how to end a essay letter

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How to Conclude an Essay (with Examples)

Last Updated: April 3, 2023 Fact Checked

Writing a Strong Conclusion

What to avoid, brainstorming tricks.

This article was co-authored by Jake Adams and by wikiHow staff writer, Aly Rusciano . Jake Adams is an academic tutor and the owner of Simplifi EDU, a Santa Monica, California based online tutoring business offering learning resources and online tutors for academic subjects K-College, SAT & ACT prep, and college admissions applications. With over 14 years of professional tutoring experience, Jake is dedicated to providing his clients the very best online tutoring experience and access to a network of excellent undergraduate and graduate-level tutors from top colleges all over the nation. Jake holds a BS in International Business and Marketing from Pepperdine University. There are 8 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 3,205,157 times.

So, you’ve written an outstanding essay and couldn’t be more proud. But now you have to write the final paragraph. The conclusion simply summarizes what you’ve already written, right? Well, not exactly. Your essay’s conclusion should be a bit more finessed than that. Luckily, you’ve come to the perfect place to learn how to write a conclusion. We’ve put together this guide to fill you in on everything you should and shouldn’t do when ending an essay. Follow our advice, and you’ll have a stellar conclusion worthy of an A+ in no time.

Things You Should Know

• Rephrase your thesis to include in your final paragraph to bring the essay full circle.
• End your essay with a call to action, warning, or image to make your argument meaningful.
• Keep your conclusion concise and to the point, so you don’t lose a reader’s attention.
• Do your best to avoid adding new information to your conclusion and only emphasize points you’ve already made in your essay.

• “All in all”
• “Ultimately”
• “Furthermore”
• “As a consequence”
• “As a result”

• Make sure to write your main points in a new and unique way to avoid repetition.

• Let’s say this is your original thesis statement: “Allowing students to visit the library during lunch improves campus life and supports academic achievement.”
• Restating your thesis for your conclusion could look like this: “Evidence shows students who have access to their school’s library during lunch check out more books and are more likely to complete their homework.”
• The restated thesis has the same sentiment as the original while also summarizing other points of the essay.

• “When you use plastic water bottles, you pollute the ocean. Switch to using a glass or metal water bottle instead. The planet and sea turtles will thank you.”
• “The average person spends roughly 7 hours on their phone a day, so there’s no wonder cybersickness is plaguing all generations.”
• “Imagine walking on the beach, except the soft sand is made up of cigarette butts. They burn your feet but keep washing in with the tide. If we don’t clean up the ocean, this will be our reality.”
• “ Lost is not only a show that changed the course of television, but it’s also a reflection of humanity as a whole.”
• “If action isn’t taken to end climate change today, the global temperature will dangerously rise from 4.5 to 8 °F (−15.3 to −13.3 °C) by 2100.”

• Focus on your essay's most prevalent or important parts. What key points do you want readers to take away or remember about your essay?

• For instance, instead of writing, “That’s why I think that Abraham Lincoln was the best American President,” write, “That’s why Abraham Lincoln was the best American President.”
• There’s no room for ifs, ands, or buts—your opinion matters and doesn’t need to be apologized for!

• For instance, words like “firstly,” “secondly,” and “thirdly” may be great transition statements for body paragraphs but are unnecessary in a conclusion.

• For instance, say you began your essay with the idea that humanity’s small sense of sense stems from space’s vast size. Try returning to this idea in the conclusion by emphasizing that as human knowledge grows, space becomes smaller.

• For example, you could extend an essay on the television show Orange is the New Black by bringing up the culture of imprisonment in America.

