One of the best ways to pursue your study abroad goals without breaking the bank is to grab a scholarship.
Most colleges offer academically-driven students the opportunity to excel in their field by providing support either through disbursement or tuition fee reduction. However, acing the grant can be a great challenge as you will be competing with other hopeful applicants.
To improve your chances of earning the award, you need to produce a well-thought letter. To do this, it’s important to start by knowing some useful tips so you can produce a winning scholarship letter for your study abroad.
How to Write an Effective Scholarship Letter
Consolidate the details
Before you start drafting your letter, make sure to collect all important data. This includes your awards, achievements, scholarship letter instructions, and requirements.
When all of the information is readily available, it’s easier to compose your draft. Being aware of the deadlines can also give you enough time to complete your letter and save yourself from a stressful situation.
Research, plan and create your draft
If you intend to apply for a scholarship to different colleges, it’s critical to personalize your letter.
Each organization has a different set of values and missions. Take time to research and find topics that pique their interest. From here, you can then consider your personal experience and align it to the type of candidate the college is looking for.
Institutions are more likely drawn to applicants who exhibit similar advocacy. This is why good research before writing is important.
After taking a closer look at the organization, start planning and drafting. Create an outline using a bulleted list, highlighting the main idea of each paragraph. Review, edit, and write the full content based on the outline.
Catch the reader’s attention - write a compelling introduction
The introductory paragraph is an essential part of your letter. This is where you’ll give a strong overview and make a first impression on your audience.
A great introduction will draw readers with just a few sentences, contain your motives, and a thesis statement. Don’t be afraid to show your personality through metaphors or anecdotes. The uniqueness of your content will help you win big!
Bring forth your academic highlights, achievements, community and social involvement, and work experience
Pick out the most relevant credentials and contributions and present them in your letter. Your application will be assessed by the panel based on your content, the history of your achievements, contributions, and academic awards.
Write passionately, be genuine, and best of all... optimistic
Win the hearts of the committee by showing them your true character. Make them realize what it’s like to have you as their chosen candidate.
How can you make a difference in your chosen field? Where did your passion to study abroad spring? These are some of the questions you need to answer in your essay.
If you happen to share a negative encounter, focus on how you prevailed. The overall tone of your letter must be light and uplifting.
Make a connection through your experiences, include true-to-life examples, and dig deeper. Judges can quickly determine made-up stories so don’t let your content look like another applicant’s scholarship letter.
Stuck at some point? Refer to some of the best essays or letters and take inspiration from it
The internet is a great resource. Read 2-3 compositions made by students previously awarded with a scholarship and see how they were able to deliver an effective letter. Be careful not to plagiarize though, doing so can be a big offense.
Review your draft, check for errors and inconsistencies
Expect to have your first draft bound for multiple revisions. Avoid submitting your entry without reviewing it for spelling and grammatical errors. Doing so will give a bad impression to the evaluators and you might just miss the chance of winning the award.
Each round of edits will help you produce the best scholarship letter. So polish, polish, and polish until you feel confident in your work.
Planning to apply for a scholarship to some of the best colleges abroad? Our team at Fil-Global can help you! Talk to us now and we’ll get you started.