Your application for the scholarship needs you to submit an essay about yourself. How simple could something be? You have, after all, been residing alone for at least 17 years. You are the only one who truly knows yourself. When you try to start typing on your computer, your mind becomes blank. All of a sudden, everything you know about yourself makes you feel undeserving of a $5,000 scholarship.
What on earth can you write about to pique the scholarship committee's interest sufficiently? Check out our detailed instructions on how to write a college essay on yourself before you start stressing.
Step 1: Brainstorm
Any scholarship essay prompt should be approached by first doing some thinking. Before you begin writing, we strongly advise that you take some time to consider the essay prompt. In addition to sparking your imagination, doing this will improve the organization and coherence of your essay.
Brainstorm Ideas
Sit down in a quiet area with a pen and paper to begin brainstorming. Consider your upbringing, your family's financial situation, your academic record, your early years, your education, the sports you participate in, and anything else that contributes to who you are. If you're having trouble starting a discussion, try talking to your parents or friends about yourself. Make notes on the paper about yourself.
Dig Deeper
It's time to go deeper into the information you've provided about yourself. Your scholarship essay should attempt to persuade the scholarship committee that you are deserving of winning by telling a story about yourself. How can you make your own experiences into a gripping narrative? What personal details can you share that will help people know who you are?
It is beneficial to consider your audience. Learn more about the scholarship provider to accomplish this! Read the "about" section on their website. What values do they uphold? What sort of learners do they honor?
How much you had to study to earn your 3.8 GPA would be of interest to your audience. Your GPA and exam results may have aided in your admission to college, but they may not be sufficient to secure you a scholarship. Numerous kids have GPAs that are almost perfect, so writing about it can be a little dry.
Your readers are interested in learning about the difficulties you've encountered or the memorable experiences you've had. Did your parents leave you alone after school every day while they were at work to supervise a younger sibling? Have you ever had mental health issues or learning difficulties that made it difficult for you to study? How did you come to the decision to major in business in college? When we say to dive deep, this is what we mean. go beneath the surface. Discuss your past experiences that led you to your current position.
Step 2: What to Include in an Essay About Yourself
Naturally, a scholarship essay on yourself can cover a lot of ground. Your essay can go in a lot of different directions. Keep in mind that you should include facts about yourself in your essay to make it interesting to read. It's okay to include information about yourself in your essay. But you had better add a lot of flavoring to those facts.
Here are some suggestions for your essay.
Topics You Can Address in Your Essay
You can introduce yourself in your essay in a variety of ways. Remember that the subject of your essay must be you and your unique life experiences. You can base your essay on one or more of the following subjects.
- Experiences that have inspired your degree choice.
- Challenges you’ve faced that have impacted your life and education.
- Unique hobbies you have or the sports you play.
- How you’ve changed over the years.
- Your experiences in school.
- Professional goals you have for the future.
- Your achievements.
- Special relationships that have inspired you. If you choose this topic, remember the essay still needs to focus on you.
Your essay should cover a subject that you may relate to your academic or professional objectives. If it didn't have any bearing on your education or profession, it probably isn't pertinent for the scholarship.
Keep in mind that you must discuss both the why and the how. For instance, why are you working toward a legal degree? Why did you take this path to a degree? How might a legal degree benefit your future plans? What life events inspired you to want to practice law?
Step 3: Sketch an Outline
It's time to get organized now that you know what you'll write about. The last thing you should do before beginning to write is to create an outline. Decide on one or two of the subjects we recommended, then start planning out what you'll cover in each paragraph. An introduction, three to five body paragraphs, and a conclusion should make up your essay.
Check out our advice on what to include in your essay and what not to:
Do:
- Make an impression right away with your writing.
- Put yourself in the position of the reader. Are you able to express yourself sufficiently in your essay? Do you persuade the reader that you are deserving of the prize?
- Make inquiries and learn as much as you can about the company. Make an effort to join their initiatives. Do your interests or objectives align with those of the organization? What benefits can you provide the company?
- Include only pertinent details. Something is generally useless or inappropriate if it seems so.
- Since this is about you, write in the first person.
- Specify your examples. Instead of stating that you suffered during your freshman year, provide examples.
- Display your abilities and accomplishments.
- Make sure your essay is engaging. It's not good enough if it doesn't captivate your viewers right away.
- Edit and proofread your essay. Your scholarship could be lost due to such little spelling errors. They detract from your writing and don't effectively convey your professionalism to the reader. Everyone makes mistakes, but it is your responsibility to proofread your work before submission.
- Apply the proper format.
- In your transcripts, describe your academic shortcomings. This is your time to own up to the 'D' you received in math your freshman year. Write about your difficulties with algebra and how obtaining a tutor inspired you to get better. By placing the blame on a teacher, do not in any way use the victim card!
- It's normal to make mistakes! Write about the lessons you took away from your errors and how they strengthened you.
- Be genuine and write as you speak (of course, with correct grammar). It's not as amazing as you might think to try to dazzle with thesaurus words.
- Adhere to the essay's instructions! Even if you write the best essay possible, you run the chance of being disqualified if you don't adhere to the rules.
Don’t:
- Falsehood: Making up tales to impress the scholarship committee won't work. Lying screams fakeness. We assure you that scholarship judges can tell when kids are lying because it is so clear.
- If you believe that boasting about your 4.0 GPA would get you a scholarship, you are mistaken. Show off your assurance without coming across as haughty or conceited.
- Use the essay as a platform to share your most private family information. This is not the place to sob uncontrollably or reveal private details.
- Regarding your career aspirations, be vague. Which does it make more sense to reward—a student with clearly defined ambitions or one who has no idea what they want to accomplish with their lives?
- Reiterate the same information repeatedly. Your readers will start to snore!
