ohio state honors college supplemental essays

How to Write the Ohio State Supplemental Essay 2024–2025

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The Ohio State University (OSU) is known for its commitment to community engagement , over 200 majors and programs, and being the #1 university in producing Fulbright Scholars . With over $1 billion dedicated to research every year, an outstanding NCAA football team , and active student life , it’s no wonder over 50,000 undergraduate students enroll at OSU every year. Their accomplished alumni include R. L. Stine, Jayaprakash Narayan, Jesse Owens, and Urban Meyer. Hoping to join their ranks, with a scholarship to boot? You’ll need to nail the Ohio State supplemental essay. Let’s dive in to the Morrill Scholars Program Essay.

Ohio State’s 2024-2025 Scholarship Prompt

Ohio State has not set a required essay prompt for applicants in the 2024-2025 admissions cycle. That said, for eligible applicants, a scholarship is available. Here are the types of scholarships that are awarded by this program:

• Distinction : Equals the value of the cost of attendance for both Ohio residents and nonresidents
• Prominence : Equals the value of in-state tuition plus the nonresident surcharge for nonresidents
• Excellence : Equals the value of in-state tuition for Ohio residents

Now, let’s break down the Ohio State supplemental essay prompt itself.

Morrill Scholars Program Essay

In what ways have your life experiences and/or endeavors prepared you to be an active morrill scholar who will champion osu’s shared values of “diversity and innovation” and “inclusion and equity” while investing in our culture of service reflective of our land grant mission  please answer fully, and when possible, provide specific examples. (350-500 words), we’ll review your essay.

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General Tips

Ohio State’s admissions team provides some context to this scholarship program . Here’s the first part: “MSP seeks academically talented student leaders who have demonstrated a commitment to advancing diversity, inclusion, service and social justice.” From this information, it’s clear that MSP doesn’t just seek good students to fill their scholarship class. Instead, additional values, traits, and strengths are expected of the MSP students.

Therefore, demonstrating your capacity for leadership, activism, community service, and academics will help your case. Be sure to describe your experiences with those qualities in your extracurriculars list, your Common App essay, and/or your Ohio State supplemental essay.

Then, Ohio State notes that “MSP scholarships are awarded on a competitive basis to students admitted to the Columbus campus for the autumn semester following high school graduation. Applicants must be U.S. citizens or legal permanent residents of the United States.” In other words, not all applicants are eligible to apply for this scholarship. In addition, if you do apply and are awarded the scholarship, you must matriculate at Ohio State without taking any gap years after graduating from high school. If you do not fit these criteria, then it won’t be worth your time to write the Ohio State supplemental essay.

This prompt expects some research from applicants before they embark upon their response. To be specific, you should read up on OSU’s Shared Values so that you can either write about them eloquently and accurately, or so that you can bear them in mind while writing your response to this prompt.

Note that Ohio State’s scholarship admissions team specifically note “diversity and innovation” and “inclusion and equity” as values. Therefore, in your essay, you should focus on the experiences you have had that have involved these values. If you have engaged in community service, share this information here. You should also share why this service work is important to you and what you learned from the experience. Be as specific as you can.

In addition, try to envision yourself as a student at Ohio State. As a Morrill Scholar, who will you be? What further activism, community service, or other contributions to society do you hope to make while in college? After researching the opportunities available to undergraduates at Ohio State, consider mentioning a specific initiative, opportunity, or other program you hope to get involved in. If the existing opportunities at OSU don’t fully meet your vision for your college experience with regard to service work, provide specific details regarding the new initiative(s) you hope to spearhead. All of this information will help the admissions team see you as a student at Ohio State!

If you need help polishing up your Ohio State supplemental essay, check out our College Essay Review service. You can receive detailed feedback from Ivy League consultants in as little as 24 hours.

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University honors program.

The University Honors Program promotes the intellectual and personal development of undergraduate students through an enrich​ed academic experience and integration of curricular and co-curricular programming.

• Take advantage of Honors status in 200+ majors across campus.
• Choose from more than 350 sections of Honors classes, averaging fewer than 25 students each.
• Pursue original research and write an Honors thesis under the guidance of a faculty member.
• Graduate "with Honors" and/or "with Honors Research Distinction" on your diploma.
• Opportunity to live in three designated Honors learning communities.
• Receive university-level priority course scheduling to meet your Honors requirements.

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How to Write the Ohio State University Essay 2021-2022

If you’re interested in The Ohio State University, there are luckily no supplemental essays that apply to all applicants. There is an additional essay for the Morrill Scholarship Program, however. This is a competitive program for students who excel academically, have strong leadership skills, and are interested in fostering diversity and inclusion within their communities. 

