Writing a winning scholarship essay (Updated October 2023)

Do some research.

• Read the scholarship application. What kind of essay(s) should be written?

• Make a list of the study abroad program features (courses, housing, cultural activities, excursions, field trips).

Why do you want to attend this program? What features interests you? What will be helpful or relevant to your

current studies and to your future?

• Make a list about the city and region where your program will take place (places/monuments/museums,

traditions, food, language, culture, etc.) Why do you want to go to (program location)? Learn about the place

where you will be studying!

• Have you traveled to other countries? Where did you go? What did you do/see? Make a list of everything you

loved about your trip. If you have never traveled, describe why leaving will be significant to your growth and

what you want out of that.

• What has inspired you to study abroad? Be specific. Is your reason in the personal, academic or professional

categories?

STATEMENT OF PURPOSE (PERSONAL STATEMENT) ESSAY: Focus on your trajectory- Take the reader on a journey of

your life. Make a list with 3 categories. This will be your OUTLINE. Use bullet points but write full length, articulated

thoughts: “I graduated from Central High School in June 2021.” (Gilman character limit: 7000 characters)

Personal- Who you were before? Tell your story. (Your past up to this moment)

Academic- Your academic journey (Your present – the reader is meeting you now as a student at “X”

College/University.)

Professional- Where are you going? Bring your study abroad location into your journey… (Future)

Start by BRAINSTORMING the categories in the following order: (1.) Academic (2.) Professional (3.) Personal.

ACADEMIC

PROFESSIONAL

PERSONAL

• HS, current college – be sure

to mention you are a

community college student

• Year and major. Do you have a

unique major?

• Why did you choose this

major? Make us care.

• Are you a first-generation

college student? Are you a

“non-traditional” student?

• Do you speak a foreign

language?

• Have you had issues or

obstacles in your education?

• How will study abroad help

you with your GE/major course

work? How can it help you

transfer?

• Is there a course offered on

the program that you’re

interested in especially or that

will benefit you/your major?

• What is your dream job? Why

is this your dream job?

• How would study

abroad/international

experience be

helpful/needed?

• Do you want to help people?

Who? How?

• Where do you want to work?

Internationally? (Research

some jobs/organizations.)

• What experiences, studies,

degrees are needed for this

job?

• What skills/qualities are

needed for be a good (insert

your dream profession)?

• Will skills needed for your

dream job can be gained in the

study abroad experience?

• What skills will be challenged

in the study abroad

experience?

• What is your age?

• Where are you from? Where

were you born?

• What is your ethnicity?

• Describe any other important

information that could help

the reader understand you

better (gender, sexual

orientation, immigrant,

veteran, differently abled, low

income, etc.)

• What were you like younger?

in high school?

• Family relationships- parents,

siblings, important extended

family

• What was it like growing up in

your family? In your city?

• What’s the hardest thing you

have ever had to go through?

What made it hard? What

were you and/or your family

like before? How are you

Write the Statement of Purpose (Personal Statement) essay.

• A good, thorough outline makes an excellent essay. Go back through the essay and circle all the best lines. Does

a theme jump out at you? If you can find a theme in your work then definitely build off that. Having a clear

theme really helps the reader out in terms of comprehending your argument and making you memorable.

Themes can include giving back, becoming a global citizen, independence and freedom, taking risks, overcoming

hardship, etc.

A. Start with the personal column. Write a paragraph summarizing your personal journey. For a Study Abroad

scholarship, make sure you add in elements of the program/location that will help you in your personal

growth. (Use your research.)

B. Now write a paragraph on your academic journey. For a Study Abroad scholarship, make sure that you add

in elements of the program/location that will help you in your academic future. (Use your research.)

C. Write the professional journey. For a Study Abroad scholarship, make sure you add in elements of the

program/location that will help you in your professional future. (Use your research.)

• Do you need a short introduction or conclusion?

• Re-read the essay. Fix any grammar or spelling errors. Can you edit any sentences and make it shorter, more to

the point?

• Take the essay to the Writing Center on campus or a professor willing to look it over and give you advice.

Email the faculty for more info

if needed.

• How does the program site

benefit you/your major?

• What kinds of skills and

qualities does a person with

your major need to have?

• What is your transfer plan or

dream? School, major, degree

(Do some research.)

• Do you want a graduate

degree? In what? Where? (Do

some research.)

• Be specific on how a

professional (in your dream

job) would need/use these

skills.

different as a result? Describe

how it made/makes you feel.

• Describe any other

incidents/issues in the same

manner as above.

• Do you have a personal

connection to the study

abroad location?

