Avoid Sob story

Tear-jerking stories may be popular subjects for television specials and song lyrics, but they rarely, if ever, win scholarships. A common theme students write about is why they need the scholarship money to continue their education. While this is a perfectly legitimate topic, it is often answered with an essay filled with family tragedies and hardships—a sob story. Again, there is nothing wrong with writing about this topic, but don't expect to win if the intent of your essay is to evoke pity.

If your main point is this: "I deserve money because of the suffering I've been through," you have a problem. Scholarship committees are not as interested in problems as they are in solutions. What have you accomplished despite these hardships? How have you succeeded despite the challenges you've faced? This is more significant and memorable than merely cataloging your misfortunes.

Unfortunately, the sob story is one of the more common types of essays that are written by students, and it is hard to stand out when you are telling the same story that literally hundreds of others are also writing. Remember that every applicant has faced difficulties. What's different and individual to you is how you've overcome those obstacles.

Everyone likes an uplifting story. Especially since you have your entire future ahead of you, scholarship judges want to feel your enthusiasm and zest for life. In fact, one reason some people love to volunteer to be scholarship judges is to meet positive and enthusiastic young men and women who do not have the cynicism or closed minds of many adults.

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