Persuasive Scholarship Essay

Description In Modules 2-4, we learned about the complete writing process and the steps necessary to write a clear, concise, and enjoyable to read document. As we have progressed through Module 5, we have been learning how to plan and write professional communications that inform and persuade. For this writing assignment we will apply all of our learning toward writing a persuasive essay. Imagine that you are applying for an Excelsior College Alumni Scholarship. You will write an essay that not only describes yourself and your educational and career goals but applies what you learned in Module 5 on persuasive writing to convince the Alumni Scholarship Selection Committee that you should be the individual chosen for the scholarship being offered. (Note: Because this is a persuasive essay, it is preferred that you use first person language for this writing style.) For this assignment you will compose an essay by going through the writing process step-by-step to develop your final reflective essay paper. This will include: Pre-writing – thinking about your messages and what you want to convey; Writing a first draft – capturing all your messages; and Revising and finalizing – using the tools you learned in Module 3 and feedback from your Smarthinking tutor to revise, edit, and proofread your paper. In Module 5, you will go through the pre-writing phase and write a first draft. In Module 6, you will go through the revising, editing, proofreading, and finalizing steps to finish your essay. To begin, write your rough draft, addressing each of the essay elements listed below.

By the end of module 5, submit your rough draft to Smarthinking, Excelsior’s free tutoring service, for feedback. Click the Free Tutoring link on the course menu for Smarthinking. Submit your paper and request feedback. You may want to include a copy of this assignment, as well, so that you can receive more targeted feedback. Keep a copy of the Smarthinking feedback you receive; in Module 6 you will submit this feedback to the instructor. Use this feedback to revise, edit, and proofread your essay for final submission in Module 6. In Module 6, you will submit your essay, along with your Smarthinking report, to the assignment dropbox. Your paper should include the following elements, with are each explained fully in at least one well-developed paragraph. Introduction: Provide a short introductory paragraph/thesis statement. In this paragraph, introduce yourself as a student and professional (or new professional) to the reader. For example, share your degree program and area of study/interest, and how long you’ve been in school. You might also share what you are currently doing for work, for how long, etc. In your introduction refer to why you are writing the essay and offer a summary statement as  to why you should receive the scholarship. Goals: What are your career and/or future educational goals? How will your degree help you with your career, educational, or personal goals? Challenges Overcome: What challenges did you face in going back to school or being successful in school? What strategies did you use to overcome these challenges? Benefits of Scholarship: Describe how an Excelsior scholarship would be helpful to you with your current degree program or a future program. Here you want to be convincing as to why you should receive the scholarship above other applicants. Conclusion: Provide a persuasive concluding paragraph that shares what you have learned about yourself through writing this essay, why you think you would be a qualified recipient for a scholarship and your vision for the future after earning your degree. By the end of Module 6, you will submit a final essay that addresses all of the essay elements. Your essay must also include the following: An accurately APA formatted title page with your name and all APA required elements. Length of 3 – 4 double-spaced pages. A thorough proofreading before you submit. Your Smarthinking feedback document as a second attachment. Compose your work in a .doc or .docx file type using a word processor (such as Microsoft Word, etc.) and save it frequently to your computer. For those assignments that are not written essays and require uploading images or PowerPoint slides, please follow uploading guidelines provided by your instructor. Check your work and correct any spelling or grammatical errors. When you are ready to submit your work, click “Upload Submission.” Enter the submission title and then click on “Select a file to upload.” Browse your computer, and select your file. Click “Open” and verify the correct file name has appeared next to Submission File. Click on “Continue.” Confirm submission is correct and then click on “Accept Submission & Save.”