Intro Example #1
Ever since I was young, I have been told success is measured by how many dollars are in your bank account, how many people you supervise, and the number of people who know your name. For so long, I was told to find a career which paid well first and suited my interests second. However, I don’t want a lifestyle where I dispassionately work from 9 to 5, simply to return the next day and start over, persevering only for the money. I don’t desire power over others, nor believe the value of a life is measured in the number of things possessed. I am determined to do what it takes to become an aerospace engineer because it fits who I am as a person; it fulfills my desire to create, allows me to live by my standard of success, and demands my utmost dedication to achieve.
Intro Example #2
I hope to be the person who helps others who are struggling;
the person who someone who is caught in a destructive life-cycle can trust to
help them with decisions. I plan to go to Point Loma University to study
Sociology with a focus on Veteran Affairs. After attaining my bachelor’s
degree, I will be serving at least four years active duty in the Marines, which
will give me a much better understanding of what our veterans are dealing with.
Following my time in the Marines, I hope to work with veterans who struggle with post-traumatic stress, helping them to be courageous enough to seek support,
showing them how their struggles can make them stronger, helping them to stick to their resolve to move forward and not let their past define them.
Intro Example #3
As I prepare to graduate from high school and pursue training in Construction Technology at Alaska Vocational Training Center (AVTEC) in Seward, Alaska, it’s interesting to think back on my freshman year. At 14, I was thinking about construction, and voiced my interest in the field, but was brushed off with, “Your career choice will change multiple times before you graduate.” I remember thinking, “Maybe women aren’t allowed to pursue construction.” I tried to find other things I could do. I tried to make myself like other things. I shadowed a Physical Therapist because I love sports and thought maybe that would interest me. But nothing else ever quite fit. Derek
Diedricksen, the author of Humble Homes, Simple Shacks, Cozy Cottages, Ramshackle Retreats and Funky Forts, inspired me. As I started my senior year, I decided to wholeheartedly pursue construction. I believe learning construction at AVTEC will allow me to get a good job and provide for myself, and that building homes will build my character.
Intro Example #4
For nearly twelve hours, we sat in a dark bathroom, the only light coming from a dim candle. The house groaned and creaked around us. Debris struck the roof, causing me to wince in fear. The howl of the wind was deafening, making me press in closer to my dad for comfort. I was five years old. Hurricane Katrina had made landfall near New Orleans. In a disturbing turn of events, our car broke down as we were evacuating; we had no choice but to wait out the storm. Even now, 13 years later, as I think about that night, I feel the horrified, hopelessness of a 5-year-old who believed he was going to die. Surviving Hurricane Katrina made me who I am today because it taught my parents valuable lessons they passed on to me: Don’t be afraid of the hard stuff. Life is short. Life isn’t all about me.
Samples of Winning Scholarship Essays
These 4 samples are to give you an idea of quality so you know what scholarship committees view as excellent. Each of these essays (only the intro is shown at this point) won lots of scholarship money, so take heed and use these to guide you.
As you read these introduction paragraph samples, you will notice that they are personal and nothing alike. This is how they are supposed to be. This essay is YOUR story, so let your creativity flow, but write like I have taught you to write.