Each year, only 300 students are named Morrill Scholars, which provides both in-state and out-of-state students free tuition scholarships. In this post, we’ll discuss this year’s essay prompt for the program, and how you can maximize your chances of acceptance by writing a great essay.

Want to know your chances at OSU? Calculate your chances for free right now.

The Ohio State University Morrill Scholarship Essay Prompt

Below is information about the Morrill Scholarship, as well as the essay prompt. Each applicant must respond to the prompt in 350-500 words. 

The Morrill Scholarship Program (MSP) is one of Ohio State’s premier scholarship opportunities offered through the Office of Diversity and Inclusion (ODI). MSP seeks academically talented student leaders who have demonstrated a commitment to advancing diversity, inclusion, service and social justice.

MSP scholarships are awarded on a competitive basis to students admitted to the Columbus campus for the autumn semester following high school graduation. Applicants must be U.S. citizens or legal permanent residents of the United States.

Morrill Scholarship Program Prompt

How have your life experiences and/or endeavors prepared you to be a morrill scholar please answer fully, and when possible, provide specific examples. (350–500 words), understanding the prompt .

In a way, this prompt is asking you two distinct questions. First, the prompt is asking you to pick a life experience that you want to discuss. Next, you’ll have to discuss why this experience would make you a good candidate for a Morrill Scholarship. To help you brainstorm some ideas, below are some questions you’ll want to think about before you start writing.

• What is one of your life experiences that has fundamentally questioned the way that you view life? 
• Are there any social justice issues that you are particularly passionate about? Why?
• Leadership takes many forms. How have you showed leadership in the past?
• What type of traits do you think a Morrill Scholar has?

Once you have answers to these questions, be sure to do some research on the Morrill Scholarship and what it entails, as well as what types of students typically receive the scholarship. Try and determine why these students were good applicants, and look for any similarities or things you have in common with them.

Cliché Topics to Avoid

While you have the freedom to discuss an important life experience, there are still some topics that you’ll want to avoid. These include: 

• Picking a topic such as sports injury, tragedy, or bad grade
• Picking a topic that isn’t significant enough and not explaining how the experience impacted you
• Using a privileged tone when discussing your perspective
• Having a cliché ending, such as  “ I learned that people can be happy with so little, ” or “ I learned the importance of giving back. ”

Writing the Essay 

Once you have an understanding of what the prompt and the program is looking for, you can start writing. Although there is no one perfect way to structure this essay, it might be helpful to follow this general format:

• Describe a memorable life experience that relates to a topic of diversity, inclusion, or social justice
• Demonstrate how this experience made you grow or highlighted an aspect of your personality
• Explain what you will bring to the program after going through this experience

Let’s look at each section in more detail now.

1.  Describe a memorable life experience

The admissions officers want to know what you have been through. They know about issues like racial injustice or mass incarceration—what they don’t know about is you. Starting your essay off with an anecdote that clearly expresses what you have been through is a great way to show the admissions officers reading your essay that topics like diversity and social justice are important and relevant to you.

Maybe you grew up as a minority in a community and you talk about the time you were racially profiled at the mall with your friends. Or maybe you started a program at your school for kids who normally sat at lunch to sign up and get a buddy so they always had someone to eat with. Perhaps after researching a refugee crisis for your history class, you went to the local shelter in your town and spoke to the refugees about their experiences to understand them more.

Your experience with diversity and inclusion doesn’t necessarily have to be a traditional topic of diversity like racial, religious, or socioeconomic. You could also discuss your diversity of interests: you love collecting stamps even though most of your friends think it’s old fashioned. Or maybe you want to discuss your diversity of perspective: you are really liberal among your conservative family.

The most important thing is that you choose a single experience to focus your anecdote on. So, a student who wants to write about her ethnicity shouldn’t give a general overview of how she feels discriminated against because of where her family is from. Instead, she should focus on a specific instance of discrimination that strongly affected her or gave her a chance to stand up and defend herself.

2. Demonstrate how this experience made you grow

This next part of your essay is super important to show why this experience is so impactful and has prepared you to be a Morrill Scholar.

After you have set up the anecdote, now you should give insight as to what your state of mind or emotions were in this situation. Answering questions like these could be helpful:

• What did you feel in the moment?
• What was your perspective before this experience? After?
• Did a certain personality trait shine through? Were you brave, resilient, creative, determined?

