scholarship essay editing

scholarship essay editing

The Importance of Scholarship Essay Editing

1. Introduction

The importance of creating a seamless, clear, and precise scholarship essay simply cannot be overstated. While creating the initial draft is a rather simple task and can be completed with virtually no prior assistance, editing a scholarship essay can be so much more difficult. Because in most cases, the scholarship essay is the deciding factor in who wins the award, it is important that applicants carefully consider all factors in the editing process. With the amount of competition for scholarships increasing, and the pool of applicants becoming more diverse, the process of essay editing is one that cannot be overlooked. An immaculate essay can often be the difference between winning a scholarship and going back to the drawing board for months at a time. In this article, I will detail why success in procuring scholarships rests heavily on the ability to effectively and efficiently edit a scholarship essay. Beyond the obvious fact that before submitting an essay, you must edit it several times, lies a greater need for scholarship essay editors. This is the need to comprehend the significance of the scholarship essay and the burden it represents for the applicants. For this reason, it is likely that the most successful applicants will consider and reconsider their given essay multiple times in order to make it perfect. This will not be a simple run through for punctuation, spelling, and grammar errors. Rather, the applicant will need to critically analyze their essay, consulting critical readers to assist in this review process and continuously annotating their essays to help in formulating a final product. This process is in fact very similar to the act of submitting drafts and prior works to sites such as Wikipedia and constantly editing and improving those articles.

2. Benefits of Scholarship Essay Editing

It is difficult to take an objective view of your own writing. Even if you are experienced at writing and proofreading, approaching an essay with a fresh outlook can be a different experience. If cost is a consideration, it is more inexpensive to hire a professional editor to look over your essay than it would be to spend extra tuition fees on another year at university. Scholarship essay editing is also a great idea as it will yield a great amount of constructive feedback. An editor will tell you what they think about your work and will often make suggestions for improvement. Step back and try to assess your work as objectively as possible – why did you choose this topic? What question were you attempting to answer? Was your research and self-motivated learning related to this? An editor can provide a valuable sounding board to reflect the rest of your experiences onto the essay to judge the appropriateness of your experiences. This aspect makes it possible to relay a strong, inspiring message about you to the reader, which is usually the most important factor.

3. Key Elements of Effective Scholarship Essays

In order to write an effective scholarship essay, always consider the underlying question or topic at hand. Then, brainstorm on how to effectively answer it, exploring possible themes or points that can be made regarding the topic. This can be done in the initial brainstorming session, creating a web of ideas in which to structure the essay. This can also be done during the essay itself, as the student may reread the essay while considering the question at the same time. This may also generate a theme or a core concept to be expanded upon in the essay. Create an overarching outline for the essay. Since most scholarship essays are essentially narratives, have an introduction, a body, and a conclusion. In the introduction, the question or topic at hand will usually be introduced along with a few other questions that will be answered in the body. The body of the essay will discuss 2 to 3 major themes that relate back to the question or topic, and the conclusion will reiterate the introduction and provide a final analysis of the core content mentioned. Always stay on topic. One common mistake in essay writing is diverging from the core theme. Always stay on topic. Only include parts of the narrative that directly answer the question or topic. Any irrelevant information aka “fluff” should be avoided. This method should still leave some room for wry or even humor, but no matter the tone of the essay, the question or topic must always be addressed. Finally, use good grammar and structure. Revise and rewrite essays as necessary. Have others such as teachers, parents, and friends proofread the essay, as their perspectives can often be the most beneficial in improvement of the work.

4. Tips for Editing Scholarship Essays

One of the most useful things you can do when you are having difficulty with starting a scholarship essay is to simply spend some time reflecting on the task. Specifically, ask yourself if the directions make sense to you, and if you have to address the questions fully. Often times, I find that my difficulty lies in determining the answers to the questions, rather than the topic of the essay. For example, I may be required to demonstrate my tenacity, and I am having difficulty thinking of ways to demonstrate this to the reader. However, when I ask myself how I have demonstrated tenacity, the answer becomes clearer. You should also spend some time considering what the reviewers will be looking for. Often the answer will be in the question that the scholarship is asking. For example, if an essay question is “How do you demonstrate leadership in your life?” pay attention to the task words. The reviewers will be looking for the way in which you “demonstrate” your leadership. This makes it much easier to decipher what you should write about, and you can relate all of your drafts to the question.

5. Conclusion

Remember, a scholarship essay is essentially your chance to advertise yourself to the committee and convince them that you are the one student they are searching for. A well thought-out essay, showcasing your knowledge and insight in a relevant field, can further help you stand out among the competition. So, while investing time into editing your essay is important, it might not be necessary if you believe your writing skills are already well polished. Often times, a second pair of eyes can see the mistakes that you missed. In the end, scholarship on Dyslexia and College Students is the result of an author who can keenly recognize where improvements can be made to a piece of writing. And asking for help is okay. With resources such as spell check and grammar check available at the reach of fingertip, writing skills do not always hold up to the standard perceived by the writer. Visual or grammar errors can undermine a scholar’s reputation or competency in the field. But don’t be too hard on yourself! Even the most skilled writers or editors miss the tiny typos. It is a part of being human.