How to Reuse Scholarship Essays (the RIGHT Way)

Updated on January 10th, 2024

Many students feel that the most challenging part of the scholarship process is writing the essays. Even if they know how to write an essay for a scholarship, the time, effort, and energy required to create new pieces for every opportunity are often cumbersome. This makes reusing scholarship essays an attractive option. However, figuring out how to reuse scholarship essays isn’t always easy.

If your student is looking for fresh scholarship opportunities, there are plenty of options available; you just need to know where to look. If you and your student want to learn about finding scholarships, sign up for our free college scholarship webinar! Take a quick trip over to http://thescholarshipsystem.com/freewebinar to reserve a spot today.

If your student wants to reuse their own scholarship applications and essays, they need to know when it’s appropriate and how to do it correctly. Here’s a look at whether recycling scholarship essays is wise and how to reuse scholarship essays the right way.

Can You Reuse Scholarship Essays?

Yes, students can technically reuse scholarship essays when they’re applying for multiple scholarships or awards. In the vast majority of cases, there aren’t any rules barring the practice. As long as your student was the original creator of the essay, they can usually submit it to as many scholarship committees as they want, suggesting that there aren’t any rules stating otherwise.

However, that doesn’t mean they should simply upload the existing document or copy and paste the current version of the essay into a new scholarship application. Every scholarship has distinct essay requirements. Along with unique prompts, the committee may outline different parameters regarding the word count. If those rules aren’t followed, your student might end up disqualified because their essay didn’t align with the requirements.

Additionally, the original tone or focus of the essay may not fit with the new audience. Every committee will have its own priorities and preferences. If the essay doesn’t speak to their needs, the odds that it will resonate with the committee when it’s reviewed drops significantly.

Should You Reuse Scholarship Essays?

While students can recycle scholarship essays, that doesn’t always mean it’s a good idea. As mentioned above, each committee may outline unique requirements and might have different expectations. Ultimately, every committee is a distinct audience, so what resonates with one may not meet the needs of another.

In most cases, students who want to reuse scholarship essays need to adjust the written content before submitting the piece to a different committee. While the core message may remain intact – suggesting it aligns with the prompt – altering the tone, adjusting the word count, and taking other steps might be necessary.

At times, the required changes could make writing a new essay more efficient. As a result, it’s best for students to factor in the work involved before making a choice.

However, if the existing essay is an exceptional fit for a new scholarship, reusing it does come with some benefits. Mainly, it saves your student time and energy, making it easier to apply for more scholarships in a shorter timeframe. Additionally, it could reduce the stress associated with scholarship searches, allowing your student to maintain a better mindset.

In the end, your student needs to honestly assess whether the existing essay actually works for the other scholarship. That way, they can make a smart choice.

How to Reuse Scholarship Essays the Right Way

Generally speaking, reusing a scholarship essay the right way means altering the content before submitting it for a different award. In most cases, sending the piece in as-is means, the material won’t perfectly align with what the committee wants to see. As a result, that approach, while a time saver, can mean missing out on opportunities.

If your student wants to reuse scholarship essays, they need to use a solid strategy. Here is a step-by-step process they can use to determine if recycling an essay is an option and how to adjust the content to make it an excellent fit for a common application.

1. Read the General Requirements

Before your student tries to reuse a scholarship essay, the first thing they need to do is review the essay requirements. Along with the word count, they need to determine anything else relevant the piece needs to cover or contain. Additionally, they’ll want to see if there are any restrictions regarding recycled essays, as some committees may explicitly request fresh content.

2. Review the Prompt

While it isn’t the only example of what not to write in a scholarship essay, being off-topic is a major misstep. If your student is thinking about recycling a scholarship essay, they need to write it to make sure that the existing content matches what the committee wants to know.

Even if a prompt is similar, that doesn’t mean that the current essay is a perfect fit. There is a slew of variations of common scholarship questions, creating a level of nuance. For example, one committee may ask students to discuss their biggest influence, while others may ask about heroes. While the difference between essay prompts can be subtle, it’s nonetheless there.

If an existing essay is a solid match for the new prompt, then it’s a contender for reuse. However, if it’s off by any degree, it’s usually better to start fresh.

3. Explore the Organization’s Mission and Values

Every organization has its own mission and values. Often, these define the scholarship committee’s priorities and values, giving students clues about the audience they need to target when writing their essays.

Before recycling an essay, students need to see if the mission and values of the current and previous committees are generally similar. If they’re a strong match, then the essay’s tone may be appropriate to reuse. If not, then the style of the existing piece may not match the expectations or preferences of the new committee. In that situation, writing a new essay is often the best option.

4. Make the Necessary Adjustments

After completing the steps above, students should know if any existing essay is a strong fit for the new application. If so, they can adjust its content to ensure it meets any requirements that differ from the previous one. For example, they can cut back or expand to address a different word count or adjust their word choice to align with a new tone.

Essentially, your student needs to rework the essay to ensure it’s an exceptional fit for the new scholarship they’re trying to land. That way, they save time while also increasing their odds of securing the award.

5. Review the Essay Before Submitting

Once the adjustments are made, your student needs to review their work for errors and flow. Correcting grammar and spelling mistakes is essential. Additionally, checking for smooth transitions between points is a must, especially if your student had to make notable changes to the material.

If possible, your student should ask a trusted guidance counselor, teacher, friend, or family member to give the new essay a once-over. That way, there’s a second set of eyes looking for mistakes and making recommendations, increasing the reader’s attention and odds that the final version will be competitive.

If that isn’t possible, putting the essay into a text-to-speech program and listening to the audio can help. Sometimes, it’s easier to hear a mistake than see it when reviewing a document, making this an easy way to catch overlooked errors.

6. Save and Submit the Essay

After completing the steps above, your student can save the updated essay as a new document and submit it to the committee. That way, they can keep copies of all of their work as they pursue awards, giving them a larger collection of existing content to draw upon over time.

If your student is looking for fresh scholarship opportunities, there are plenty of options available; you just need to know where to look. If you and your student want to learn about finding scholarships, sign up for our free college scholarship webinar! Take a quick trip over to http://thescholarshipsystem.com/freewebinar to reserve a spot today.