It is definitely a million dollar question. While applying for scholarship programs and hoping to win the award, putting your thought on paper becomes utmost important. To become a deserving candidate, you need to know how to win an essay contest. More important, you should know how to write an scholarship essay that wins over scholarship sponsors or judges. No doubt, writing the personal essay is the toughest part of a scholarship application. However, if you are well prepared to write the essay, you can really gain an extra edge over your competition (applicants).

Most people have difficulty in writing, as compared to speaking. It is, therefore, can be a good idea to speak into a tape recorder first. And then you have done talking, you can transcribe the speech and put it on paper. This can really give a wonderful start to your scholarship essay. hooks for essays

Given below are some important tips for writing personal essays, straight from the scholarship providers. Keep these tips in mind to make your essay a hit.

Think before you write
Writing an essay does not mean just starting to write. Have a brainstorming session to get some wonderful ideas. Then start writing the scholarship essay.

Be original
Here, creativity has a crucial role to play. If you are not original, your essay may just get lost in the crowd of other scholarship applications. So, use your innovative skills to keep the originality. By being original while writing the essay, you can really stand yourself apart from other candidates.

Show, don’t tell
To make a strong impression, you need to show it to the judges not just tell it. Try to make use of anecdotes, stories and other effective examples that can bring life and feel to your essay. An impressive personal essay should be free from generalities and vagueness. Try to give a demonstration of the point you make in the essay.

Develop a theme
Make your essay demonstration thematic. Do not just give a list of your achievements. Include experiences that help develop a theme. If you are unable to develop a theme, you are not going to attract the attention of scholarship judges.