Community Q&A

• Always review your essay after writing it for proper grammar, spelling, and punctuation, and don’t be afraid to revise. Thanks Helpful 2 Not Helpful 1
• Ask a friend, family member, or teacher for help if you’re stuck. Sometimes a second opinion is all you need. Thanks Helpful 2 Not Helpful 1

You Might Also Like

• ↑ https://www.uts.edu.au/current-students/support/helps/self-help-resources/grammar/transition-signals
• ↑ https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/general_writing/common_writing_assignments/argument_papers/conclusions.html
• ↑ http://writing2.richmond.edu/writing/wweb/conclude.html
• ↑ https://writingcenter.fas.harvard.edu/pages/ending-essay-conclusions
• ↑ https://www.pittsfordschools.org/site/handlers/filedownload.ashx?moduleinstanceid=542&dataid=4677&FileName=conclusions1.pdf
• ↑ https://www.cuyamaca.edu/student-support/tutoring-center/files/student-resources/how-to-write-a-good-conclusion.pdf
• ↑ https://library.sacredheart.edu/c.php?g=29803&p=185935

About This Article

To end an essay, start your conclusion with a phrase that makes it clear your essay is coming to a close, like "In summary," or "All things considered." Then, use a few sentences to briefly summarize the main points of your essay by rephrasing the topic sentences of your body paragraphs. Finally, end your conclusion with a call to action that encourages your readers to do something or learn more about your topic. In general, try to keep your conclusion between 5 and 7 sentences long. For more tips from our English co-author, like how to avoid common pitfalls when writing an essay conclusion, scroll down! Did this summary help you? Yes No

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How to End a Letter: 12 Useful Farewell Phrases

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Don't know How to End Your Letter?

It seems as if ending a letter should be the easiest part. After all, the content has already been planned and written; only a handful of words need to be added.

You probably know that you shouldn't end a letter to your mom the same way you'd end one to your boss. However, it might still be unclear what the best word choice is for each situation. What's the difference, for instance, between  sincerely  and  yours truly ? Is there any difference?

Each different phrase has subtle connotations attached to it that can shape your recipient's reaction. To understand how to end a letter, look at the following 12 farewell phrases and the situations in which they should be used.

Additionally, if you're ever uncertain about the content of your letter or simply want someone neutral to take a look at it, you can always consider submitting your letter to a professional editor for editing or proofreading . They can help you avoid embarrassing errors. 

1. Sincerely

Sincerely (or sincerely yours ) is often the go-to sign off for formal letters, and with good reason. This ending restates the sincerity of your letter's intent; it is a safe choice if you are not overly familiar with the letter's recipient, as it's preferable to use a sign-off that is both common and formal in such a situation.

Ending your letter with best , all the best , all best , or best wishes indicates that you hope the recipient experiences only good things in the future. Although it is not quite as formal as sincerely , it is still acceptable as a polite, formal/semi-formal letter ending, proper for business contacts as well as friends. 

3. Best regards

Quite like the previous sign-off, best regards expresses that you are thinking of the recipient with the best of feelings and intentions. Despite its similarity to best , this sign-off is a little more formal, meant for business letters and unfamiliar contacts. A semi-formal variation is warm regards , and an even more formal variation is simply regards .

4. Speak to you soon

Variations to this farewell phrase include see you soon , talk to you later , and looking forward to speaking with you soon . These sign-offs indicate that you are expecting to continue the conversation with your contact. It can be an effective ending to a letter or email when confirming or planning a specific date for a face-to-face meeting.

Although these endings can be used in either formal or casual settings, they typically carry a more formal tone. The exception here is talk to you later , which errs on the more casual side.

This is an effective ending to a letter when you are sincerely expressing gratitude. If you are using it as your standard letter ending, however, it can fall flat; the reader will be confused if there is no reason for you to be thanking them. Try to use thanks (or variations such as thanks so much , thank you , or thanks! ) and its variations only when you think you haven't expressed your gratitude enough; otherwise, it can come across as excessive.

Furthermore, when you're issuing an order,  thanks  might not be the best sign-off because it can seem presumptuous to offer thanks before the task has even been accepted or begun.