However, be careful while you are writing. You want to convey the growth or traits that you expressed during or after this experience, but you don’t want to tell the admissions officers that planning a school walkout to protest the lack of diversity in the administration made you a more confident leader—they should learn that without ever being explicitly told so. By interjecting emotions or including your inner thoughts in the moment, you will be able to show your readers the impact this experience had on you.

3. Explain what you will bring to the program

The best way to conclude your essay is to bring it back to OSU and the Morrill Program. At the end of the day, there are hundreds of other students who likely have had similar experiences or takeaways as you. You need to show how what you have been through and learned will prepare you to contribute to the diverse and inclusive community on campus.

When talking about what you will bring—or what you hope to get out of—the Morrill Scholarship Program, you should mention both implicit and explicit aspects. 

Some implicit things you might contribute to the community are teaching your new friends your culture’s traditions, discussing difficult topics with peers who have different perspectives, or approaching new and intimidating situations with confidence and clarity. 

So an example of an implicit aspect of the community might be a student who talked about his experience volunteering with an immigration lawyer, where he learned how important it is for lawyers to be billingual to communicate with their clients, might write about how he wants to practice speaking Spanish with his friends. Whether they are having a debate in his Spanish class or just hanging out and eating dinner in the dining hall, he’s looking forward to surrounding himself with others who are dedicated to becoming billingual, and hopefully encouraging others to learn Spanish. 

For explicit things you hope to contribute or gain from the Morrill Scholars community you should research the opportunities afforded to you through the program. You might mention a club that aligns with your interests that you want to join, an event you started at your high school that you hope to bring to the OSU community, or a certain professor you are looking forward to working with.

An example of a student writing about an explicit aspect could be someone who had a tutor in high school that helped her feel better about herself since she struggled in her history class. Her tutor made her feel welcomed and included, and now she wants to give back to other students by becoming a Supplemental Instruction leader through the Morrill Scholarship Program. She feels she has learned a lot about what it takes to be an effective and encouraging tutor, and now she wants to give back to her future OSU students.

The best essays will combine implicit and explicit things you want to contribute or get out of the program, but as long as you can make the admissions officers feel like you belong in this program and on OSU’s campus, you will have done your job.

Where to Get Your OSU Morrill Scholarship Essay Edited for Free

Do you want feedback on your OSU Morrill Scholarship essay?If so, consider using our Peer Essay Review Tool , where you can input your essay and other students can provide constructive feedback on your writing. It can be hard to evaluate your own writing, which is why we created this helpful tool. You can even evaluate other student’s essays as well. Best of all, this tool is completely free! 

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Stamps eminence scholarship program application, for students entering as first year students in autumn semester, 2025.

Welcome to the application for the Stamps Eminence Scholarship Program.

To be considered for the scholarship award and a place in the program, you must complete and submit the Stamps Eminence Scholarship Application by Tuesday, November 12, 2024 at 11:59 PM EST. To access the application, you need your OSU username (lastname.#), which you receive after submitting your application to The Ohio State University. You should allow approximately 5 days for receipt of your Ohio State username via email after submitting your admissions application.

Consideration for this scholarship is contingent upon admission to the Ohio State Columbus campus. Only new, first-year students entering in the Autumn 2025 semester are eligible for this scholarship. Before completing the Stamps Eminence Scholarship application, please review the checklist below, scholarship description, and program requirements.

Following the application review process, a select number of applicants will be named as finalists. All finalists will be interviewed via a virtual platform during the months of January and February. Finalists are required to participate in the Stamps Eminence Finalist Friday event, which is scheduled for Friday, February 28, 2025 . This day will provide a glimpse of the Stamps Eminence experience and will include special department visits and various group activities that precede a special finalist reception that evening. There will be no exceptions.

Students awarded the Stamps Eminence Scholarship are required to be members of the University Honors Program and active participants in the Stamps Eminence Scholarship Program. Please review information about both programs to learn more about the opportunities and expectations of students who remain in good standing in each.

Online Application Checklist: Please affirm that you have completed the following steps of your Stamps Eminence application materials, and your Stamps Eminence application materials are ready for submission before continuing to your application.

  1. Confirm you have applied to The Ohio State University for first year admission by the early action deadline of November 1, 2024.

• Note: You will not be able to complete the Stamps Eminence Scholarship application without your Ohio State username (lastname.#) and password, which are issued via email after you apply to the university. You should allow approximately five days for receipt of your Ohio State username via email after submitting your admissions materials.

  2. On the university application, indicate your interest in being considered for the University Honors Program or Ohio State Scholars Program .

• Note: Students who are awarded the Stamps Eminence Scholarship are required to be members of the Honors Program.

