Write compelling personal essays for scholarships. These tips can also be applied to graduate school applications and cover letters.

1. Framing My Story
Compelling personal essays for scholarships

2. Dr. Mary Morse
Professor of English
Director of Gender and Sexuality Studies Program

3. Begin with the basics

4. WHY A DEGREE?

5. Start a new career
Re-enter the workforce
Qualify for promotion
Enter a graduate of professional program
Support myself and/or my family
Achieve better work-family balance
Provide a role model for my children and family
My degree will help me to...

6. MY SPONSOR

7. Scholarship’s financial criteria
Scholarship’s goals
Values of organization and/or individual
Profiles of previous recipients
Number and monetary amount of awards
Other types of scholarships offered
What I need to know

8. WRITING ANALOGY
Peter Elbow’s writing analogy

9. BONES
STRUCTURE
CONNECTIONS
SURFACE APPEAL
=
=
=
MUSCLES
SKIN

10. PLANNING
Compelling personal essays for scholarships

11. WHO
AM I?

12. WHAT ARE MY
GOALS?

13. PLANNING STEP 1
How many bones do I need?

14. Who will read my essay?

15. What do my readers expect to learn?

16. What can I say that my readers
don’t already know?

17. How do I match the scholarship/grad
program criteria?

18. PLANNING STEP 2
Not all bones look alike

19. Describe my
educational goals

20. Define my career goals

21. Connect my story to my desire to receive a
college education

22. Supplement my GPA, resume and
financial information
``
3.50
GPA

23. PLANNING STEP 3
Add more bones

24. Compile two lists: professional and
personal accomplishments

25. Finish these statements:
“I am most proud of...”
and “My friends admire me
because...”

26. 10
adjectives
Describe myself with

27. 10
verbs
Characterize my life with

28. 10
nouns
Define my values with

29. WRITING
Compelling personal essays for scholarships

30. WRITING STEP 1
Identify the right muscles

31. Create a theme for myself

32. Match the scholarship’s goals

33. Affirm my self-assessment

34. Describe my current and future
education goals

35. Include required financial information

36. Incorporate the scholarship sponsor

37. WRITING STEP 2
Work those muscles

38. Organize my material

39. Reinforce my theme throughout

40. Build rapport with my sponsor or grad
program

41. Illustrate my story --anecdotes, examples,
facts

42. Connect my paragraphs and sentences

43. Thank and establish partnership
with my sponsor or grad school

44. Conclude my essay with assurance

45. REVISING
Care for my skin

46. Read my essay aloud

47. Maintain a positivetone

48. Use active verbs

49. Vary sentence length

50. Avoid slang and jargon

51. Aim for clarity and coherence

52. Observe word choice

54. For more information about scholarship opportunities
or to learn more about the College of Continuing Studies
call 609-896-5033 or visit rider.edu/ccs
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