Ema Skye Posted January 23, 2015 Share Posted January 23, 2015 Anyone here have any experience writing one? I'm applying for a scholarship and I don't have any experience writing one. It's worth a few thousand dollars and I've got so much debt from University that getting it would take a ton of stress off of my back when it comes to finding summer employment come May. So if you have any tips on writing the letter, I'd really appreciate it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jedi Posted January 23, 2015 Share Posted January 23, 2015 Be honest, and up front with it. Also don't use overly pretentious language like overly flowerly prose. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phoenix Wright Posted January 23, 2015 Share Posted January 23, 2015 being honest is a no-go. embellish the shit out of your experience because you're not gonna get anywhere otherwise. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tryhard Posted January 23, 2015 Share Posted January 23, 2015 (edited) being honest is a no-go. embellish the shit out of your experience because you're not gonna get anywhere otherwise. sadly I think this is the truth (ironically) Edited January 23, 2015 by Tryhard Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Raven Posted January 24, 2015 Share Posted January 24, 2015 What is the prompt of the letter? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hammerene Posted January 24, 2015 Share Posted January 24, 2015 Even though you might feel pressured to embellish your scholarship letter, you should try and strike a chord between honesty and flowery rhetoric. You don't have to be spitting out a fancy word every other word but you shouldn't be replying to the prompt too bluntly. It also helps to have another pair of eyes read your scholarship letter to catch any grammatical errors, awkward wording, etc. To be honest, we can only give you general advice since we don't know what the prompt is... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jedi Posted January 24, 2015 Share Posted January 24, 2015 being honest is a no-go. embellish the shit out of your experience because you're not gonna get anywhere otherwise. Those who aren't honest don't deserve anything. This kind of thinking is why the world is as horrid as it is today, the fact that its sadly partly true just makes me weep. Hard work seems to mean less and less in today's world. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tryhard Posted January 24, 2015 Share Posted January 24, 2015 (edited) Those who aren't honest don't deserve anything. This kind of thinking is why the world is as horrid as it is today, the fact that its sadly partly true just makes me weep. Hard work seems to mean less and less in today's world. It's easy to say but when you're unemployed or looking to set yourself apart for an opportunity embellishment may be necessary. I'm applying for internships right now and I'm not particularly enthusiastic or motivated by my nature. If I was to leave that out, no place would consider me. Whenever I see "enthusiastic" on requirements, which it pretty much is for everything, I see it as an empty word. I'm really tired of giving out my CV for applications, and having it rejected straight out. Do I not deserve an opportunity? I haven't learned much honestly from my current third year project, but I write as though I have because I was given the role of Technical Manager and that displays leadership qualities. Edited January 24, 2015 by Tryhard Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
General Horace Posted January 24, 2015 Share Posted January 24, 2015 (edited) Those who aren't honest don't deserve anything. This kind of thinking is why the world is as horrid as it is today, the fact that its sadly partly true just makes me weep. Hard work seems to mean less and less in today's world. the second part is totally not true all vastly successful people didn't just become successful by chance as for the topic at hand, you have to make yourself sound like a superstar, although without knowing what the context is, it's hard to know how much you can get away with. so pretty much what most people have been saying Edited January 24, 2015 by General Horace Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jedi Posted January 24, 2015 Share Posted January 24, 2015 It's easy to say but when you're unemployed or looking to set yourself apart for an opportunity embellishment may be necessary. I'm applying for internships right now and I'm not particularly enthusiastic or motivated by my nature. If I was to leave that out, no place would consider me. Whenever I see "enthusiastic" on requirements, which it pretty much is for everything, I see it as an empty word. I'm really tired of giving out my CV for applications, and having it rejected straight out. Do I not deserve an opportunity? I haven't learned much honestly from my current third year project, but I write as though I have because I was given the role of Technical Manager and that displays leadership qualities. I'm sorry I came off the way I did, I didn't mean it in quite that way.. the second part is totally not true Being a pessimist doesn't help me much lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tryhard Posted January 24, 2015 Share Posted January 24, 2015 (edited) I'm sorry I came off the way I did, I didn't mean it in quite that way.. Eh, I wasn't taking it personally. Outright lying would probably be a bad thing to do, especially if they want to fact check things. Generally your application is meant to portray yourself in the best light, though, and so it is against your interests to be humble or modest in this case. Doing so means you'll have less chance at success, and that's no good. I think that's what people mean when they talk about not being honest. Edited January 24, 2015 by Tryhard Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Raven Posted January 24, 2015 Share Posted January 24, 2015 the second part is totally not true all vastly successful people didn't just become successful by chance He's part right, success/opportunity is a factor of timing and luck, but it's not like people should give up because of that.Embellishing the hell out of your resume isn't dishonest at all. I know we had to exaggerate things quite a bit when we submitted job applications for my mom (although being co-manager of a successful family restaurant is a hell of a thing to put on a resume) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phoenix Wright Posted January 25, 2015 Share Posted January 25, 2015 (edited) the reason for embellishments are that they show confidence and decisiveness (in addition to making one's experiences a tad more interesting, just by the nature of embellishment), whereas trying to be humble--especially in writing--typically ends up selling the writer short of one's own abilities, motivation, and confidence for any given position. i didn't understand this until much later after high school... if embellishing your experience still puts you off a bit, you must at least not be afraid to use language that conveys confidence and passion. showing the readers that you're self-driven and self-assured will only help you on the typical scholarship or college app. Edited January 25, 2015 by Phoenix Wright Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erzherzog Posted January 30, 2015 Share Posted January 30, 2015 (edited) Basically, what Nick is saying. Blu- Er, embellish as much as possible. Make yourself sound impressive, but also make yourself sound like you need the scholarship. After being rejected for automatic scholarships due to .02 points, I emailed the university employees and head of my undergraduate program several times asking for their help. The guy promised to look into it, and here I am today. Don't just contact the university, or the office that gets hundreds of similar letters every year. Find someone on the inside, and light a fire under their ass. People that only deal with money will be stingier. EDIT: Oh, and be somewhat concise. Pick a sentence that hits the person in the face with your greatness, and keep punching. Nobody wants to slog through a long letter that takes forever to get to the point. Honestly, writing like this is a value life skill. College will do everything it can to reach it to you, but being ahead of the curve is useful. Edited January 30, 2015 by Erzherzog Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Czar_Yoshi Posted February 3, 2015 Share Posted February 3, 2015 being honest is a no-go. This seems ever so slightly out of character for Mr. Wright... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phoenix Wright Posted February 3, 2015 Share Posted February 3, 2015 (edited) if memory serves, there was that one time papa wright lied to christoph in court. pw does what needs to be done. also, keep in mind that i only suggest this for scholarships, which typically give the same, terrible question, and most college applications. loaded questions beget embellished answers. my ossi internship app, for example, requires only 150 words for "why i think i'd be good at task x," which requires honesty, imo. Edited February 3, 2015 by Phoenix Wright Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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