Scholarship essay
Write a 300-500-word essay that can be used to apply for scholarships both now and in the future. Note: Your instructor may assign a separate peer review activity to help you with this project.
To complete this assignment, do the following:
Learn about scholarships:
Read the Park University Scholarship Information Guide. Pay close attention to the “Your Personal Statement” section.
Explore the U. S. Department of Education’s Types of Aid and Avoiding Scams pages.
Explore the U. S. Department of Labor’s Scholarship Finder page and find at least one scholarship you qualify for.
Log into Park’s Endowed Scholarship page and see if any internal scholarships are available to you at this time.
Select one scholarship that you will “target” in your personal statement.
Compose a 300-500-word personal statement:
Introduce yourself. Keep it real: talk about your background, your personal and career aspirations, your major, your extracurricular activities, and why you are attending college.
Explain why you are qualified for this scholarship. Mention the name of the scholarship in your statement. What makes you the best candidate for this scholarship?
Explain how this scholarship will help you achieve your educational, professional, civic, and/or personal goals. What will this scholarship allow you to do that you wouldn’t be able to do otherwise?
How will this scholarship allow you to give back to your community?
Be as specific as possible. Set yourself apart from the pack. What makes you unique?
Consider mentioning your FOCUS results and/or your VARK learning preferences.
Write your letter like a story, not a shopping list. Tell your story in a way that will make your reader want to know more.
Think of your letter as the equivalent for a face-to-face interview. Use an appropriate tone, represent yourself professionally, proofread, etc.
Participate in peer review activities, if assigned:
Specific instructions will be provided by your instructor.
Revise your personal statement:
Start with organization. Is your personal statement structured in a way that makes sense? Does your personal statement have a beginning, middle, and end?
Think about focus. Is your statement focused on a single main idea? Does your personal statement provide a single dominant impression?
Consider development. Are each of your ideas, claims, points, and arguments fully fleshed out? Will your reader have questions?
Finally, look at mechanics: diction (word choice), syntax (sentence structure), punctuation, tone, spelling.
