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Upgrade your Essay with an Awesome Outline
Organizing your essay will help you along the way.
By Ryan Uricks
March 04, 2009
Writing a scholarship essay is no easy feat. You could stare at the essay question for three hours hoping inspiration will strike, but outlining your essay is the better path.
Ask yourself: How can I organize the information so the reader can understand? How can I make the subject compelling? Likewise, you should be asking the same questions of your readers.
Write Your Thoughts Down
It may seem obvious, but when you have a late-night epiphany then go to bed and forget it come morning, you’ll be kicking yourself for not writing it down.
- After looking over the essay question, organize your points in a compelling way that’s persuasive and captures the interest of your reader. In a way, you are telling your life’s story in 500-700 words, and planning what goes in is important.
- Break out the classic five paragraph structure and outline the points you want to say in those paragraphs.
- Now would also be a good time to write a rough introduction. In it, you should introduce yourself, answer any questions the committee has, and then state your reasons why you should receive this scholarship. Doing so gives the reader a concise preview of your argument.
- Of course, if you change the content of your essay, rewrite the intro and always leave the conclusion for last.
After outlining, it’s time to tackle writing your essay.