  3. Prepare your Stamps Eminence essay and video introduction. The video link box immediately follows the essay text box.

Essay prompt: Imagine yourself fifteen years from now, being honored for your outstanding accomplishments and significant contributions to your community and/or your professional discipline. As part of this recognition, you have been invited to be a featured speaker at the prestigious Stamps Eminence Annual Dinner. In the audience are current undergraduate Stamps Eminence Scholars and fellow alumni. In your speech, what key topics will you address? What specific achievements or contributions are you being celebrated for? In what ways did the Stamps Eminence Program support and facilitate your journey to success?

• Note: We recommend you use a word processing program (e.g. Microsoft Word) to respond to the essay prompt. You will need to copy and paste your essay response into the appropriate text box in the Stamps Eminence application. The essay is in Section 2 of the application. Remember to carefully proofread your work and limit your response to 500 words.

Video Introduction: Applicants will have the opportunity to introduce themselves via a 2-minute YouTube introduction. The following parameters will help you create your introduction:

• First minute : Introduce yourself and remember, we already know what is in your application. What don't we know about you? If you are recording a video of yourself speaking, please use a simple and uncluttered background. You may also choose to narrate the video of shared pictures, slides, and objects that demonstrate your interests, personality, and what is important to you. Do not include another video in this introduction.
• Second minute : Talk about your Stamps Eminence Essay and share your thought process on crafting your response. What do you want as your main takeaways?

Note: Your video does not need to be extensively rehearsed, polished, or edited. Be yourself! The video is just one component of your application materials. For our selection committee’s access and your privacy, please be sure to create and provide an unlisted (not private) YouTube link. If your link is not set up this way, the selection committee will not be able to view it. The video link box immediately follows the essay text box.

  4. Verify your availability for Stamps Eminence Finalist Friday, February 28, 2025. If selected as a finalist, you will be required to attend.

Proceed to the final part of the application process. If you have read through all the above directions, you are now ready to complete the Stamps Eminence application. Please have your Ohio State Username and password information ready. If you need help in retrieving your username or password, visit http://my.osu.edu or contact the IT Service Desk at (614) 688-4357.

Questions regarding the Stamps Eminence Scholarship Program should be directed to the University Honors & Scholars Center, [email protected] or (614)292-3135.

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The Common Application

First-year applicants to Ohio State's Columbus campus apply through the Common Application .

Ohio State also requires completion of Ohio State-specific questions , which you'll find on the Common Application.

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Common application questions, writing: personal essay.

Ohio State requires a personal statement essay in response to one of the prompts provided. If you'd like to work on your response before beginning your application, here's a list of this year's essay prompts .

Note: The Common App provides students with an opportunity to share their experience and the impact of community disruptions such as COVID 19 and natural disasters through a dedicated question on the application.

Ohio State-specific questions

General: preferred admission plan.

Select "Early Action" if you are applying for autumn semester and plan to meet our November 1 early action deadline. Otherwise, select "Regular Decision."

General: School-specific fee waivers

If you have been given a fee waiver code for one of the programs listed, please select the program and enter your fee waiver code.

Academics: Your planned major

To learn more about Ohio State's majors, search Ohio State majors or read Undecided? if you're not sure what to major in.

Academics: Opportunities beyond the undergraduate level

Ohio State offers pre-professional programs in dentistry, law, medicine, optometry, pharmacy and veterinary medicine. Identifying your pre-professional interest on the application will enable your advisors to provide you with a wide range of support to realize your goals.

Academics: Alternate campus (Ohio residents only)

If you are not admitted to the Columbus campus, you will have the option of starting your Ohio State degree at a regional campus and changing to Columbus later. If you don't select an alternate campus, you will be automatically admitted to one based on your geographic location.

Academics: Honors and Scholars Programs

To be considered, we strongly recommend that you meet our November 1 early action deadline. On the application, indicate interest in the University Honors Program or Ohio State Scholars Program . If you wish to apply for the Stamps Eminence Scholarship Program, you must indicate interest in Honors or Scholars and complete the Eminence Application .

Academics: Morrill Scholarship Program

To be considered, we strongly recommend that you meet our November 1 early action deadline. On the application, indicate interest in the Morrill Scholarship Program and respond to the MSP essay prompt. Be sure to include leadership and diversity involvement under Activities.

Application fee and fee waivers

Before submitting your application, you will be asked for a $60 NONREFUNDABLE application fee. Ohio State accepts ACT, SAT, TRIO and other fee waivers meant to assist low-income families (the application will walk you through eligibility requirements). Please also see guidelines for application fee waivers .

Planning to apply for financial aid?

