I’m applying for CSU scholarships and I’m stuck on whether to make my essays creative and show my personality or just keep them straight to the point. I’m a journalism major, so writing is my thing. One of the questions is about career goals. I want to write books in the future, so being engaging would reflect who I am, but I’m worried they might lose interest if I’m not direct enough.
When writing scholarship essays, it’s good to be personal and engaging, but you should also stay focused on answering the specific question. For example, your body paragraphs should connect well with your introduction. The introduction can set the tone, then follow it with your story about why you need the scholarship or how it will help you and your community.
Try to avoid a super academic style. Scholarship essays are more personal than that. Hope this helps.
@Mason
Thanks for the advice! CSU uses a general application with several essays on different topics, so most of them don’t focus on why I need the scholarship. The one I’m working on now is about career goals and why I’d be good in my field.
@Vale
You’re welcome. Good luck with your essays!
I’m in the same boat. I’m studying to be a high school English teacher, and I struggle with deciding whether to be creative or keep it straightforward in essays like these.