I am applying for a scholarship at a college I have been accepted to. My personal statement, when put through Hemingway Editor, was a Grade 7, but I was accepted on that statement. The scholarship I’m working on is for a full tuition scholarship, so I’m wondering if it should be more formal? It is currently a grade 8. I have written much higher level writing before so I’m wondering if I should try to make the writing more ‘smart’ by trying to get it to a higher level or not. What is a good level for a college scholarship? Should I put effort into ‘leveling it up’ or work on content?
It depends on how your own voice sounds when you write. For example I have a tendency to string together longer sentences and toss in a little vocabulary glitter as I go. Earnest Hemingway, on the other hand, wrote in short sentences with few conjunctions and very simple words.* Your written voice may not be fully evolved yet, but I’ll tell you now that the one thing that always comes through is when a writer tries too hard or “levels it up” too far. Incongruous vocabulary unsupported by comparable structures or multi-layered thought sticks out like a sore thumb. It’s not bad, necessarily, but it’s obvious. A good story, well-told, does not need a lot of leveling up. If you’re applying for a writing scholarship it’s one thing, but in most cases your essay is conveying your ability to think and communicate. The words are secondary to the message.
- Yup, I just compared myself to Earnest Hemingway. Hot take: I'm taller too. He may be a better writer though.
Just write your essay. Forget about the “grade level” that is computed based on your input…because frankly that doesn’t matter as much as what YOU say in the essay. Folks reading are looking for your “voice” in this essay…not some artificially inflated essay based on use of bigger words, and longer more complex sentences.
So…do your writing. Have someone you know and trust to do an accurate job…proofread for spelling and grammar errors, and things like correctly sequenced events.
Forget the “grade” of your writing.
Thank you for all your help!
I’m a professional writer. People who write for a living never think about the “grade level” of their writing (unless their audience is children or under-educated adults). We focus on clear, succinct, logical writing. Read the New York Times. How often do you see million-dollar words or complex sentences? Spoiler alert: Almost never.