How to End a College Essay: Conclusion Guidance
What to Avoid in Your College Essay Conclusion
Before we discuss more complicated things, let us first focus on the things that are easiest to avoid. Clichés, or overly generic expressions, are ill-advised. Phrases like "In conclusion" or "To sum up" at the start of your conclusion can make your essay feel formulaic and mundane. Additionally, you should avoid adding new information or arguments. Doing so can confuse the reader and undermine the coherence of your essay. Furthermore, the conclusion should be a reflection of the underlying content. However, do not simply summarize what you have written. Summarizing is a common mistake, and the reason is that admission officers do not want to read the same ideas. Remember, admission officers read a lot of essays. So, the last thing you would want to do is be unnecessarily redundant.
What You Should "Conclusively" Aim for
First and foremost, the conclusion should leave a lasting impact. Your conclusion is not a summary but a powerful closure to your story. Unlike many academic writings, the college essay is more narrative-driven, thus allowing for creativity and personal expression. Your conclusion should symbolically convey a main message or idea that is significant to you and illustrate your development.
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Seek Feedback for Your Conclusion and Essay as a Whole
Feedback is always a valuable tool for achieving clarity. However, avoid having friends, family members, or anyone close to you read your conclusion. Instead, ask someone who doesn’t know you well. While this might seem daunting, it helps ensure objectivity and reduces bias. Even well-meaning friends and family may subconsciously understand your perspective, affecting their ability to accurately evaluate the strength of your conclusion. Remember, the admission officer reading your conclusion knows nothing about you beyond what you have written. Of course, if you do not have someone available for an objective review, you can try this trick: write a draft of your conclusion, then set it aside for a few days before editing. This delay allows you to approach it with a clearer mind, similar to having a ‘fresh set of eyes.’ While it is still best to have an unbiased person read your work, this technique can be a valuable addition to your writing toolkit. Remember, the admission officer reading your conclusion knows nothing about you beyond what you have written. Of course, if you do not have someone available for an objective review, you can try this trick: write a draft of your conclusion, then set it aside for a few days before editing. This delay allows you to approach it with a clearer mind, similar to having a ‘fresh set of eyes.’ While it is still best to have an unbiased person read your work, this technique can be a valuable addition to your writing toolkit.
Additional Tips for Perfecting College Essay Conclusions
Often, students struggle to draft a conclusion they are happy with despite knowing various strategies and ideas. In this case, this may indicate the need to revise not just the conclusion, but possibly the entire essay. However, this does not necessarily mean that the content is poor. Most likely, the essay is structured in a way that makes crafting a strong conclusion challenging. Hence, some students find it helpful to focus on the conclusion from the start. Writing the conclusion first can help clarify the final message and provide a clear goal for the rest of the essay. Remember, the conclusion is the last thing the reader reads, so it might be beneficial to prioritize it early in your writing process. Additionally, read your essay out loud. Reading aloud engages different parts of your brain, thus helping you catch errors or awkward expressions. Furthermore, many admission officers also read essays aloud, so this practice can give you an idea of what they will hear when they read your essay.
Final Points for Ending a College Essay
While these brief points are helpful for your writing process, there is much more to crafting a strong conclusion. The ideas presented here can be applied broadly, but the best approach for your conclusion depends heavily on your specific topic. If you need more specific advice and suggestions about your essay conclusions or the essay in general, I would be happy to help. Just sign up for College Contact's platform, book a one-on-one meeting with me or another mentor, and we’ll work from there! Take care and do your best!
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