How to Write An Athletic Scholarship Essay

Student athletes not only have access to opportunities to athletic scholarships unavailable to others, they also have unique experiences that they can incorporate into their college application essays. A great college application essay will offer a personal and fascinating view of you to the admissions staff. It should complement the rest of your application while helping you stand out from the other applicants. As an athlete, you can pull from your teamwork experiences as a source of uniqueness from other applicants.

Here is some steps on how to write an all-star athletic scholarship application essay:

1.  Tell a story. The admissions staff will spend countless hours reading application essays simply list out all of their activities. It is much more interesting, and memorable, for them to read a personal narrative about your experiences. 

2. Site specifics. Rather than simply saying that you have leadership skills, talk about a specific example of you leading the team. Sports related anecdotes are perfect for this. You don’t have to be team captain to demonstrate a time when you acted as a leader. If you’re memory has stumped you, ask your coach if they can help you remember a time where you really let your leadership shine.

3.  Show off your smarts. Even if you are applying for an athletic scholarship, universities want to know that in addition to being a strong athlete, you’ve also got a good head on your shoulders. Don’t be afraid to talk about how you love playing basketball, but you also want to study molecular engineering!

4.  Proofread proofread proofread! Typos and spelling are seen as carelessness. The computer spell check is a great tool, but don't rely on it alone. A computer won’t be able to tell that you meant to type “from” and not “When I graduate form school…”  Slipups like this are common, but completely avoidable if you double and triple check your work.

The most important tip when completing your application is to not stress out. You may not get into your dream school, and that’s ok. Just like in sports, sometimes you win and sometimes you lose. What matters most is simply giving your best effort.

The Play Book is the online networking site for athletes, where they can get recruited by college teams and win athletic scholarships. Student athletes can create profiles showcasing their stats and college aspirations. Coaches can search these profiles from across the country and offer scholarships and team opportunities. Register today to get started!