How to Write a Winning Scholarship Essay: 30 Essays That Won Over $3 Million in Scholarships - Softcover

Tanabe, Gen; Tanabe, Kelly

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1932662138 ISBN 13: 9781932662139

Publisher: Supercollege, Llc, 2006

Synopsis

In this important resource, 30 real, winning scholarship essays are analyzed, revealing what makes them successful and how they fit the judges' criteria. Essays and interviews are the two components of scholarship competition that often determine the award's recipient, yet most books on scholarships simply provide a directory of awards. This book includes sample interview questions and answers, along with strategies to help students overcome nervousness and be more prepared. Roundtable panels of judges and applicants supply further inside information regarding the winning qualities sought after by award-giving organizations. Advice for finding scholarships—using books, the Internet, personal connections, and sources in the community—is covered. These tips are especially valuable in an era where private education tops more than $100,000, and most of the 15 million college students in the U.S. are in need of financial help.

About this title

About the Author

Gen Tanabe and Kelly Tanabe are the authors of 1001 Ways to Pay for College, Accepted! 50 Successful College Admission Essays, Get Free Cash for College, Get Into Any College, and Sallie Mae How to Pay for College. They have been featured as college admissions experts in The New York Times, U.S. News and World Report, and USA Today, and they make regular appearances on Fox Morning News and CNN Financial News. They live in Palo Alto, California.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

You Are 60 Seconds Away from the Trash Bin

If you witnessed the judging of a scholarship competition, you’d be surprised at how quickly decisions are made. It’s not unusual for scholarship judges to decide in less than 60 seconds whether your application advances to the next round or gets tossed into the rejection pile.

With so little time, how do you capture the attention of these discriminating judges and improve your chances of winning? For most competitions the secret is in your essay or interview. These give the judges the insight they need to separate the winners from the runners-up.

If you are like the majority of scholarship applicants, you probably aren’t sure what makes an essay or interview a “winner.” And how would you know? It’s unlikely that you have access to dozens of past scholarship winners who can share their experiences and show you their winning essays and interview answers. And it is even more unlikely that you’ve had the opportunity to speak with actual scholarship judges who can tell you exactly what qualities cause a candidate to stand out as a winner.

Obviously, anyone with this kind of access and knowledge has a tremendous advantage for winning a scholarship.

Now you can have this advantage.

In this book you will learn about scholarship winners, read their essays and interviews and learn the strategies that they have used to win more than $3 million in awards. (That amount is not a misprint. In fact, one incredible student received over $250,000 in scholarship offers!) You will also have the opportunity to hear from scholarship judges who will take you inside the selection process to reveal what they look for when choosing winners.

About this edition

• Publisher: Supercollege, Llc
• Publication date: 2006
• ISBN 10: 1932662138
• ISBN 13: 9781932662139
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 2
• Number of pages: 256