INTERNATIONAL SCHOLARSHIPS Blog

Common Essay Questions 101

Scholarships are an organization’s financial investment in students. They expect you to do well in school, represent them positively, and give back to your community. But, with so many applicants, how do they choose the winners? Often times, it boils down to the essay portion. Many scholarships have similar essay questions. FastWeb describes some common scholarship essay questions and different approaches for answering them. Here are a few detailed suggestions for some common essay questions.

“Why I need this scholarship?”

The point of this question (and any scholarship essay) is to market yourself and tell the judges why you would be a worthwhile investment. Instead of making a laundry list of activities, describe your achievements specifically and relate them to the essay question. Here are some suggestions:

• If you are the first in your family to go to college, you could talk about what it means for you to be the first to go to college, how you have shown determination about going to college, and tie it back to the costs of tuition.
• If you immigrated to the United States, you could talk about the fact that you moved to the US for a chance at getting an education at the university level, how you’ve exhibited your desire, and tie it back to the costs of tuition.
• If you have overcome adversity in your life (i.e. abuse, disability, financial), you could talk about the obstacles you have overcome, tie the lessons you learned from overcoming adversity into your preparation for college, and how that all ties back to the costs of tuition.

Try brainstorming ideas that convey your story most effectively. This question can be answered by using an experience from the past or by thinking ahead to the future (goals and ambitions). Find a method that you feel paints the strongest picture.

“Who am I?”

This question is very broad and can be answered in many different ways. Again, don’t give them a laundry list of your activities and achievements. Pick a few and write in detail about them. Some suggestions and ideas to write about:

• Heritage/Culture
• Activities and achievements (leadership and clubs)
• Family
• Goals and ambitions (current and future)
• Obstacles overcome (disability, abuse, etc.)

Make sure to tie your theme back into the scholarship guidelines. You can use words listed in their description to strengthen your claims. Each scholarship is different so tailor your application to the goals and values of the scholarship organization.

“How will this scholarship help you meet your educational and career goals?”

This essay question asks you to talk about your future. Scholarship organizations like to see students with focused goals in their lives. There are several parts to this question:

• Describe your plans for college (i.e. anticipated major(s), courses of interest, activities, personal goals)
• Emphasize how the scholarship allows you to meet or work towards those goals
• Expand your plans beyond college (i.e. type of job, positions)
• Include your goals outside of just your career and remember to describe and connect them with how the scholarship helps you meet that goal (i.e. establish an orphanage in East Asia, start a non-profit scholarship organization)
• Weave your goals together with a common theme that emphasizes how the scholarship helps you meet your goals

These are just a few common scholarship essay questions. As you are brainstorming and writing, remember to write with a specific theme in mind.