6. [No sign-off]

Having no sign-off for your letter is a little unusual, but it is acceptable in some cases. Omitting the sign-off is most appropriately used in cases where you are replying to an email chain. However, in a first email, including neither a sign-off nor your name will make your letter seem to end abruptly. It should be avoided in those situations or when you are not very familiar with the receiver.

7. Yours truly

This is where the line between formal and informal begins to blur. Yours truly implies the integrity of the message that precedes your name, but it also implies that you are devoted to the recipient in some way (e.g., your friend or, as a more antiquated example, your servant ).

This ending can be used in various situations, when writing letters to people both familiar and unfamiliar to you; however, yours truly carries a more casual and familiar tone, making it most appropriate for your friends and family. It's best used when you want to emphasize that you mean the contents of your letter.

8. Take care

Take care is also a semi-formal way to end your letter. Like the sign-off all the best , this ending wishes that no harm come to the reader; however, like ending your letter with yours truly , the word choice is less formal and implies that the writer is at least somewhat familiar with the reader.

9. Your friend

Though it may seem obvious, ending a letter in this way is informal, and, as the sign-off itself states, is to be used only when writing to your friend.

Cheers is a lighthearted ending that expresses your best wishes for the reader. Due to its association with drinking alcohol, it's best to save this sign-off for cases where you are familiar with the reader and when the tone is optimistic and casual. Also note that because cheers is associated with British English, it may seem odd to readers who speak other styles of English and are not very familiar with the term.

11. With love

This ending (or the even simpler variation, love ) signals a familiar and intimate relationship with the reader. In other words, this sign-off should be used only in letters and emails to people with whom you are very familiar.

Because this sign-off signifies "hugs and kisses," it's probably best that you reserve it for letters addressed to those closest to you. It's definitely not meant for the bottom of your cover letter !

How to End a Letter: Sign-offs and Signatures

Of course, there is more to understanding how to end a letter than just the sign-offs. You might be wondering how to punctuate your sign-off, what to include in your signature, or what P.S. stands for at the end of a letter or email.

Punctuating Farewell Phrases

When writing your sign-off, it's important to remember to use proper capitalization and punctuation.

Only the first word should be capitalized (e.g.,  Yours truly ), and the sign-off should be followed by a comma (or an exclamation mark in some informal settings), not a period. Here are a few examples:

• Yours truly,
• Best regards,

Email Signatures

With emails, you have the option of creating a standard signature. Your signature will appear at the bottom of each of your emails. Ideally, it will make clear who you are and what your contact information is. For example, you may want to include the title of your position, or your degree(s), after a comma in the same line as your name:

Leslie Knope, Deputy Director of the Department of Parks and Recreation

In addition to including your phone number(s) and email address, consider adding the street address of your office. Reflect on the value of linking to your social media profiles (provided they are maintained with your professional life in mind).

If you are considering adding a signature to your personal email, which might be used for both business and personal communications, deciding what needs to be added is a little more complicated. Once again, include your necessary contact information, but only include information you think your recipient will need. After all, you don't want to overwhelm your reader with information.

Postscripts

A P.S. (or postscript ) comes after your sign-off and name. It is meant to include material that is supplementary, subordinated, or not vital to your letter. It is best to avoid postscripts in formal writing, as the information may go unnoticed or ignored; in those cases, try to include all information in the body text of the letter.

In casual and personal correspondences, a postscript is generally acceptable. However, try to limit it to include only humorous or unnecessary material.

So with these letter-ending techniques explained and your letter-ending vocabulary boosted, finishing your next letter or email should be no problem!

Image source: Freddy Castro/Unsplash.com

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5 Examples of Concluding Words for Essays

4-minute read

• 19th September 2022

If you’re a student writing an essay or research paper, it’s important to make sure your points flow together well. You’ll want to use connecting words (known formally as transition signals) to do this. Transition signals like thus , also , and furthermore link different ideas, and when you get to the end of your work, you need to use these to mark your conclusion. Read on to learn more about transition signals and how to use them to conclude your essays.