Supply your Social Security Number on your admission application if you plan to file the FAFSA and want Ohio State to receive it, or if you are the child of an Ohio State employee using the Dependent Tuition Assistance program.

You can submit the same Common Application to multiple institutions.

Create your account

If you haven't done so, create an account for the Common Application. Be mindful of which email address you choose, since Ohio State (and other colleges) will use it to communicate with you. Be sure to use one that you check regularly and you'll have access to after you graduate from high school.

Need help? Read this guide for first-time applicants .

Go to the Common Application

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Morrill Scholarship (Ohio State University (OSU)) Supplemental Essay Guide: 2021-2022

Not sure how to approach the Morrill Scholarship essay? With tips from an Ivy League graduate, CollegeAdvisor.com’s guide to the OSU Morrill Scholarship essay will show you exactly how to write an engaging OSU special scholarship essay to help boost your OSU Morrill Scholarship application. With a strong essay, you will maximize your chances in the OSU Morrill Scholarship Program admissions process.

For more CollegeAdvisor.com resources on the college process,  click here . Want help crafting your OSU essay? Create your  free account  or  schedule your free advising consultation  by calling (844) 343-6272.

Morrill Scholarship (OSU) Essay Guide Quick Facts:

• The  OSU  acceptance rate is 68%— U.S. News  ranks OSU as a competitive school.
• We recommend answering the OSU Morrill Scholarship essay prompt comprehensively and thoughtfully.

Does Ohio State require essays?

No. Ohio State University does not require an additional OSU application essay unless you are applying to the Morrill Scholarship Program. If you choose to  apply  to the Morrill Scholarship Program, you must write a single OSU essay. This OSU application essay is 350-500 words—close to the length of the Common Application’s personal statement.

Remember, this OSU special scholarship essay is only required for Morrill Scholarship applicants. The general OSU application only requires a  Common Application  Personal Statement.

Need tips on writing your Common App essay? Check out our  blog article .

What is the Morrill Scholarship Program?

According to OSU, “The Morrill Scholarship Program (MSP) is one of Ohio State’s premier scholarship opportunities offered through the Office of Diversity and Inclusion (ODI). MSP seeks academically talented student leaders who have demonstrated a commitment to advancing diversity, inclusion, service, and social justice.” If you are interested, be sure to visit the  MSP website  to learn more about the history of the scholarship, how MSP students get involved on OSU’s campus, as well as other scholarship  opportunities  only available to MSP students and  Young Scholars Program  participants.

Who is eligible?

According to the OSU Common Application, “MSP scholarships are awarded on a competitive basis to students admitted to the Columbus campus for the autumn semester following high school graduation. Applicants must be U.S. citizens or legal permanent residents of the United States.”

Unlike many scholarships which simply grant funds without additional requirements, the Morrill Scholarship Program seeks academically exceptional high school seniors who will “serve as student ambassadors and champions of scholarship and diversity” and “actively engage in diversity-based leadership, service and social justice activities” at OSU. If you have done activities like this in the past, this may be the perfect program for you!

Additionally, The Morrill Scholarship Program has three award levels. These levels are as follows:

• Distinction, which equals the value of the cost of attendance for both Ohio residents and nonresidents.
• Prominence, which equals the value of in-state tuition plus the nonresident surcharge for nonresidents.
• Excellence, which equals the value of in-state tuition for Ohio residents.

All three of these Scholarships are renewable for eight semesters. Additionally, the OSU website notes that “over 80 percent of Morrill Scholarship recipients are also University Honors and Scholars students.”

Interested in learning more about these other programs? The  University Honors Program  offers honors courses to eligible students. It also gives these students the opportunity to live in Honors residential learning communities. The  Ohio State Scholars Program , on the other hand, is a residential program that organizes students into 16 specialized  communities . The students in each of the communities participate in community-specific learning experiences under the guidance of program mentors.

The most important takeaway is that participation in the University Honors Program or Ohio State Scholars Program does not disqualify you from the Morrill Scholars Program (MSP).

How competitive is the Morrill Scholarship?

While the Morrill Scholarship Program doesn’t publicly release information on the number of applicants, with a total undergraduate class size of 46,984 students at Ohio State University, Morrill Scholars comprise around three percent of the student body. That gives the MSP a lower acceptance rate than every Ivy League school!

In other words, The Morrill Scholarship Program is very competitive. Consequently, you should write a compelling response to the OSU special scholarship essay prompt to boost your admissions chances.

