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How to End a College Essay to Make It Memorable: Top Tips
Author: Michael Perkins
Dec 5, 2025
min
Table of contents
In admission writing, every tiny detail matters. From the claims you make to the formatting you use in your essays, each thing counts toward your success. And of course, the content of your essay matters the most. Yet, while most students tend to focus on writing compelling introductions and body paragraphs to drive attention, there is one thing they often miss out of sight, and it’s a conclusion.
Writing a conclusion for college essay can be no less challenging than crafting an intro or body paragraphs. Even though this part of an essay is small, it gives it a sense of closure, and it takes skill to organize it in such a way that it makes you stand out from the pack. To help you overcome this challenge, we’ve created a detailed guide with tips from experienced essay writers on how to end your essay the right way.
Why Should You Pay More Attention to Your College Essay Conclusion?
Essays for college admission usually follow a standard structure. They consist of three parts: an introductory paragraph, body paragraphs, and a concluding paragraph. An introduction is important for grabbing the officers’ attention. Body paragraphs are where you share your thoughts. The importance of these two elements is out of question. But what about a conclusion?
Typically, a conclusion makes up around 10% of the total essay word count. It doesn’t present new ideas, but only summarizes the key points. Yet, the importance of this section is highly underestimated, especially in admission writing, but here’s why it matters:
- It reinforces the main idea.
- It provides a sense of closure.
- It helps create a lasting impression and make your application memorable.
- It helps make an impact and answer the “So what” question.
All in all, a conclusion is your final opportunity to make the right impression, and you don’t want to waste it.
How to End a College Essay: The Main Principles
So, what makes strong college essay endings? To make the most impact, your conclusion has to be neat, logical, and memorable. Here are some of the core principles to keep in mind:
- Make it short: College essays are often very limited in volume, and you don’t want to go over the given word count. The best approach is to make your ending concise and straight to the point.
- Don’t present new information: The main ideas of your essay should be presented in the body. Use your conclusion to wrap up and reinforce them instead of introducing new information.
- Give your essay a sense of closure: The officers shouldn’t feel like something remained unsaid. Link back to the introduction to create a sense of closure.
- Leave a lasting impression: Finish your essay by reflecting on the broader significance of your essay, emphasizing growth, or connecting it to the future to make it memorable.
Effective Ways to End a College Essay
Now that you know about the basic principles, we can move on to actionable strategies. Of course, there is no universal rule on how to finish an essay for college. The good news is that there are many impactful and powerful ways to do it. You should choose an approach that best aligns with the main idea of your essay.
To help you make an informed decision, our college essay writers have prepared a list of the four most effective ways to write your conclusion. Compare their specs to find an option that will work best for you:
A Link to the Beginning
The first type of college essay ending that you can use implies linking back to the beginning in your final clause. In this approach, you return to the main idea you expressed in the introduction and restate it. Or, if your intro uses imagery, you need to remind the reader of it.
This way, you create a “full circle” effect. This builds a self-contained structure in your essay and gives it a sense of completion.
A Reflection on Growth
Another powerful way to finish a college essay is to reflect on the stories and experiences you shared in the main body. A reflection should summarize the personal significance of the described experience and emphasize the growth or lessons learned. You need to connect the past to the present and show how the given story shaped your character.
This ending also gives a good closure to your essay, while also giving insights into your personality.
A Look Into the Future
If you want to demonstrate your aspirations, choose a future-focused ending. You can do it by demonstrating how you are hoping to use your past experiences and lessons learned in your future academic and career aspirations. You can tell how they can help you achieve your big goals.
The main benefit of such a conclusion is that it always sounds positive and hopeful. However, it’s important to make it personal and avoid generalizations.
An Emotional Twist or Storytelling
Lastly, you can finish your story by exploring the emotional impact it has made on you. You can use nearly the full spectrum of emotions to evoke strong feelings in the admission officers and make your essay remembered. However, it’s recommended to avoid anger, self-pity, or extreme sadness.
Alternatively, you can end with something that logically completes your story. For example, include a forward-looking narrative that links your past experiences to future academic aspirations.
How to Write a College Essay Conclusion Step by Step
When you finish the main part of your essay, follow these steps to end it the right way:
- Re-read the introduction and body paragraphs to refresh your memory and identify the general direction. This can help if you’re feeling stuck.
- Begin with a transition so that your essay flows smoothly. You can use transitional phrases, like ultimately, as a result, etc.
- Return to the main idea and summarize the key points to create a full circle effect.
- Make a reflection on the story or link it to the future, depending on the specific type of conclusion that you decided to use.
- Finish with a strong closing sentence that binds the entire essay together and gives it a sense of completion.
- Proofread and improve.