Transition Signals

Transition signals link sentences together cohesively, enabling easy reading and comprehension. They are usually placed at the beginning of a sentence and separated from the remaining words with a comma. There are several types of transition signals, including those to:

●  show the order of a sequence of events (e.g., first, then, next)

●  introduce an example (e.g., specifically, for instance)

●  indicate a contrasting idea (e.g., but, however, although)

●  present an additional idea (e.g., also, in addition, plus)

●  indicate time (e.g., beforehand, meanwhile, later)

●  compare (e.g., likewise, similarly)

●  show cause and effect (e.g., thus, as a result)

●  mark the conclusion – which we’ll focus on in this guide.

When you reach the end of an essay, you should start the concluding paragraph with a transition signal that acts as a bridge to the summary of your key points. Check out some concluding transition signals below and learn how you can use them in your writing.

To Conclude…

This is a particularly versatile closing statement that can be used for almost any kind of essay, including both formal and informal academic writing. It signals to the reader that you will briefly restate the main idea. As an alternative, you can begin the summary with “to close” or “in conclusion.” In an argumentative piece, you can use this phrase to indicate a call to action or opinion:

To conclude, Abraham Lincoln was the best president because he abolished slavery.

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As Has Been Demonstrated…

To describe how the evidence presented in your essay supports your argument or main idea, begin the concluding paragraph with “as has been demonstrated.” This phrase is best used for research papers or articles with heavy empirical or statistical evidence.

As has been demonstrated by the study presented above, human activities are negatively altering the climate system.

The Above Points Illustrate…

As another transitional phrase for formal or academic work, “the above points illustrate” indicates that you are reiterating your argument and that the conclusion will include an assessment of the evidence you’ve presented.

The above points illustrate that children prefer chocolate over broccoli.

In a Nutshell…

A simple and informal metaphor to begin a conclusion, “in a nutshell” prepares the reader for a summary of your paper. It can work in narratives and speeches but should be avoided in formal situations.

In a nutshell, the Beatles had an impact on musicians for generations to come.

Overall, It Can Be Said…

To recap an idea at the end of a critical or descriptive essay, you can use this phrase at the beginning of the concluding paragraph. “Overall” means “taking everything into account,” and it sums up your essay in a formal way. You can use “overall” on its own as a transition signal, or you can use it as part of a phrase.

Overall, it can be said that art has had a positive impact on humanity.

Proofreading and Editing

Transition signals are crucial to crafting a well-written and cohesive essay. For your next writing assignment, make sure you include plenty of transition signals, and check out this post for more tips on how to improve your writing. And before you turn in your paper, don’t forget to have someone proofread your work. Our expert editors will make sure your essay includes all the transition signals necessary for your writing to flow seamlessly. Send in a free 500-word sample today!

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College Reality Check

How to Close a College Essay (With 10 Examples)

Writing a conclusion can be quite difficult because, often, it can be challenging to look for something useful or interesting to say at the end of the piece.

And even though there are easy formulas for writing conclusions, which, the school adds, can be tempting to use, it’s usually best to refrain from relying on them as they do not allow you to end your composition with a bang.

As someone who is about to write a college essay, it’s definitely a good idea to steer clear of any of those!

What you will submit together with your college application can spell the difference between going to your top-choice school and attending a second- or third-choice school.

Needless to say, it’s just as vital to carefully think about how you will jump-start your college essay as how you will wrap it up with a strong and winning conclusion .

Terrified that the conclusion you have in mind might bring your entire college application essay down and flush any admission chances to your dream school down the drain?

Below, I will give you some strategies on how to close your written submission successfully.

But first, let’s talk about this very important matter every college-bound teen, especially one whose goal is to get admitted to a selective institution of higher education, needs to know before writing a college essay…

Three Worst Options to Close a College Essay

There are numerous ways to wrap up a college essay in a way that could make those hard-to-please admissions officers reckon that you would make for a wonderful addition to the campus.

