In the United States, black students face barriers to studying abroad as they always remain underrepresented in international study programs. According to the Open Doors report published by the IIS, back and African-American students only comprised 6.1% of the total U.S. students studying abroad.
The Benjamin A. Gilman Scholarship program is a great opportunity created by the U.S. Department of State to encourage black students to be more involved in international study programs. To achieve this prestigious scholarship, black students have to write Gilman Scholarship essays. Do you want to know how to write a winning essay for the Gilman Scholarship in the US? Continue reading this article and explore the top 7 proven tips, or hire a professional essay writing service for additional assistance.
Let’s first start by exploring the Gilman Scholarship program.
What is the Gilman Scholarship Program?
This program is designed for traditionally under-represented students in the study abroad program. These underserved students can be:
- Students with financial aids
- First-generation college students
- Students with an ethnic background
- Learners with disabilities
To apply to this program, students must fill out an online form and write two Gilman Scholarship essays. The details of these essays are the following:
1. Statement Purpose Essay
The prime purpose of this essay is to state how studying abroad and joining an international educational institute will impact your professional and personal growth. At this place, you represent your true personality and get a chance to impress the admission committee.
2. Community Impact Essay
The community impact essay is a follow-on service proposal through which you will spread awareness about studying abroad. Further, in this essay, you will state the importance of the Gilman Scholarship program, especially for black students. This is the most unique way to share your experience with other peers on the scholarship.
Black students must write perfect Gilman Scholarship essays to grab the golden chance to avail of this prestigious scholarship. They can also acquire essay writing help to write winning essays and increase their chances of getting this scholarship.
Besides, there are some tips and tricks that can support black students to write successful Gilman scholarships. Check out what these valuable tips are.
7 Valuable Tips to Write Successful Gilman Scholarship Essays
Writing Gilman Scholarship essays is not a piece of cake. These are technical essays, and you must compete with numerous students to get awarded this scholarship. Therefore, it is good to follow some effective tips that ensure the success of your essay writing process.
Keep reading to explore some simple and easy tips that can significantly impact your essays.
1. Make a Story
The Gilman Scholarship committee has to read thousands of applications, so your application must outshine all and leave a lasting impression on the committee members. Writing a Gilman Scholarship essay is like telling a bunch of people about yourself and giving reasons why you need this scholarship.
Therefore, avoid writing classical anecdotes consisting of the details of:
- Who you are?
- What your educational background is
- Why the committee should award this scholarship to you
Instead, write your essay in a story form using your creativity and ensure that your essay stands out among others.
2. Do Your Research Well
Before applying for the Gilman Scholarship program, research well about the location where you want to go for higher studies. This research will enable you to explore what you can learn at your chosen place that you cannot learn at your home place due to social, political, or economic barriers.
This research will make your essay impactful as the scholarship committee knows how much you are clear about your educational goals. You just have to explore your desired location and stick to some specific points that you can discuss in your essays to make them unique.
3. Take Enough Time
Most students have habits of leaving their important academic tasks at the last moment. As per the study by ResearchGate, 23% of students face failure once in their academic career due to not submitting their writing documents within the deadline. Therefore, experts always recommend that students start writing educational papers.
The same case applies to Gilman Scholarship essays for black students. When the application submission date is announced, it is better to get to know this date and start writing this technical paper as soon as possible. Committee members of the Gilman Scholarship recommend writing these essays at least two months before the closing date.
4. Proofread Your Essay
Proofreading is one of the most important things that every student must take into account, regardless of the essay type. You can proofread your Gilman Scholarship essay yourselves with the below-mentioned tips:
- Read aloud the essay.
- After writing, take a break and then proofread.
- Read your essay backwards to identify logical flaws.
Additionally, you can use various proofreading techniques and tools that can make this process easier for you. You can also send your essay to the professor or advisor. This will help you identify spelling errors, grammatical errors, and sentence structure that you missed out on during the proofreading.
5. Be Creative
Remember, Gilman Scholarship essays are not like generic essays; they are a chance to grab a lifetime opportunity. In addition, the scholarship committee only knows you through your essay. Therefore, black students must write creative essays that can enhance their chances of availing of this scholarship.
Students can make their essays creative and original by adding their life experiences in a captivating way and outlining their clear aims for studying abroad. This will make their essays original and empower them to stay ahead in this competitive race.
6. Choose Wisely the Personal Service Project
The personal service project essay is more technical and complex as compared to the statement-purpose essay. The prime purpose of this project essay is to promote the Gilman Scholarship program. Therefore, if you propose a service project that is important to you, it is easy for you to convey your essay in the essay, and ultimately, you will enjoy the entire writing process.
Furthermore, a large portion of the selection criteria depends on how well the black students promote the Gilman Scholarship program. It is good to mention the following key things in your personal service project proposal:
- Names of the people you want to work with
- Dates when you expected to complete your project
- Other Specifications
7. Keep in Mind the Word-Limit
The committee of the Gilman Scholarship program specifies the character limit for both of these essays. The character limit is the following:
- 7000 characters for purpose statement essay
- 6000 characters for community impact essay
It may seem difficult to summarise your perspective within these word limits. Whatever the circumstance, students need to write according to the word limit guidelines. If they find it hard to write their Gilman Scholarship essays within this limit, they can reach out to first-class essay writing services to ensure the success of their essay writing process.
Gilman Scholarship Essay Example
You have learned how you can make your essay writing process successful by following the above-mentioned tips. Now, check out a Gilman Scholarship essay example by Scholarship Sojourn to understand the structure of this essay better.
Conclusion
Gilman Scholarship program is a great opportunity for African-American students to study abroad. Applying for this scholarship is simple; however, writing the Gilman Scholarship essays for black students is a bit tricky. Unlike the other admission essays, these essays are technical and unique. Students need to follow some tips and tricks to write them successfully.
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Therefore, we have come up with some effective writing tips in this article. These tips include telling a story, doing research on the location, starting writing earlier, making your essay creative, proofreading your essay, and following the guidelines for word limits. By following these simple tips, you will be able to write successful essays and enhance your chances of winning this exceptional scholarship.