For maximum impact, be authentic and personalize your ending so that it doesn’t look generic.
Now, let us show you some examples of college essay conclusions for inspiration.
College Essay Conclusion Examples
The conclusion of an admission essay is typically very short. Often, it only consists of a few sentences. Still, writing it can be incredibly challenging, especially if you recognize its massive value. After all, it’s your final chance to make an impression.
Luckily, with this guide, you already have practical steps and tips for ending your paper in the most impactful way. To help you gain even more confidence, we also prepared a list of conclusion examples of different types. Check out the samples given below to see what a good conclusion looks like and, hopefully, draw inspiration to write your own.
Reflective College Essay Ending Examples
- Although my childhood story still makes me sad, it has given me the purpose that I will carry forward.
- Now I know that growth isn’t fast. It takes commitment and happens quietly, and I’m ready to carry on!
- This lesson has taught me that a truly connected community is a powerful force, and I look forward to creating it in college.
- After this challenge, I know that leadership is not about being in charge, but about motivating and inspiring. This is the kind of leader I want to become.
- Solving this problem has taught me a lot. But most importantly, it taught me that I’m capable of overcoming anything.
- I see clearly now that curiosity drives me forward more than certainty. This is the mindset I’ll maintain in college.
- Of course, helping my grandma fix her TV didn’t make me an engineer overnight. Yet, it helped me explore my passion.
Full-Cycle Conclusion College Essay Examples
- That first blank page challenged me. But now, I have grown confident to approach it as an invitation rather than a problem.
- I still remember the lump in my throat from my first speech experience. And I’m still learning. But I’m ready for new challenges.
- As I go back to memories of my first shaky chords, I’m no longer scared, but grateful. And I’m excited to continue learning.
- Now, I finally know how to answer my first teacher’s question: I’m aiming for the future I want to shape.
- I’m still going through uncertainty now that I’ve overcome that first winding road. But I do it with confidence.
- My first championship reward is still with me now. It reminds me of where commitment and resourcefulness can take me.
- I still remember this missed opportunity. And I will cherish this memory to remember that I’m the one shaping my future.
Powerful Conclusion Examples for Your Essay
- I don’t know where this path will take me yet, but I’m excited to step on it.
- Something that once felt like a major challenge is what made me confident in my future aspirations.
- I still get nervous as I speak out publicly, but I have finally learned to be strong and overcome it.
- Every challenging story is ultimately a point of growth, and mine made me grow beyond anything I could ever imagine.
- After all this time, I still carry these lessons, but they no longer feel like a weight but rather like freedom.
- Now, I’m ready to embark on my college path with the same confidence.
- As I step into college, I know that it will challenge me as well, but I choose curiosity and determination.
Close a College Essay Like a Pro
Writing an essay for college admission can be incredibly stressful. Although your transcripts and test scores affect the admission decision a lot, an essay gives you a chance to introduce yourself beyond grades and make a strong impression on the committee. Yet, while the majority of students recognize the huge importance of college essays in general, many overlook the importance of one of their crucial parts – the conclusion.
As you now know, your final paragraph is no less important. It helps to reinforce your ideas and create a sense of completion. Most importantly, a conclusion gives you a final opportunity to make a lasting impression. To use this opportunity, you need to create a concise and logical ending that will make your application memorable. It’s important not to present new information or use clichés.
Luckily, after reading this article, you have a step-by-step guide on how to finish your paper with the most impact. Use the tips and examples we shared earlier to inspire your writing. And don’t hesitate to check our blog for more writing tips. With our guides, you will even find law essay topics for any assignment, learn about proper essay structure, and level up your writing!
FAQs
How should I end my college essay for maximum impact?
There is no universal rule that would work for everyone. However, there are a few time-tested strategies that you can try:
- Link back to the introduction.
- Reflect on your growth.
- Connect the story to the future.
- Use an emotional appeal or storytelling.
Choose based on your writing style, topic, and essay structure.
What are some good conclusion starters?
It’s not a strict rule, but it’s often a good idea to use a transitional word or phrase to start your conclusion. These phrases signal a summary and thus create a sense of completion.
Some examples of good starters are:
- Ultimately
- As a result
- In conclusion
- Furthermore
- All in all
How to end a Why Us college essay?
In essays that answer the “Why us” question, you need to create a personal connection to the chosen school. You can link your personal experiences and future aspirations with the school’s values or reflect on how studying in it can help you accomplish your goals. Demonstrate genuine interest and enthusiasm.
How long should I make my conclusion?
If you want a powerful conclusion that leaves a lasting impression, you need to keep it concise. Typically, a conclusion constitutes 10-15% of the total word count. Since college essays are often limited to 250-400 words, you should aim for just a couple of sentences.
