______? • Explain the importance of (your major) in today’s society. • What do you think the industry of _______ will be like in the next 10 years? • What are the most important issues your field is facing today? Current Events and Social Issues To test your skills at problem-solving and check how up to date you are on current issues, many scholarship applications include questions about problems and issues facing society. Samples: • What do you consider to be the single most important societal problem? Why? • If you had the authority to change your school in a positive way, what specific changes would you make? • Pick a controversial problem on college campuses and suggest a solution. • What do you see as the greatest threat to the environment today? Personal Achievements Scholarships exist to reward and encourage achievement. So you shouldn’t be surprised to find essay topics that ask you to brag a little. Samples: • Describe how you have demonstrated leadership ability both in and out of school. • Discuss a special attribute or accomplishment that.