But then on the other hand, there are also things you may mistakenly commit that can weaken your application and even cause a rejection letter to be sent your way.

Needless to say, you should avoid them at all costs if getting denied is not an option!

A terrible concluding paragraph can wreak havoc on your essay no matter how flawlessly and impressively written the introduction and main body are — a single problematic part is all it takes to ruin everything.

Therefore, other than having a clear idea of how any college application essay is best closed in exchange for good news when college admissions decision time comes, it’s also a must for you to be acquainted with conclusions that are absolute no-nos.

And, of course, other than being familiar with them, you should make sure that none of them will mar your college essay.

Here are some endings to dodge whatever happens:

1. Giving a summary

When it comes to writing either an academic essay or a research paper, there’s a rule that everyone should abide by without any hesitation or doubt: the conclusion should briefly talk about the key points or arguments.

So, in other words, the written piece should end with a summarization, which is why it’s referred to as a concluding summary.

The addition of any new information or idea is considered unthinkable, although a synthesis of some of the most important matters included in the composition is welcome and, in most instances, expected.

However, it’s a completely different story if what’s being written is a college essay.

If the goal is to make sure that your college essay won’t take away from the strength of your application, refrain from restating just about everything you talked about briefly in the concluding paragraph.

Not only is it redundant and, therefore, completely unnecessary but also makes it appear as though you ran out of ideas before bringing the piece to a full stop.

A college application essay can be as short as 250 words to as long as 600 words — ending yours with a brief summary might look like you just want to meet the word count requirement, which is not the only thing that admissions officers want.

And speaking of whom, giving a summary at the end of your college essay could come across as you saying:

The admissions committee member who will read my essay might fail to completely get the point of my composition because of its complexity and innovativeness, so I should summarize it to make sure that he or she will understand everything.

Again, here’s what I’ve been trying to tell you all this time, which means that I am totally banking on my ability to correctly solve practically any mathematical problem there is to have a successful career as an aerospace engineer one day.

2. Using cliché transitions

First things first: no cliché should make it to your college essay or any other written piece you will write from hereon. The use of a cliché immediately extends the fact that you lack originality and, worse, sincerity as a writer.

Definitely, you don’t want your college essay to be interchangeable with someone else’s.

And that is why ending yours with something that starts with a trite transition, most especially as a way to restate everything you have talked about, is prohibited.

College admissions officers have laid their eyes on some of the most original personal compositions of junior and senior high schoolers, and it’s effortless for them to catch clichés.

In conclusion or in essence — needless to say, using such a hackneyed phrase is a disaster as it’s both resorting to the use of a cliché as well as committing one of the mortal sins of concluding a college essay, which is summarizing.

The following are some examples of cliché transitions that lead to a summary to steer clear of:

• All things considered
• As has been demonstrated
• In a nutshell
• In summation
• On a final note
• To conclude
• To make a long story short/long story short
• To put it briefly
• To wrap things up
• When all is said and done

It’s important to note that a good essay, including a college essay, uses transitions between paragraphs to maintain a logical and smooth flow of the written piece.

Without them, your submission may make it hard for the reader to get from one point to the other.

It’s not that college admissions officers are dense — it’s just that your college essay’s paragraphs are disjointed.

Found yourself in a rut and feel that starting your conclusion with a cliché transition is the way to go?

Proceed with drafting the concluding paragraph. Once you’re through, scrap the trite word or phrase you opened your conclusion with as well as the rest of the sentence and see how that works.

3. Stating hopes of acceptance

It’s no secret that you submitted a college application essay because it’s one of the various admissions requirements. And it’s no secret, too, that you completed all admissions requirements because you wanted to get accepted.

Therefore, expressing your hopes of receiving an offer to enroll is stating the obvious.

As mentioned earlier, high school teens gearing up for their postsecondary education careers are usually limited to 250 to 600 words when writing a college essay.