There are over 1,400 Morrill Scholars who “represent a wide array of cultures, backgrounds, and academic interests with a shared goal of infusing the campus with a celebration of an appreciation for diversity and inclusion.” The top tier of the program is the most competitive—OSU only selects  40 Distinction Scholars  each year.

Note: if you are considered for the Distinction Scholarship, you’ll need to interview in addition to the essay you submit in your OSU application.

While the Morrill Scholarship Program doesn’t release average standardized test scores and GPAs for their Scholars, therefore you should assume that selected students are on the higher end of each. If you think these qualifications describe you, you should definitely consider applying to the Morrill Scholarship Program as part of your OSU  application .

What do Morrill Scholars do?

Being a Morrill Scholar at Ohio State University is a prestigious honor. The Morrill Scholarship Program provides many exciting opportunities on the OSU campus. The OSU  website  details that Morrill Scholarship Program students are eligible to participate in activities such as:

• Diversity and inclusion-themed workshops, lectures, and service projects.
• Graduate and professional school preparation courses and guidance.
• Mentoring and tutoring to support your academic success.
• Morrill Scholars Early Arrival Program.
• ODI outreach and engagement projects on campus and in the community.
• ODI leadership and service courses for credit toward the Leadership Minor.
• Optional housing in the MSP Learning Community in Blackburn House.
• Service trips and travel abroad opportunities.

Additionally, according to the OSU website, “As social justice advocates, Morrill Scholars actively engage in civic engagement and advocacy through the MSP Learning Community, lead meaningful dialogue and discussions through the MSP Documentary Film Series, and share their innovative thoughts and ideas related to diversity and social justice activism and academic excellence through their topic-based MSP Teams.” This program is a great opportunity to be involved with social justice and advocacy during your time on OSU’s campus and to meet like-minded students.

Morrill Scholarship Essay Question

If you apply to the Morrill Scholarship Program this OSU essay prompt will appear in your Common Application:

You indicated interest in the Morrill Scholarship Program. To be considered for the Morrill Scholarship program, create a persuasive response to the following questions in 350-500 words. How have your life experiences and/or endeavors prepared you to be a Morrill Scholar? Please answer fully, and when possible, provide specific examples. (500 words maximum).

How do you write a Morrill Scholarship Essay?

To answer the OSU Morrill Scholarship essay, you must first pay specific attention to what qualities OSU looks for in their Morrill Scholars. Your response to this prompt should demonstrate that you would be an asset to the Morrill Scholarship Program. In other words, use this OSU application essay to prove that you fit the criteria used to evaluate OSU application essays for the Morrill Scholarship Program.

Pay attention to the language that OSU uses to describe the Morrill Scholarship Program. They specifically seek “advocates and champions” of four pillars: diversity, inclusion, social justice, and academic excellence. In your OSU special scholarship essay, you will should demonstrate how you have advocated for these values during your high school career.

Choosing a Topic

Unsure how to start? Begin with a structured  freewriting  session. Take approximately ten minutes and write on how you’ve interacted with each of the four pillars mentioned above. This OSU special scholarship essay asks you to describe specific “experiences and endeavors” that make you a strong candidate for the MSP. Therefore, you should choose an anecdote (or several) that directly reflects your experiences around diversity, inclusion, social justice, and academic excellence.

Notice that this OSU application essay prompt mentions both “life experiences” and “endeavors.” These are important terms to define. Endeavors specifically speak to actions that you’ve undertaken to accomplish a goal. In other words, if you’ve done anything to promote and work towards the goals of diversity, inclusion, social justice, and academic excellence, then these are things to write about. For example, you could write about starting an Indigenous American film club at your school or volunteering in a literacy program at your local elementary school.

Life experiences, on the other hand, are less about actions that you’ve undertaken and more about how your experiences interact with the four pillars. For instance, you can describe your experiences as a member of a marginalized community or your journey towards allyship. However, if you write about your life experiences in your OSU application essay, remember to focus on  your  experiences. In other words, you shouldn’t tell someone else’s story. Keep the focus on yourself—the things that you’ve learned, observed, and dealt with firsthand.

Drafting a Response

When drafting your OSU essay, remember that you do not have to address all four of the pillars. However, your OSU application essay should address at least two. You don’t want to write selectively about one and ignore the others; the Morrill Scholarship Program looks for students who embody all of their values.

Given the scope of this OSU application essay, you might discuss several different experiences. For example, you could discuss how you spearheaded a free breakfast program at your high school alongside your experience volunteering at your town’s food bank. You could then connect these experiences to your interest in resolving inequities in global food access. You should first describe your anecdote; then, discuss how you grew from the experience. Don’t mention a situation without detailing how it shifted your perspective. Those awarding the OSU special scholarships want to see how your experiences have changed your outlook!