- Apply cliches. Overused cliches are bad! Be brave and original.
Step 4: How to Start an Essay About Yourself
Your essay on yourself should fascinate readers from the get-go, just like all other scholarship essays should. Write a captivating start to your essay that will entice people to keep reading. Start off by sharing a personal tale or experience.
Also, avoid using quotes and phrases like "from a young age" or "for as long as I can recall." These are not your words; they belong to someone else.
You should include a thesis statement that explains to the reader why you are applying for the scholarship towards the conclusion of your introduction paragraph. They ought to be able to taste your excitement and discern the reasons for your application.
How to Start an Essay About Yourself Example
When it comes to my passion for teaching others, you might say I wasn’t given much of a choice in life. As the older sister of four, it was my responsibility to lead the way and teach my two younger brothers and sister. At least, I assumed that responsibility. I helped them with everything from school projects to packing for camp in the summer. It’s no surprise to me that years later, I have chosen to pursue a bachelor’s degree in Education at the University of Texas in the fall. With this scholarship, I will be able to pursue my degree in education and return to my hometown to teach in a local elementary school after graduating.
Step 5: What to Include in Your Body Paragraphs
The bulk of your scholarship essay will be in your body paragraphs. The scholarship readers will learn more about you through this. Each of your body paragraphs should present an argument with details and examples to back it up.
Your goal in these lines is to as fully express your personality as you can. Additionally, you should make a connection between your points and your long-term academic and professional objectives, as well as the scholarship you're asking for. Be careful to explain to the reader how the scholarship will assist you in achieving your objectives.
How to Write a College Essay About Yourself Body Paragraphs Example
My duty as a teacher to my younger brothers and sister was merely the beginning. As soon as I was of legal age, I began babysitting my neighbors on weekends to supplement my income. Sure, I had to give up my weekend nights with friends, but I was able to save a lot of money from my Friday and Saturday night performances. It was never just about the money for me. I enjoyed spending time with the small children. I would plan interesting activities for them, such as "restaurant night," in which we would construct menus and make ice cream sundaes in the kitchen.
I knew I wanted to be a teacher by the time I was in high school. In high school, I attended many subjects that reaffirmed my dream. I especially enjoyed my early childhood education class, where I learned about theories of childhood development, classroom management practices, and curriculum building. I even began to create my own curriculum and forced my younger siblings to attend "school" with me as their teacher. I don't think they were thrilled with all those extra hours of school...
I finished my internship as a teacher's assistant over the last year. Every Tuesday and Thursday, I spent half a day at the local elementary school working with a third-grade teacher. This experience taught me so much, such as how to manage behavioral issues and how to encourage hesitant pupils to engage in lessons. I can't wait to return to my hometown after college and work as a teacher.
Step 6: How to End an Essay About Yourself
You could be tempted to rush through writing your essay's conclusion paragraph by that point. However, your final paragraph also plays a crucial role in leaving a lasting impression. Take your time with it.
Your essay's final paragraph should summarize its key ideas and bring everything together. The following should be said in your ending clause:
- To put it another way, restate your point.
- Give a summary of the points you tried to make in your body paragraphs.
- Your conclusion paragraph should end with a significant future-focused notion.
How to End an Essay About Yourself Example
You could argue that my childhood shaped who I am today, but I believe it is much more. Without my education and employment throughout high school, I would not have the confidence I have today in myself and my future aspirations. I am really pleased to begin my studies at the University of Texas and continue to build the tools and abilities necessary to become the greatest teacher I can be.
Step 7: The full Example of How to Write a College Essay About Yourself
It's time to put it all together now that you know how to create a strong introduction, conclusion, and body paragraphs. Here is the whole illustration:
When it comes to my desire to teach people, you could say I wasn't given many options in life. It was my obligation as the eldest sister of four to show the way and teach my two younger brothers and sister. At the very least, I accepted that obligation. I assisted them with everything from school projects to packing for summer camp. It comes as no surprise to me that I've decided to pursue a bachelor's degree in education at the University of Texas in the autumn. With this grant, I will be able to complete my education degree and then return to my hometown to teach in a local elementary school.
My duty as a teacher to my younger brothers and sister was merely the beginning. As soon as I was of legal age, I began babysitting my neighbors on weekends to supplement my income. Sure, I had to give up my weekend nights with friends, but I was able to save a lot of money from my Friday and Saturday night performances. It was never just about the money for me. I enjoyed spending time with the small children. I would plan interesting activities for them, such as "restaurant night," in which we would construct menus and make ice cream sundaes in the kitchen.
I knew I wanted to be a teacher by the time I was in high school. In high school, I attended many subjects that reaffirmed my dream. I especially enjoyed my early childhood education class, where I learned about theories of childhood development, classroom management practices, and curriculum building. I even began to create my own curriculum and forced my younger siblings to attend "school" with me as their teacher. I don't think they were thrilled with all those extra hours of school...
I finished my internship as a teacher's assistant over the last year. Every Tuesday and Thursday, I spent half a day at the local elementary school working with a third-grade teacher. This experience taught me so much, such as how to manage behavioral issues and how to encourage hesitant pupils to engage in lessons. I can't wait to return to my hometown after college and work as a teacher.
You could argue that my childhood shaped who I am today, but I believe it is much more. Without my education and employment throughout high school, I would not have the confidence I have today in myself and my future aspirations. I am really pleased to begin my studies at the University of Texas and continue to build the tools and abilities necessary to become the greatest teacher I can be.
Final Thoughts
You could find the scholarship essay prompt "Tell Us About Yourself" frustrating. It can seem intimidating, but once you know how to approach it, it's really not that bad.
You can succeed if you follow these suggestions. It's time to get writing!
