Sample Scholarship Applications

Overview

This chapter provides three examples of personal essays from successful scholarship applications and one Personal Statement of Experience (PSE). The sample essays below were part of successful scholarship applications submitted in 2019. While we have included them to provide real-life examples of what a scholarship submission has looked like in the past, the responses may be outdated for the current scholarship application landscape. Further, some information has been redacted to maintain privacy and confidentiality.

For one scholarship essay and the PSE, important considerations have been highlighted for you to review. The intention behind highlighting these elements is to help you begin the process of critically evaluating and making helpful revisions or edits to your own submissions as you assemble your scholarship applications. The other two scholarship essays have not been highlighted, allowing you to challenge yourself by critically reviewing them independently.

Learning Objectives

• Recognize and understand important considerations when creating scholarship submissions and Personal Statements of Experience.
• Identify possible topics that could be discussed in scholarship submissions based on personal achievement, competitive sport, and community leadership.

Keywords

#EditingResources #SkillsAndExperiences #SupplementaryDocumentation

Sample Essay on a Personal Achievement

Read through the following sample application and click on each of the hotspots to learn about some important considerations when writing applications. Remember that every scholarship and selection committee values different things and are looking for different elements within your application. For this reason, it’s important to pay close attention to the guidelines of the scholarship you’re applying to. Due to these differences, the considerations highlighted below are intentionally broad. You should always use your judgement and discretion to determine what is important and applicable to you and your application.

PROMPT

Discuss an outstanding personal achievement you are proud of and that indicates merit. (Maximum 2500 characters, including spaces)

RESPONSE

Figure 5.1 A sample scholarship essay on a personal achievement [Image Description]

Sample Essay on Involvement in a Competitive Sport

The following sample essay answered a prompt that asked the applicant to discuss an experience where they demonstrated leadership in sports, academics, and community service. They were asked to discuss their future career goals and how they would leverage their online presence in their chosen field. There was a maximum character count for the submission, so the applicant had to condense the essay and chose not to elaborate on certain acronyms due to character constraints.

Note. The essay response below was part of a larger application package that included additional written responses, a transcript, and information on extracurricular activities.

PROMPT

Describe how your leadership and involvement in sports, academics, and community service has prepared you for your future career goals. Discuss how you plan to leverage technology and online presence to achieve success in your chosen field. How will receiving this scholarship help you in your journey? (Maximum 500 words)

RESPONSE

Figure 5.2. A sample scholarship essay on involvement in a competitive sport [Image Description]

Sample Essay on Leadership in the Community

The following sample essay answered a prompt that asked the applicant to discuss an experience where they demonstrated leadership. They were asked to discuss challenges they encountered, how they responded, and what they learned about leadership from this experience. There was also a maximum character count, so the applicant had to condense the essay.

Note. The essay response below was part of a larger application package that included additional written responses, a transcript, and information on extracurricular activities.

PROMPT

Reflect on an experience where you demonstrated leadership. In your response, describe any challenges you encountered, how you responded to these challenges, and what you learned about leadership through this experience. Your response should provide insight into your problem-solving abilities and personal growth. Use concrete examples to illustrate your points. (Maximum 2500 characters)

Note. This was not the exact prompt for the application, but we have provided a similar alternative.

RESPONSE

Figure 5.3. A sample scholarship essay on leadership in the community [Image Description]

Sample Personal Statement of Experience (PSE)

Read through the following sample Personal Statement of Experience and click on each of the hotspots to learn about important considerations when writing PSEs.

PROMPT

Speak to how your past experiences have led to your interest in teaching, have prepared you for this profession, and make you a strong candidate for our Concurrent-Education program. (Maximum 250 words)

RESPONSE

Figure 5.4 A sample Personal Statement of Experience [Image Description]

Glossary

Revising
The process of making structural changes, changing the focus, and adding/removing ideas to your writing piece.

Psychological science
The field of study that uses the scientific method to better understand the processes that impact behaviour.