This question asks for a “persuasive essay.” You should approach writing with the goal of convincing the readers that you belong in the Morrill Scholarship Program. Strong topic choices and anecdotes are important for this OSU essay, but you should also be sure to focus on the why and not just the what. How did your experiences/endeavors shape you into a strong candidate for the exclusive Morrill Scholarship? What did you learn about the importance of the four pillars of the program, and how will you implement this on OSU’s campus? Be sure to include your future plans in your OSU application essay. After all, OSU wants to know how you will contribute to the MSP!

Morrill Scholarship Program Essay Key Questions:

• Do you engage with the four components (diversity, inclusion, social justice, and academic excellence) that are paramount to being a Morrill Scholar?
• Does your essay draw on anecdotes and specific examples from your lived experience?
• Do you use strong and descriptive language for active storytelling?

Additional tips for the Morrill Scholarship Essay

When responding to the OSU special scholarship essay prompt, you want to ensure that you have properly demonstrated why you would be a good fit for the Morrill Scholarship Program. Your essay should show that your interests align with the interests and goals of the program. You want to write a clear, detailed, descriptive essay with no spelling or grammar errors. Finally, you want to demonstrate your personality and passions to admissions officers, expanding on the rest of your Common Application to prove that you belong in the Morrill Scholarship Program.

You also want to make sure that your response to this OSU application essay falls within the desired parameters: between 350 and 500 words. You don’t want your OSU special scholarship essay to be either too short or too long. Since this length is just a bit shorter than the Common Application Personal essay, you should be prepared to spend a similar amount of time on this essay as on your Common App essay.

OSU Essay Guide — Final Thoughts

Completing the OSU Morrill Scholarship essay question can seem daunting. However, don’t let that discourage you from applying to the prestigious Morrill Scholarship Program. The OSU Morrill Scholarship essay is a great scholarship opportunity for well-rounded students looking to focus on diversity and inclusion initiatives.

Your answer to the OSU Morrill Scholarship essay stands apart from your overall OSU application. This means that a weak Morrill Scholarship Program application essay isn’t likely to affect your overall chances of admission to OSU. However, if you are interested in the Morrill Scholarship Program, don’t take the chance that your stellar GPA and test scores will bolster a weak essay. In other words, this competitive scholarship program attracts students with higher-than-average GPAs and test scores. Start earlier than you think you should, and use this guide as a step-by-step aid when approaching the OSU special scholarship essay. Don’t be afraid to ask for revisions from someone; it’s helpful to have another set of eyes checking your OSU special scholarship essay for grammatical errors, tone, and clarity. Good luck!

This 2021-2022 essay guide on OSU was written by  Laura Frustaci , Harvard ‘21. This guide to the Morrill Scholarship OSU application essay shows you exactly how to write an engaging essay for your OSU Morrill Scholarship application and maximize your chances of admission into the Morrill Scholarship Program. For more CollegeAdvisor.com resources,  click here .

Want help crafting your OSU Morrill Scholarship essay? Create your  free account  or  schedule a free advising consultation  by calling (844) 343-6272.

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Honors & Scholars Essay – My Essay and Tips for Yours!

In fall of 2015, I was preparing my Common App application for Ohio State (I submitted September 30 – so early!), and I wanted to enhance my undergraduate education by being in either an Honors program or a Scholars program. Both have their merits and benefits; it just depends what each individual seeks in their college experience. To me, Honors is a more academic-focused experience. Pros are that you can schedule earlier than the vast majority of students (even before some seniors), take classes that are smaller and cover a greater amount of material on a deeper level, and live in Honors housing. Of course, Honors courses are harder than regular classes, but some welcome this challenge! However, Scholars also offered some appealing traits; there are 17 themes for the Scholars programs, catering to different interests. You also get to live and learn with your Scholars cohort your first year on campus (it’s a requirement!) and in addition to that, you all take a 1-credit hour seminar course that counts for grade and credit! Both programs allow you to be more involved because they have activities and events exclusive to those programs. I liked Health Sciences Scholars the most, based on what I read about on the Honors & Scholars website. (https://honors-scholars.osu.edu/) However, you are not able to choose your preferences for what Scholars program you are placed into until winter or spring. (Around Christmas time, I found out I was offered to be in Scholars, and then I was told that I can choose my top 3 choices for Scholars programs at a later time.) Then March 31, I was emailed saying I got into my first choice! So yay!