• What is in this city that is

unique and you can’t find

anywhere else? (specific

museum, custom, grad school,

etc.)

• Will you be staying in a

homestay or an apartment? Is

your living situation a

significant reason why you are

choosing to study abroad

(need to become more

independent, I want to learn

how to live with strangers

before I transfer, I can practice

the foreign language I want to

learn with my host family, etc.)

• How will study abroad help

you grow personally?

• Are there any specific life

skills/character traits study

abroad can help you either

acquire or grow out of?

• Readers have 3-5 minutes per essay to read and decide if the essay passes. Was your essay organized? Was it

easy to read? Did it answer any specific questions asked by the scholarship prompt? Did it make the reader feel

something for you?

• Finally, MAKE SURE YOU WERE SPECIFIC. Students often believe they are answering the question when in reality

their answers are extremely vague, ambiguous, or even incomplete. If you find you weren’t particular, go back

and edit. The details matter and show that you are seriously thinking about this study abroad program.

Vague sentence: I want to study abroad in London because I love history and want to take in all of the

great art and culture.

What kind of history do you love? Why do you love it? Culture is vague – do you want to

experience a new country’s cuisine, understand their political system or a culture’s relationship

to art, etc.? How exactly will you learn about these things?

Specific sentence: As an art history major, I plan to go to London and visit the British Museum. In the

future I want to work with art from ancient empires, so visiting this museum and experiencing the

world’s largest collection of Egyptian artifacts up close will provide me important exposure to the field.

For Gilman Scholarship and Study Abroad scholarships, make sure these questions are answered:

• Do you make a connection between your program and goals?

• Do you make a connection between your country and your goals?

• Do you share how you will be academically successful on your program?

• Do you give examples of your experiences, skills, and knowledge that you will use to meet program challenges?

• Do you address how this abroad experience will impact your future?

GILMAN SCHOLARSHIP SPECIFIC ESSAY: BUILDING MUTUAL UNDERSTANDING ESSAY (Gilman character limit: 3000

characters)

Gilman is a prestigious scholarship and Gilman Scholars are expected to be good ambassadors of the US during their

time abroad, representing the best of American youth and reflecting a diversity of values and beliefs. Gilman Scholars

are expected to contribute to the goal of building mutual understanding between the host country and the US.

Paragraph I: What does being an American mean to you? Can you summarize your American story? How will you

represent your culture and your country while abroad? What is being a good US citizen representative while abroad?

What is mutual understanding?

Paragraph II: Be specific. How will you become culturally engaged? How will you look for these opportunities? What

aspects of the study abroad program will facilitate that? What kinds of things will you/can you do to actively engage in

the host culture and with local citizens? How will you contribute to the goal of building mutual understanding?

Paragraph III: Describe the intended impact. How will this experience impact you and the host culture? How do you

hope to bring back aspects of the local culture and community to the US post-study abroad?

GILMAN SCHOLARSHIP SPECIFIC ESSAY: FOLLOW ON SERVICE PROJECT PROPOSAL (Gilman character limit: 3000

characters)

Gilman aims to increase the amount of students studying abroad in your community or at your campus.

1. Answer the following questions:

• Identify your project. What are your skills? What are your connections/resources?

• Who will you collaborate with? On campus? In your community? Who is your target population on campus

or in your community? Do you have data about the target population? Do they study abroad?

• What resources will you need?

• What impact do you want to make? Be realistic. Is there a timeline for this goal?

Make sure to include these questions in your essay:

• Does your FOSP increase awareness of the Gilman Scholarship and study abroad?

• Is your project feasible?

• Do you give a detailed plan for your project?

• Do you include your study abroad experience into your project?

• Do you have an intended audience? Who will you collaborate with to reach this community?

2. Write the essay:

Paragraph I: Write about study abroad on your campus. Statistics, facts, situation. Lack of information?

Opportunities?

What is needed to improve SA on your campus? Identify and introduce your project idea.

Paragraph II: Explain your project. Answer the questions above. Use specific activities, materials, etc. How will you

execute your idea?

Paragraph III: Describe the intended impact. How will this help promote study abroad to your target population? Why

is your project important and needed? How will you measure the impact?

3. Go back to your Statement of Purpose (Personal Statement) and add in a sentence or two about your project in the

Academic section. If you have a clear theme from your PS to work off of, this could be a great Segway to your Project

Proposal.

Example: If you wrote about becoming a social worker in your future and how studying abroad will help you

accomplish that goal in your Personal Statement, maybe your project can collaborate with the REACH program

on campus to help foster students travel.