Budget essay for a scholarship says 500 words. I'm wayyy under this amount.

Paying for College
1

I am applying for a scholarship that has prompts which I see as somewhat confusing:
-A 500 word essay about how the money will be used.
-A budget which includes several prompts.

I wrote my essay out in a way that includes a brief sentence or two about how the funds will be used, and then a paragraph (5 sentences) about how much money I require for this project, how much money I am receiving from financial aid, the amount I am requesting, etc. I feel that my essay is very short, sweet, and to the point while still answering the questions in the prompt. However, I am concerned because it is only 165 words. When departments say they want a 500-word essay is that a hard rule, or is getting to the point efficiently more important? I’m just confused as to what more I can say to expand on it without it being wordy, drawn out, and unnecessary.

I mean, should I expand on the project itself, like why it’s important to me, why I need it, etc., even though it didn’t ask for that in the prompt? I’m so confused.

2

If the limit is 500 words, then the essay needs to be less than 500 words or exactly 500 words. But if the minimum needed is 500 words, then you need more than 500 words in the essay/exactly 500 words. Do the essay requirements specify which one it is?

3

In my opinion scholarship essays should ALWAYS be at least 80% of the suggested prompt length. This is because some scholarships are auto-judged for the first few rounds, and character/word count CAN take you out of the running.

4

Of course you should expand on the project itself. You think you’re the only one asking for money and that the scholarship fund is infinite? Give them a reason to pick your project over sonebody else’s.

5

Hey guys, sorry to leave this hanging for so long. Just wanted to let you know that I followed the advice here, stretched the essay out of a bit, and won $1500 for the summer semester. Thank you all so much!