How to Write Your Essay for the SFUYSA Mike Weber Scholarship

Brainstorming Across the Four Buckets

To create a compelling essay, gather material across four key areas:

• Background: Reflect on your personal journey. Consider experiences that shaped your values and aspirations. What challenges have you faced, and how have they influenced your educational path?
• Achievements: Identify specific accomplishments in your academic or extracurricular activities. Use metrics or outcomes to illustrate your impact, such as grades, projects completed, or leadership roles.
• The Gap: Consider what you lack that this scholarship will help you overcome. Identify specific educational or financial barriers that this funding will address and explain how further study at Broward College will fill these gaps.
• Personality: Humanize your essay with personal anecdotes that reveal your character, values, and motivations. This will help the committee connect with you on a deeper level.

Outlining Your Essay

Create an outline to organize your ideas logically. Start with an engaging introduction that opens in-scene or with a concrete moment from your life. Follow with sections that explore each of the four buckets, ensuring each paragraph has a clear focus. Conclude with a strong statement about your future goals and how the scholarship will help you achieve them.

Drafting Voice and Structure

As you draft, maintain an active voice and focus on specificity. Avoid vague statements; instead, provide details that illustrate your points. Each paragraph should convey one main idea, with transitions that guide the reader through your narrative. Reflect on what you learned from your experiences and why it matters for your future.

Revision and the “So What?” Factor

After drafting, revisit your essay with a critical eye. Ask yourself, “So what?” for each section. Ensure that every paragraph contributes to a coherent narrative about your journey and aspirations. Look for opportunities to enhance clarity and impact, and refine your language to eliminate clichés and passive constructions.

Common Pitfalls to Avoid

Be mindful of these common pitfalls:

• Avoid cliché openers and filler phrases that do not add value to your narrative.
• Steer clear of empty superlatives or vague expressions of passion without concrete examples.
• Do not use passive voice when an active subject exists; this weakens your writing.
• Ensure all facts are accurate and verifiable; do not invent details about your experiences or achievements.