scholarship essay questions

scholarship essay questions

The Importance of Scholarships in Higher Education

1. Introduction

A college education is becoming increasingly important and the prices for this education are skyrocketing. The United States is a leader in its innovative trends, new technologies and research, yet lags behind other developed countries in its percentage rate of students who complete a college degree. The question of why is there such a trend has several answers. A major factor in this can be explained by the socio-economic issue. College tuition is rising at a rate of 9% per year, which is an issue for most U.S. families. Even after adjusting for financial aid packages, in 1993-2003 college costs at 4-year public institutions rose more than $50 after inflation, and the costs at private institutions rose more than $14,000. With the median annual household income at approx. $46,000, these figures make it impossible for many families to send their children to college. Another factor is the aspirations of today’s students. The typical student today is not the recent high school graduate. 75% of today’s students are considered “non-traditional”, in which they are over 24 years old, financially independent from their parents, have children of their own or are a single parent, and also possibly in a career transition. These adults understand the importance of a college education in acquiring better jobs and job security, but are not in a financial position to break away to complete a degree. Many feel that there is too much to sacrifice in the present for future gains to return to school.

2. Section One: The Benefits of Scholarships

A scholarship is an award of financial aid for a student to further their education. Scholarships are awarded based on various criteria, which usually reflect the values and purposes of the donor or founder of the award. Scholarship money is not required to be repaid. The benefits of scholarships can be an investment in a student’s future. The cost for a college education is on the rise. With the rate of inflation in the cost of college education, it is becoming increasingly difficult for families to afford the tuition. Scholarships are the way that students can afford to go to college. Also, with the rate of students graduating with student loan debt steadily rising, scholarships can also offer a way out of student loan debt. With more students graduating with high student loan debt, some have even delayed postgraduate education because of debt they have acquired. With the importance of education in the job market today, young students getting their undergraduate degree are going to graduate school to further their worth in the workforce. More debt at the undergraduate level can deter students from seeking advanced degrees. Students can ensure they will not be paying for their education for the majority of their lives by using scholarship money to pay off student loan debt and continuing their education with the same financial backing. This means more students with less debt, which can shape a more promising future.

3. Section Two: Types of Scholarships Available

Field-based Many professional or specialist scholarships are in the field of Engineering, Education, Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy, and the Sciences. A student can expect to receive a scholarship for their specific field of study. This is also the case for graduate and post-graduate students.

Minority-based Many states and organizations offer scholarships to help increase educational opportunities for minority students. This includes African American, Hispanic, Asian, and Native American.

Athletic Many student athletes attending NCAA member institutions or other post-secondary institutions are given athletic-based financial aid. This is to encourage the athlete to attend that institution to play their sport. Often this is extended to an award of money in hopes that the student will continue to participate in said sport.

Need-based These awards are based on the student and family’s financial record and require the filing of a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The FAFSA results are used in computing the Expected Family Contribution (EFC). The student then will know whether or not he/she qualifies for a need-based award.

Academic merit-based These awards are based on a student’s academic, artistic, or other abilities and usually require a minimum Grade Point Average (GPA) or some other standard of academic achievement.

Types of scholarship funding available

4. Section Three: Tips for Writing a Winning Scholarship Essay

With many of the students that you will be competing with for different scholarships come from a diverse background from all walks of life. The first essential to success is to understand the specific person who will be reading your essay and put yourself in their position. Try and visualize the scholarship judges, always keeping in mind how you can capture their attention. Find out what they are looking for and then give it to them. This may seem like somewhat of an obvious statement, but it is very common for students to research the scholarship requirements and then still not fully grasp what the judges are actually looking for. Understanding an audience is very important and often overlooked. After putting yourself in the mindset of someone you know nothing about, it becomes easy to recognize what you would want to know about an individual to make your decision. As a scholarship essay is essentially a persuasion tool, I must recommend a structured outline that parallels your thinking and is directly relevant to the specific person you are trying to persuade. Again, understanding the requirements fully gives you the best chance of success. A good suggestion would be to create a checklist of what the judges are looking for. They may likely be looking for someone who has faced challenges and overcome them, someone who has unique experiences, and someone who truly wishes to attend college. Now keeping this criteria in mind, during your brainstorming try to accentuate these points which you believe are your strongest attributes. Go back to the checklist and ensure that there is no question that you have met all the requirements. This is also a good time to take any elitist tones out of the essay. I am not implying anything negative; however, it often isn’t easy to read an essay that is excessively written about an individual’s accomplishments. Even if this is not done intentionally, such an essay will give off the vibe of a student who is trying too hard to impress and this will very likely counter against him. With the extra information in your head, it is also wise to go over some past winning scholarship essays to gauge the type of responses the judges will be looking for. This isn’t to say you should copy their style verbatim, but it is a good way to check to see if you are on the right path.

5. Conclusion

The rising of tuition fees as well as the price of textbooks, housing, and transportation has put education at a financial strain for the typical college student. However, in today’s society, students have the opportunity to apply for scholarships to make up for some of their college costs, and in some cases for a more fortunate student to only try to find aid for tuition and the textbook costs. A scholarship is an award of financial aid for a student to further their education. Scholarships are awarded based on various criteria usually reflecting the values and purposes of the donor or founder of the award. Because of the economic crisis, students have increasingly been turning to federal financial aid as well as applying for scholarships in order to offset the costs of their education. In this essay, I aim to express my opinion on the importance of college scholarships. Using various resources such as surveys, library books, and credible internet research, I will show the benefits of scholarships, the statistics of acceptance compared to federal aid, and explain how scholarships can help students in the long term. With this research, I hope to provide a deep insight on the true worth of a scholarship.