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Scholarship essays and college admissions essays are not the same thing. When you are scheduling time to write your scholarship and college admissions essays, remember that the two are very different. While an admissions essay is geared to providing college admissions officers with an overall picture of who you are, the scholarship essay is targeted to the purpose of the scholarship itself. The people reading this are looking for something specific about you. For example, if you are applying for a sports scholarship, include information on the reason you play, what you have learned and how you have improved. If the scholarship is for future teachers, write about your experience with children and teaching or tutoring. Don’t just list these things either in some kind of bulleted format. Instead, talk about the why, how or what behind it all. How did you get involved? What new perspectives have you learned? Why do you want to pursue this further?

Time to recycle. You have been throwing your soda cans and water bottles in recycling containers for years now, so keep up the spirit and see if you can recycle any of your essays. The good news is that, naturally, this saves you time and effort. The bad news is that it isn’t quite that simple. Before you decide to use Essay B for scholarship XYZ, make sure it actually fits. Read the question carefully and make sure you are addressing it specifically. You may be able to tweak certain parts of an essay and adapt something written for one college or scholarship to meet the criteria of others.

I hope you’ve seen from this chapter that scholarships are a possibility for any student, regardless of college-entrance exam scores or GPA. There are awards given for every background, talent or achievement. Many scholarship or award committees don’t count grades or test scores as the most important factor. It is well worth taking some time to prioritize the scholarships you apply for. Then write the best application and essay that you can. With that combination, you have a good chance of winning funds for college.