Getting into the college of your dreams isn’t always easy. It can feel like a battle at times, with admissions counselors looking for ways to reject you. If you aren’t careful, they can do that in many different ways.
Most colleges look for applicants who will be good members of their student body and contribute to their campus culture by showing interest in their programs, attending school events, and staying involved on campus. If you want to get into the best colleges, it pays to know some tricks and tips on increasing your chances of acceptance.
Luckily, there are many ways to improve your odds when applying to college, such as building your essay from the ground up and targeting specific schools you love the most. Here are some helpful hints for crafting an essay that gets you into the college of your choice:
Build your essay from the ground up
The best way to write a successful essay is to build your vision from the ground up. If you don’t know what you’re trying to say, how can you expect your readers to understand?
This means that when you’re developing your thesis statement, you should start by thinking about what it means in general terms. Then use that as a foundation for more specific statements.
For example:
“My school is a place where students can achieve their full potential.”
“Our school’s issues are due to its emphasis on academics.”
Once you have a set of basic ideas or concepts, you can talk about what they mean in more detail and discuss how they relate to each other. For example:
“A student’s abilities are shaped by his/her experiences at school.”
“Our school’s focus on academics is limiting students’ opportunities.”
Show You Care About Your School and Program
One of the most common mistakes students make when writing an essay is to skip the part where they tell how much their school has influenced them.
It’s easy to forget that your school is a place where you learned something and made friends. Maybe you went there because it was close by, or maybe you were even inspired by the teachers or classes.
But it’s hard for a school to be more than a building and some classes if it doesn’t have any impact on your life. And even if it does, what about all of the other things that happen in your life that aren’t related to school? How do you explain those?
A good essay will not only describe what you’ve learned from your school but also how those ideas have shaped your life. Many students can’t put their finger on exactly what it was that inspired them to go into a particular field, but they know it was more than just a grade on a test or a recommendation from an adviser.
Keep to the same theme for your essay
The key to an effective essay is organization. You need to be able to stick with one theme throughout your paper.
Keep to the same theme for your essay, and don’t jump from idea to idea. The reader should be able to follow what you are saying. If you start talking about one thing and then go on to another topic completely unrelated, the reader will be confused and bored.
Organisation also means having a clear structure for your essay. It’s often helpful if your introduction sets out exactly which points you’re going to be making in the body of your essay so that the reader can see where they fit in.
Start with an introduction – what is your thesis? Where did this idea come from? How does it relate to other ideas that have been discussed in class? What evidence do you have for this claim? Then move on to your body paragraphs – each paragraph should support your thesis statement with examples or illustrations from history or literature that support your point of view (or at least try).
Focus on Your Strong Points
When you’re applying for scholarships, it’s important to show that you have what it takes to succeed in the program. That’s why our sponsors look for credible candidates who can make a real difference in their community.
The first thing sponsors look for in a scholarship recipient is someone who has the potential to succeed. Many will not even consider you if you don’t have any potential. The key to getting a scholarship is not to focus so much on how good you are but rather on how good you can be.
They want to know what motivates you, what makes you tick and why they should invest their time and money in helping you achieve your goals. You can do this by sharing stories about the experiences that shaped your character and dreams for the future.
You’ll want to focus on the things that make you a good fit for their program or organization — including any unique talents or experiences that set you apart from other applicants. That will help them understand why they should allow you to apply for their scholarship instead of someone else with similar qualifications but less personal involvement with the organization or program itself.”
So, if you’re going for a scholarship, it’s essential to research and find out what they’re looking for in a candidate. This way, when it comes down to applying, you’ll already know what they’re looking for and why they should want to give you their money.
Build Relationships Before You Apply
When applying for scholarships, it all comes down to networking. You can’t just sit back and wait for the money to roll in. You need to be proactive and make connections with other people who can help you land the financial aid you deserve.
If you have a good network of friends and family members, then you’re already ahead of the game. Your network will be able to refer you to people who can help you get financial aid. But even if you don’t have a network, there are still ways that an online platform like My Future can help make sure that your application gets noticed by potential scholarship providers.
Final Words
The main factors that go into a winning scholarship essay are passion and organization. When you are writing, pour your passion into your essay. If you don’t care then why should the scholarship judges? Also, create an outline that includes a hook, three main body paragraphs, and a conclusion. This will keep your essay on the topic and organized so you can make a splash with your ideas. As long as you have passion throughout the essay, take time to proofread it many times before sending it in and double-check all of the guidelines, you are bound to be successful in the scholarship process. Good luck!
Related: Scoring the Perfect Scholarship: A Student’s Guide to Winning Big
