When you see that advertisement for scholarship opportunities or a financial aid opportunity you won’t like to let it slide. What comes to your mind is writing a scholarship application letter, knowing fully well that there is a probability you are not the only one applying to get it. You know you have to pen down your mind in a formal way while letting them in on why you would be the best person to be awarded the scholarship. It should talk about your academic achievement, leadership abilities, volunteer work, and unique things you have done that would make you stand out.
Writing a scholarship application letter is an easy and uneasy task to do, depending on whether you know how to go about it. This is why you are reading this article, to add to the knowledge of what you already know or do not know when it comes to writing a scholarship application letter.
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Important Guidelines you must Adhere to While Drafting your Scholarship Application Letter
i. Write clearly and briefly while including important information.
ii. Be as sincere as possible and share personal information including academic/personal goals and other information as it relates to the scholarship.
iii. Instead of playing the pity party game, show your strength. e.g Instead of writing, “I come from a poor family where were could barely afford books which in turn affected my academics and made my grades drop”, you can write, “I made a second class lower while having to juggle between catering for my family and my academics”
iv. Gather the specifics that would be needed for the letter, some organizations have the format for application and refusal to follow it might drastically reduce your chances of being chosen.
v. Do not act desperate for the money, comport yourself, and let it show in your writing.
vi. Remember to double-check your letter for typographical or grammatical errors; better still, ask a friend to review it.
vii. Depending on whether you are writing to a British or American organisation, check the spelling and ensure it is in either format.
viii. Type in font size 12 with double spacing to make your writing easy to read.
ix. If you are sending your letter via email, ensure that the subject line has your full name followed by “Application for [Name of Scholarship]”. You don’t also have to make it unnecessarily long, in fact, make it shorter than if it were to be submitted in a hard copy format. End the email with your best regards, your first and last name and your phone number, a means to contact you.
What to Write in a Scholarship Application Letter
First Paragraph
This paragraph should be about you, and your personal, educational and career goals. Talk about your chosen or desired field, and let your passion show, so they can be convinced that you are someone who knows what he wants. People want to invest in other people that would show forth the work, not some random person that isn’t goal-driven and is likely to drop out after a few weeks or months. Give the good reasons they should want to pick you.
Second Paragraph
Think of this paragraph as a means of selling yourself. Talk about strengths, things you love to do, extracurricular activities you have participated in as a means of giving back to your community or for personal development, your academic achievements, and even those random things you did and you think do not matter, write them there. In short, let them know you are a stable person and not someone that is always jumping from one thing to another.
Third Paragraph
This paragraph should aim at giving points why you should be considered for the application. Make it as formal as you can while still giving the “WHYs”. Do not let desperation for the money reflect in your writing, rather let your hunger for acquiring knowledge reflect and how the money would help sort out accommodation, books, food and all other costs that are necessary. If you have so much to write you can proceed to the next paragraph.
Fourth Paragraph
This paragraph would not be necessary if you are able to summarize your points well in the first three (3) paragraphs. Keeping in mind that you are not to exceed a two-page document, you can proceed to talk about your talents, and let whoever is reviewing the application be confident that they are picking the right person. You can talk about your goals and how you hope to give back to the community too in future.
Conclusion: Writing the Scholarship Application Letter that Scales Through
With all these tips in mind, you should be able to write out a well-constructed letter while not forgetting to give someone else to double-check.
I wish you great success.