Image Descriptions

Figure 5.1 image description: A sample scholarship essay on a personal achievement with the following text: “An achievement I am very proud of securing is the position of Community Outreach Lead (COL) for an Interval House in my community. The Interval House provides shelter and different supports for women and children who have experienced abuse. I began volunteering for [the organization] in February of 2020, became an executive team member (in the position of a Community Coordinator) in April 2020, and in mid-November of 2020 I became the COL. My involvement with [the organization] is meaningful to me as it is a physical and mental health support service that has a positive impact on my community. Community support work is a passion of mine, I am very proud of my involvement, and I treasure my position. As an Interval House volunteer, I support the front-line operations through intake procedures, and I also volunteer at child programming events. Further, as the COL, I coordinate with other support-based organizations in the community to ensure we are complimenting each other’s work, I plan and conduct community awareness presentations, and I lead a project development team creating a training program that schools and companies will be able to use to raise awareness and learn about prevention for women- and children-based violence. This time commitment is another aspect of why I am proud of my position at the Interval House. To date I have contributed over 260 hours to my two executive team positions. I have held executive positions with [the organization] for a total of 9.5 months, averaging about 7 hours a week. However, the time commitment for my new position is greater and for the past 2 months that I have held it, I have averaged 9.6 hours weekly. As a full-time university student, I dedicate many hours to my schoolwork, part-time work (to supplement my savings for tuition costs), and I am part of other volunteer organizations. The ability to balance all these commitments has further developed my self-discipline, time management, and organizational skills. The knowledge that I am making a meaningful contribution to my community all while balancing the other aspects of my life is why I view holding this position as an outstanding personal achievement of mine.” [Return to Figure 5.1]

Figure 5.2 image description: A sample scholarship essay on involvement in a competitive sport with the following text: “When Oscar Wilde said, “The only thing worse than being talked about is not being talked about,” he understood the power that can be harnessed with word of mouth and knew the value of connection and communication. The internet is an impressive and important tool to harness on a successful career path. The [scholarship name] is a perfect fit for my future exposure and success through easy access to my resume, skills, and personal profile when online inquiries are made about me, [insert name]. In ringette, I found my passion for athletics and teamwork. Making my goal to play at the highest level resulted in my successful selection for the AA elite team on my first attempt, and every year thereafter. A member of U16AA Team Ontario, winning the Ontario Ringette Provincial Championships, allowed me to compete in the Canadian National Ringette Championships, with a top 5 finish. My next personal challenge was being selected for the Eastern Ontario AAA team and winning a gold medal at the 2018 Ontario Winter Games. Furthering my development, I volunteered with coaches and younger players as a mentor, and I hold Level 2 Ontario Ringette Referee qualifications. Recently, I was selected to officiate at the U12 Ontario Ringette Tournament. Within my high school, I made my goal to play OFSAA girls’ hockey this year, and for 4 years, I have played OFSAA girls’ soccer. Not only have I achieved athletic success, but I have also maintained high academic status. As a grade 12 student at [insert High School], I realized my academic goals by successfully passing my DELF B1 examination and completed my French Bilingual Certification. In grade 11, I received a Silver Medal from the OCDSB for academic excellence and 3 subject awards for highest marks, maintaining my place on the honour roll for the past four years and a potential Ontario Scholar. In the future, I hope to become a forensic anthropologist and attain my Honours Bachelor of Science degree with a Specialist in Forensic Science. I intend to study at [university name] majoring in Biochemistry, where I look forward to becoming an enthusiastic member of both my program and the university community. After graduation, I hope to join the RCMP crime laboratory research team to work to ensure safety for all Canadians. I believe in the RCMP mandate to uphold justice and hold those accountable for their actions through the undisputed Science of Forensics. The [scholarship name] would provide me with a domain registration dedicated to my personal profile, highlighting my skills with a quick internet search using my name giving me maximum exposure and opportunity for connections in social mediums. I am applying for the [scholarship name] because it will not only help me financially, but it will also provide me with unique support allowing me to stand out from LinkedIn searches as I establish my web identity in the digital world- a place I am sure my merits will be talked about, with enthusiastic approval from Mr. Wilde.” [Return to Figure 5.2]

