how to conclude a scholarship essay

how to conclude a scholarship essay

How to Write a Persuasive Scholarship Essay

1. Introduction

Applying for college takes a lot of effort. All applicants must pass exams, collect any and all previous records, and write an essay. The latter usually is the most difficult to do because it requires a lot of creativity from the student, which many are not prepared to employ. In an application where limitations are laid out, the student often feels separated from the process. A scholarship essay does not need to be written in any specific way. Basically, what one is required to do is create an essay that is a “cut and paste” of what is already in the student’s mind. Nowadays, essays are required for almost every professional career where the student will need to write up what he or she is going to do in the future. For this to come from the student is often difficult, for there are many who are unsure of what they are going to do next week, much less next year. A scholarship is an award of financial aid for a student to further their education. Scholarships are awarded on various criteria usually reflecting the values and purposes of the donor or founder of the award. Step number one in this process is to examine the organization offering the scholarship. What is the image that the organization is trying to publicize? What would be the best possible thing to write in the essay? What are the organization’s views on the student’s future? This method is primarily what I like to call “playing the system.” The student has a goal in mind, and the donor of the award has a similar goal. By matching the essay to the wishes of the organization, there is a semblance of communication. This increases the possibility of the essay being brought to the attention of an administrator seeking a worthy candidate. Often time it is difficult to find out if anyone has read or noticed the essay, so having it come up in conversation is the best indicator.

2. Highlight Your Achievements

The “problem-solution-outcome” formula is also quite vague, but if you can adequately determine the details and run through your anecdote, it’s easy to see how it fits. An anecdote doesn’t have to be a life-changing event: it could be as simple as fixing up a bike for a friend or as complex as developing a new system of government for a war-torn country. Make a list of your achievements and select the best one for the formula. Then run through a brainstorming session on your anecdotes, select the best one, and move on to the next paragraph.

Statements are quite passive and vague, which isn’t what we’re aiming for. The term “anecdote” implicitly refers to a narrative, a story that’s happening on paper, not just something that happened. Create another comparison between the two and come up with the definition for “anecdote” above. Now, armed with your new knowledge of the differences between statements and anecdotes, you should be able to transform any statement in your essay into a compelling need by simply adding details.

Pardon the tangent, but in my experience, too few students know the difference between a statement and an anecdote. Most scholarship essays consist of statements; students shouldn’t really be aware that they’re writing statements because they’ve been trained to do the essays in a 3rd person format. For example, “I believe that I am a good candidate for this scholarship”.

So, you should begin by highlighting your achievements. Attack your problems. Highlighting your achievements is very important because it shows the scholarship committee that you have the right stuff to succeed in their program. It shows that you are in a position to identify problems and take action to resolve them. What’s more, it shows that you have a healthy capacity to learn from your experiences. Long story short: if you demonstrate your achievements, then you’re far more likely to be provided with a scholarship. How do you highlight your achievements? Well, you should definitely include a targeted anecdote about a time when you identified a problem, developed a solution, and achieved the best possible outcome. When discussing the outcome, don’t be shy self-praise! This is an important aspect of your essay attempting to convince the reader that you are a worthy candidate for this scholarship.

3. Connect Your Goals with the Scholarship

After identifying the key themes, it is important to understand what each of these ideas really means, beyond the initial level. For instance, I identified ‘leadership’ as a key theme in what I was doing. Through questioning from tutors, I began to understand what it really means to be a leader. They made me realize that leadership is not just about getting people to do what you want, but is also about helping others achieve something for themselves. This thinking is at the core of my educational and career goal. I realize that this is an evaluation period in my life where I need to set an example for the younger students. I will do this through various methods, whether it be by tutoring them or through demonstrating the use of my critical thinking skills to solve their problems. I also want to continue to the next level at my work in a laboratory. This job has been very important to me and shown me the merits of hard work and the satisfaction it can bring. Although people do not directly report to me, I would consider my position to be a leader for the students who have yet to grasp the true objective of education. I intend to motivate them towards an epiphany of understanding, to be better equipped for their future. In essence this is my idea of ‘getting people to do what you want’, which is not stating that their way is wrong, but showing them a better way that will benefit them. Considering these ideas, I came to the conclusion that my primary goal in education and work involves one simple idea; to help people through the use of my skills. I want to show people the power and usefulness of physics and the problem-solving skills which it teaches. I want to do this for my friend who struggled with the concept of physics and in doing so become a leader and a person who can change lives. This is quite a grand goal but I feel it is completely necessary in these times where younger generations are disenchanted and do not have a clear understanding of how their actions can affect their future. They need guidance and someone to set an example. This is a huge task but I am confident that the changes I will make will be positive and will provide the guidance for the youth to make a better tomorrow. This is the first step towards my ultimate goal of making change in communities and societies for the better.

4. Demonstrate Your Financial Need

Financial need is a common criterion used to filter out students with strong academic performance and potential but lack the resources to continue their education. Assuming that you are vying for a scholarship provided on the basis of financial need, you should hopefully realize you are competing with some very worthy candidates. It’s very important to show that you recognize the magnitude of the help that is being offered, and that you can appreciate how it has the potential to dramatically change your or someone else’s life. The point here is to paint a picture of the life that will be if you or someone else is not provided this help. The more vivid you can make these images, the better off you will be. Committee members will look straight past a weakly made point without a second thought, and you need to be creating strong lasting impressions to secure their sympathy. Be careful not to sound too desperate though. It is generally okay to argue that you are in a severe tight spot and you really need the money, but there is a point where it is easy to come off sounding very pitiful. Your aim should be to create a sense that positive change can happen through the offering of the scholarship.

5. Craft a Compelling Conclusion

You will want to remind the reader of what each of your body paragraphs have stated. Yet, the wording of each of your arguments should be different from the one found in your body paragraph. Use the most forceful argument that you have stated in your most evident example. It is important to be able to paint a picture in the reader’s mind, that they will be able to easily understand your point and arguments. Remember do not use this as an opportunity to attack and belittle those who disagree with your thesis, but to create a lasting understanding of your thesis using logical reasoning. After restating what each of your body paragraphs have stated, you can finish by a reinforcement of your thesis. This should be a clear statement restating what your argument has been in support of your thesis. This should also be a statement that elicits an agreeable response and guides the reader into further thought on the subject, essentially working like the thought provoking questions that are found in the thesis.

Restate your thesis in a more convincing tone. Make your introduction look different by rewording some of your opening statements. Remember to make your thesis clear. The concluding paragraph should provide a sense of completeness and closure. Your introductory sentence should be specific and function as a lead-in to the conclusive remarks. The conclusion often is the most important paragraph. Think of it like an investment in furthering the future understanding of your ideas. You must spend some time thinking about the elements of your essay that will be useful in assisting your reader to understand your thesis. You are not simply reminding your reader what you have just written, but are leading them to the important as well as ultimate understanding of your thesis using your discussions or reasoning. Highlight the most important parts of your essay and make a notation of them using a concise but still detailed manner.