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Lesson
Five: Conclusions
The
conclusion is your last chance to persuade the reader or impress
upon them your qualifications. Endings are the last experience
an admissions officer has with your essay, so you need to
make those words and thoughts count. You should not feel obligated
to tie everything up into a neat bow. The essay can conclude
with some ambiguity, if appropriate, as long as it offers
insights. The aim is for the admissions officer to leave your
essay thinking, "That was a satisfying read." Here are some
Do's and Don'ts as you develop your conclusion.
DOs
-
Expand
upon the broader implications of your discussion. This
could include the following strategies:
-
Consider
linking your conclusion to your introduction to
establish a sense of balance by reiterating introductory
phrases.
-
Redefine
a term used previously in your body paragraphs.
-
End
with a famous quote that is relevant to your argument.
Do not TRY to do this, as this approach is overdone.
This should come naturally.
-
Frame
your discussion within a larger context or show
that your topic has widespread appeal.
-
Tie
the conclusion back to your introduction. A nice
conclusion makes use of the creativity you used in your
introduction. If you used an anecdote in your intro,
use the conclusion to finish telling that story.
-
Try
to end on a positive note. You may want to restate
your goals in terms of how they will be fulfilled at
the institution to which you are applying.
DON'Ts
-
Summarize.
Since the essay is rather short to begin with, the reader
should not need to be reminded of what you wrote 300
words beforehand. You do not need to wrap up your essay
in a nice little package. It should be an ending, not
a summary.
-
Use
stock phrases. Phrases such as, "in conclusion,"
"in summary," "to conclude," belong only in dry, scientific
writing. Don't use them.
-
Try
to Explain the Unexplainable. Your essay need not
be so tidy that you can answer why people die or why
starvation exists -- you are not writing a sitcom --
but it should forge some attempt at closure.
Before you move
on to Lesson Six: Editing and
Revising, you should take a break. Let your draft
sit for a day or two. You need to distance yourself from the
piece so you can gain objectivity. If there is anything more
difficult than trying to edit your own work, it is trying
to edit your own work right after you have written it. Once
you have let your work sit for a while, you will be better
able to tackle the final steps of editing and revising.
 Move
on to Lesson Six: Editing and Revising
From ESSAYS THAT WILL GET YOU INTO COLLEGE,
by
Amy Burnham, Daniel Kaufman, and Chris Dowhan.
Copyright 1998 by Dan Kaufman.
Reprinted by arrangement with Barron's Educational Series,
Inc.
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