Figure 5.3 image description: A sample scholarship essay on leadership in the community with the following text: “Every year on Halloween night, my high school runs the largest one-night food drives in North America . We send out groups of students to ‘trick-or-treat’ for canned goods in our local neighbourhoods, which are then brought back to our cafeteria where they are sorted and packed into boxes. By the end of the night, we have a tremendous mountain of non-perishables that we send to our local food bank. The centre has come to rely on our annual contribution to help feed our community – our donation alone stocks their shelves for months. Every year our goal is to exceed our previous year’s record, which has become an enormous task. Last year we did this by 300 pounds, collecting over 83,000 pounds of food and around $10,000 in monetary donations. The past few years, I have helped lead this initiative as an executive committee member and tech rep. I began volunteering with the campaign before I started high school and at that time, I made it a goal of mine to one day become a major part of this very important food drive. Currently, as a member of the executive committee, I aid in the recruitment of volunteers, I am involved in making major decisions, and I am also on site to help run the entire night. Every year, the executive committee forms in May and kicks into high gear in September when we put together a planning committee of about 70 students. We then organize and facilitate the students in creating posters and visuals, collecting sponsorships from local businesses and planning routes for canvassing. In October, students sign up in groups to drive the routes on Halloween, picking up the food. Organizing an event this size inevitably comes with some major challenges. One such challenge was recruiting enough volunteers to canvas over 20,000 homes in one night. Another challenge was informing the community about our cause and encouraging them to donate. To overcome these challenges, we advertised all around the school and community. I directed, shot, and edited videos to play on the school announcements and to post on various social media sites. This advertising campaign resulted in the recruitment of about 800 volunteers. I also participated in on-air interviews on the radio and the local news channel on TV to spread the word. The media coverage helped to spread the word beyond our school community and local neighbourhood, resulting not only in more people leaving food at their doors for us, but also in people from outside our route boundaries to drop off donations right at our school. Overall, I learned that leading others through an event as large as this can be daunting. There definitely are challenges that come with leading such a large and diverse group of people. However, with compromise, empathy, dedication, and hard work, it is incredibly rewarding to see so many people come together to accomplish the same worthy goal.” [Return to Figure 5.3]

Figure 5.4 image description: A sample personal statement of experience with the following text: “I have always had an interest in taking on leadership and knowledge-sharing roles with students younger than myself. Thus, over the past several years, I sought out opportunities where I was able to take on this sort of role. I began babysitting at a young age and transitioned into also being a respite care worker. Within these roles, I integrated an educational component. I would help these children with their homework, and I would try to take advantage of the opportunities that presented themselves to help the kids learn through activities like playing (experiential and hands-on learning), baking (math- measurement and fractions), as well as through the conversations that would come up naturally (inquiry-based learning). This aspect of babysitting and respite care work fostered my interest in becoming a tutor which was another position I pursued. I became a peer tutor in high school. I also took on an instructional role as a swim instructor. In this role, I worked with toddlers through to early teenagers and I gained experience with different teaching styles and mentorship. It was through all these roles, that my interest in the teaching profession was confirmed, and my passion for it found. I believe my experiences make me a strong candidate for acceptance into this Concurrent-Education program. This is the case because my experience in ‘teaching’ roles has increased my interest in the field rather than diminishing it; this indicates my genuine interest and my likelihood of successfully completing the program and becoming a teacher.” [Return to Figure 5.4]

References

Tugade, M. M., Fredrickson, B. L., & Barrett, L. F. (2004). Psychological resilience and positive emotional granularity: Examining the benefits of positive emotions on coping and health. Journal of Personality, 72(6), 1161-1190. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-6494.2004.00294.x