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Best Books for Scholarship and College Essays

A good guide can help you find your topic and see what winning essays look like. You don't need all of these: pick the one that fits where you're stuck. Most libraries carry them, so check yours first.

Start with our free scholarship essay help.

Scholarship essays

• How to Write a Winning Scholarship Essay (Gen and Kelly Tanabe)
  Thirty winning scholarship essays with analysis, plus interview tips from the authors, who won scholarships to graduate from Harvard without debt.
  Check current price on Amazon ↗ · Also on Bookshop.org ↗

College application essays

• College Essay Essentials (Ethan Sawyer)
  A step-by-step method for finding a topic and structuring a personal statement. Your story-bank work carries over to scholarship essays.
  Check current price on Amazon ↗ · Also on Bookshop.org ↗
• On Writing the College Application Essay, 25th Anniversary Edition (Harry Bauld)
  Short, blunt advice from a former Ivy League admissions officer on what makes an essay stand out.
  Check current price on Amazon ↗ · Also on Bookshop.org ↗

Choosing colleges

• Fiske Guide to Colleges 2026
  Profiles of hundreds of colleges, useful for building a list before you apply for school-specific scholarships.
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Plan your deadlines with the printable scholarship planner or see dorm and study gear.