Q: How do I transition between examples so my essay “flows” well?


Hi there! I remember going through the same process with my child not too long ago. Writing a strong conclusion can feel like a challenge, but it's essential to leave a lasting impression on the reader.

One approach is to wrap up your essay by referring back to your introduction or a significant moment in your story. This creates a sense of closure and brings your essay full circle. Another option is to end with a powerful statement that encapsulates the main theme or takeaway from your essay. You want your conclusion to leave the reader with a sense of understanding and insight into your character and experiences.

It's also a good idea to avoid introducing new information in the conclusion. Keep it focused on summarizing and reinforcing what you've already written. And, of course, give it a personal touch by sharing your thoughts or feelings about the future. Remember, this is your chance to leave a lasting impression, so make it count! Good luck with your essay, and I hope these tips help!


Some conclusions are only about intentional meaning-making. This option is especially good for skilled writers who can make their reflections poetic. Concluding with a pointed reflection also ensures that you leave your admissions officers with the specific ideas you want them to take away from your essay. These kinds of conclusions show a maturity of thought and perspective—always good strengths to show in your college applications.

It’s safe to assume this essay will be, in part, about overcoming challenges or adversity. So, how should it end? To match the humor of the introduction, a callback can be utilized to end this college essay.

How to End a College Essay: 10 Tactics & Strategies

Reflection is a great way to show maturity and growth. While you’ll likely grow and mature even more throughout college, reflecting on your experiences shows a thoughtfulness conducive to a college education.

We hope these tips have given you clarity on how to end your college application essay. If you follow these steps through to the last paragraph, we are confident you will arrive at a common app personal statement you are truly proud of.

Conclusions. Whether it’s the end of a movie, the end of a music video, or the end of your genius and spectacular college essay, they’re pretty important. Imagine cutting the last five minutes out of your favorite movie. Not the credits, but the last five minutes of the actual movie. You’d lose action, resolution, and so much more. We’ve said a lot about in your essays and supplements, but here we’re going to talk about one of the most important pieces of the written components of your applications. You guessed it, the conclusions.

While you should be reflecting throughout your essay, a great way to tie together any themes or lessons learned is by reflecting on your values or beliefs at the end of the essay. Have they changed since the beginning of the story by growing stronger, maybe even weaker as you’ve gained more knowledge?


How To End An Essay Gracefully : r/ApplyingToCollege

You should not summarize your essay in your conclusion either. A pointed summary of all the main points of your college essay may seem memorable, but it lacks creativity and can seem as though you’re talking down to the reader. A good ending introduces a new part of the essay, so it should stand out while remaining cohesive.

How to end a college application essay

Many successful essays begin with a compelling Mission Statement that help the author to shape a memorable college application essay. Let’s examine a few examples:

How to End Your College Application Essay

In essays you’ve written for class, you may have been encouraged to restate your thesis in the conclusion. While that’s a good strategy for an informative essay, a college personal essay is very different. Your college essay may not even have a clear thesis statement, and that’s okay.

How to End a College Application Essay

Take a look at some examples of how college application essays can be effectively wrapped up. Follow along to learn different strong strategies you can use to conclude your college paper, including college essay conclusion examples.

How to End Your College Essay: 5 Strategies | CollegeVine Blog

Likewise, when considering your future self, you want to show a sincere vision for your personal growth. It shouldn’t be all about making money, increasing status, or building a high-profile career. It should be a reflection of your self-awareness. What are the parts of yourself that you are not yet satisfied with? How can you build yourself toward them? If you’re having trouble coming up with ideas, look to your inspirations—the people you look up to. Notice how they behave and what they can do that you admire.

How to End a College Essay (With Examples) | Leland

It may take you several drafts to get it right, and that’s okay. Once you land on something you like, ask family, friends, teachers, or counselors their opinion on it. Crowdsourcing reactions to your conclusion can help you get a sense of how an admissions officer might react. You’ll be empowered to adjust your conclusion to evoke the exact response you want admissions officers to have.