mla format for scholarship essay

mla format for scholarship essay

Strategies for Writing an Effective Scholarship Essay

1. Introduction

Now, assuming that there was a scholarship for a disabled foreigner who had to go through unnaturally hard times to get a degree, which you could qualify for, let’s say that the essay prompt is: “Describe a time in your life that has shaped who you are as a person and what you will do to improve the world for the better?” With the use of “keywords,” you can identify what you are supposed to do. For example, “a time in your life that has shaped who you are as a person,” taking you into retelling an event of some importance. “And what you will do to improve the world for the better?” taking you into explaining your ideal and what you think is a good deed. With these identified points, you can now begin to write supporting details and build the essay in a more fluid, personal type of way. This should be the main focus of a good essay: being yourself and using your own words to do so. With this technique, you will ensure that you’ve answered the question properly and will enable the reader to see your way of thinking.

Keywords, main themes, and supporting details are the foundation of any good essay. With the use of this technique, you can not only build upon the essay in a systematic type of way but manage to add a sort of voice to the essay – which I believe helps the reader understand the meaning of your thoughts and feelings behind the words you put down, which is what any reader should want to see in a writer: good writing.

Writing a scholarship essay can be very difficult, especially if you want to do it well. Your essay will need to wow the reader and speak directly to the goals of that organization, as well as the objectives of that award. If done properly, you will very rarely be able to submit the same application to multiple awards – it is not a one-size-fits-all. Most essays will need to be tweaked or completely altered in order to show the reader that you are deserving of the award above and beyond any of the other participants who also applied. Reading and re-reading the essay prompt will help you identify the key themes of the essay, allowing you to write it in a way so the reader will understand you’ve thought deeply about the experience and will help build a meaningful connection between your experience and the essay topic.

2. Understanding the MLA Format for Scholarship Essays

In comparison to the endnotes and reference pages, this method places complex source information within the text of a paper, simplifying the viewing and comprehension of the source. This is critical for the end user who may not be experienced in reading complex reference material and locating such information in various forms of media. With this newfound method of source citation, there will be an increase in the likelihood of the source information being correctly attributed to its original context. All in all, this will greatly benefit the author being cited, the writer referencing the information, and the reader.

Also, within the last ten years, there has been a major increase in the amount of information that you are able to retrieve, whether printed or spoken. Information is no longer exclusive to the library and can now be located in various multimedia formats. MLA has adapted to the increasing amount of new information readily available today. Now, MLA is no longer focused on static publication (printed word) but is moving toward a “unified works cited.”

MLA format is the best in parenthetical citation. It places more emphasis on putting all relevant information into the sentence context through mentioning the author with the page number, as opposed to APA which is more often the date (Author). Enhancing the integrity of research by situating the authorship in the appropriate context and enabling the reader to locate the original source in order to access further information on the topic. This is typically where most students make a mistake in their essay. If they fail to do this, they then commit the information to memory and might later use the information thinking it is their own. Knowing in research, it is very easy to do this when taking notes or reading someone else’s work. By not referencing the author, you are essentially attributing the information to yourself. To avoid this, try looking at the page when reading information and summarizing the paragraph in your own words.

3. Key Components of a Winning Scholarship Essay

No doubt, writing the personal essay can be the most difficult part of the scholarship application. But a well-written essay can make your application stand out and increase your chances of receiving more money. In writing the essay, begin with the introductory paragraph that clearly defines what your goals are. Spell out what you would like to study and what you hope to accomplish. Support this with a strong background in the subject you are working to pursue. The body of your essay should elaborate on your academic and personal experiences that have led you to choosing that field of study. Be sure to discuss how these experiences have helped to shape you as a person and further clarified your goals for the future. Next, discuss how receiving this scholarship would help you to achieve your goals. This is the most important part of the essay and should be emphasized throughout. Mention the value of this scholarship in relation to the other scholarships that you have been offered. Feel free to reiterate your goals at this point and how this money would help you to attain them. Always conclude your essay with a wrapping up paragraph. Restate your goals and what you hope to achieve, and also how this scholarship will help you attain them. This is your last chance to persuade the reader so make it good!

4. Tips for Writing a Persuasive Scholarship Essay

C. Keep in mind that you are asking to be given money for school. Think about the amount of the award that will be given to you as an individual scholarship. What will the money help you achieve and how will it help you to achieve it? What will happen if this money does not help you to achieve your goal? If you can visualize these ideas then you can write an essay that will create a vivid picture in the reader’s mind and give a clear understanding of what will happen if you are awarded this scholarship.

B. Avoid being generic. Create a new and innovative essay that has a personal touch. Genuineness is what matters in any form of writing. A reader will not be able to relate to a writer who is not genuine and truthful. Avoid using statements that are very broad and do not really say anything about you in specific (i.e. “I deserve this scholarship because I am a good student.”)

5. Conclusion

An essay’s conclusion is composed of around three or four sentences which bring the essay to a smooth close. It serves as the last chance for the writer to convince the reader about the validity of the argument. The conclusion is the last opportunity to persuade the reader. It is important to remember that the conclusion should not be a restatement of the thesis statement presented in the introduction. It should, however, bring the essay to a higher sense of purpose. Often times, the conclusion will leave the reader with questions to consider and ponder. The most important aspect of your conclusion is to reiterate the thesis, in a slightly re-written form, and make it seem fresh. This will help maintain the purpose of the essay, to persuade the reader to the writer’s point of view. A conclusion should be a mirror image of the introduction, it moves from the specific to the general. It should refer back to the principal question or statement presented in the introduction and ensure it is answered or proven. A good way to go about this is to re-read the topic sentence of each major paragraph or section in the essay. Then re-state them more simply for your conclusion.