It is not mandatory for those applying to OSU to apply to Honors & Scholars as well; it is a supplementary essay! If you are interested in applying, continue reading:

The prompt I had to answer for applying to Honors & Scholars was: How would your five-year-old self see you today? Considering your past experiences and your future ambitions, who do you feel you are becoming now? In what ways are those two images congruent, or divergent?   (350-500 words)

I have included my entire essay for my readers! (The one I submitted to OSU) It gives you a glimpse of my life and how my childhood experiences have shaped who I am today.

Green Eggs and Ham     “Let’s read Green Eggs and Ham , Mei Yi,” my mom said as she pulled out a slim hardcover book and patted her hand on the sofa, motioning me to sit beside her. I was five years old, and learning English along with my mom. At this time, she was not a U.S. citizen, so both of us were trying to understand more about American culture. I have fond childhood memories spending rainy afternoons with my mom surrounded by boxes of books and reading to my heart’s content. During elementary school, I was shy and struggled with learning two languages simultaneously. I would recede into the comforts of my mother’s arms. I would also try to conceal that I was bilingual, because I felt different and wanted to be more like my peers. When students would ask what my Chinese name was and for me to speak in my dialect, I felt like they were pointing out how different I was. When I got older, I began to realize that being different was not a bad thing. My five-year-old self would be surprised at my intellectual curiosity. I immersed myself into situations outside of my comfort zone, and soon I became accustomed to talking to strangers. In ninth grade, I completed a year-long school project collaborating with a team from the American University of Paris. I even spent a week in college dorms 100 miles from home, which forced me to adjust to unfamiliar settings. Now I am more comfortable with meeting new people and find it easier to strike up conversations. Today, my five-year-old self would see me as a role model to others and be proud of how I transformed from a timid, hesitant caterpillar into a resilient, powerful butterfly. I am becoming more confident in myself and my abilities. Although I may be nervous about conquering challenges, like public speaking, I still step up and face them head-on. Now, I take control of my future and engage in my community by volunteering at the hospital, tutoring my peers, and being a senior mentor to two freshmen. It is important to set an example for others and I want to share my experiences with them. My past and present self are congruent because we both love reading and place a high priority on learning. However, these two images are also divergent because I am more responsible and outgoing. I seize the moment and take advantage of all opportunities. I feel like I am turning into a person who doesn’t follow in someone’s footsteps or who hides in the shadows, but who forges my own path. This is part of growing up. Maybe one day I will even be courageous enough to try green eggs and ham. This is what my childhood copy of the book looked like. I can still vividly remember where I was sitting with my mom in the living room when she read to me. (I was on her left, and I was closest to the front door.) It was sometime in the evening, with the sun slowly sinking into the horizon. Thanks Mom for my earliest memory.  

Tips for writing your H&S essay: – Do not make it a repeat of your resume or the rest of your application . Do not just list out a slew of achievements. Instead, focus on one particular aspect of your life (a slice of the pie) and talk in depth about that. – Brainstorm . I take pieces of plain white unlined paper and draw bubbles to make a mind-map diagram. I spend at least a half-hour freewriting, jotting down whatever pops into my head. For this specific essay, you can divide part of the paper into sections. One part can say “Five-year-old self” and “Present day self” and then list all the differences and similarities. Also, I thought about what my dream job was when I was five, and I remember myself saying “Mermaid” to my relatives. I didn’t use this idea in my essay, but it helped me recollect what I was like as a child: very imaginative yet quiet. – Ask family and friends about what you were like as a child and what they have noticed about your growth (academically, personally, etc.) They can help spark memories you may not know you have about yourself! Pull out the old scrapbooks from your house attic if you want to as well. – It may not be complete in one sitting. My essay writing took a process of a few months. Just start early and continue working on it a bit at a time. I started in August (August 1, I believe), being the proactive person I am by nature. – Have three people review it. (Just make sure you have others proof-read it besides yourself.) Actually, this number can be adjusted based on what you feel is right for you. I think I had at least five people look at my essay: my upper-class English teacher, the English teacher’s assistant, two college advisors, and my close friends. -Use Google Docs or an equivalent. With Google Docs, you can share it with others via email with a few clicks of a button, and they can comment on it while you are simultaneously looking at the document from your own device. Also, Google Docs saves your document automatically so it will not be lost if your power suddenly shuts off.

To future OSU applicants, best of luck with your essays! I hope my essay provides inspiration and my tips are helpful to you! P.S. I still have not tried green eggs and ham.

P.P.S. (7/28/17): I went to the restaurant Hangover Easy which has a wide selection of creative brunch items, and I finally tried the dish Green Eggs and Ham! It costs less than $8 and is a huge portion!

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