Needless to say, ending your composition with an entire paragraph devoted to how much you want to attend the institution is a complete waste of precious space.

Because you can submit a college essay containing only as many words, it’s of utmost importance to make the most out of the opportunity to be able to flex your thoughts, creativity, originality and superb writing skills.

There is no point squandering the word limit by your college essay’s conclusion coming across as saying:

I would really appreciate it if you could add my college application to the pile of accepted applications because I have been dreaming of earning an undergraduate degree from University X since time immemorial.

There’s nothing wrong with associating the college career you have envisioned for yourself with what you talked about in your college essay. However, there is no need to explicitly mention it or, worse, beg to be admitted to the institution.

But it’s not just the obvious fact that you want to get accepted that you should avoid mentioning.

Instead of ending with a high note, your college application might exit with a whimper if, for example, you highlighted a number of your personal skills and strengths and unique experiences and then concluding everything with something like:

Clearly, I am a hardworking individual.

It’s apparent that I would make for a great engineer because of my math skills.

5 Winning Ways to Wrap Up a College Essay

There are many different ways to ruin a perfectly remarkable college application essay with a mediocre or appalling conclusion.

It’s a good thing that there are also numerous ways to turn your written composition from one good essay into a one-of-a-kind essay with the right concluding paragraph — all you have to do is choose from some recommended ones.

You are not going to have a shortage of options when it comes to closing a college essay the right way.

Because some are simply better than the rest, which, it goes without saying, could help you ace the admissions review process, it’s important that you decide on something that suits your writing style and personality, too.

See which of these strategies in ending a college essay can give you that a-ha moment:

1. Going back to where you began

Some people call it full circling. Others refer to it as bookending.

No matter the name, one thing remains true: this particular style of closing a college application essay involves seamlessly tying the conclusion to the introduction by reintroducing a word, phrase, individual or the point of the opening paragraph.

What’s really nice about opting for this approach is that it allows you to hem your composition.

Of course, to be effective, the main body of your college essay should veer away from the introduction, to the point of making sure that the readers almost forget what you just talked about at the onset, only to suddenly remind it of them in the end.

When executed correctly, this style can give your written submission a satisfying and self-contained appeal to it.

Suppose that you opened your college essay talking about how a large rock fell on and fractured your leg in 3rd grade. A great ending to it using this particular approach would look something like this:

A rock may once have crushed my legs, causing me to spend a fraction of my childhood donning a leg cast, but, in high school, I established a rock band — and we crushed every gig on and off campus!

2. Peeking into the future

Any essay ending on a positive or hopeful note can always put a smile on the reader’s face.

Needless to say, a concluding paragraph that talks about a bright future ahead allows you to highlight your academic and career goals, giving the audience a much better idea of what sort of college student and professional you could be.

While you should refrain from ending your college application essay by talking about how much it would mean the world to you to get accepted to your dream school, you can make college admissions officers realize you’d make for a wonderful addition to the campus without blatantly doing so by mentioning your hopes and dreams.

Just take a look at this conclusion to an essay of a student applying to a college specializing in engineering:

I can’t wait to see the very first rocket ship I helped design blast off from earth, exposing the crew to the lowest G forces possible for I, as a terrible roller coaster rider, cannot stand high accelerations on the body myself.

3. Ending things with an action

As far as concluding your college application essay with an action goes, the sweeter and shorter, as a general rule of thumb, the better. But it’s also important to wrap things up at the critical moment: right after your piece’s high point.

Making admissions officers wish it hadn’t ended so soon is the main goal.

With them wanting more, they won’t be able to stop thinking about you.

And if you’re still in their mind long after they have taken a look at your application and the rest of the supporting documents, it’s not unlikely for them to want to see you on the campus instead of allow another institution to welcome you.

Here’s an example of ending your college essay with an action that can cause the reader to want more:

After taking a deep breath, I approached the lectern to the thundering applause of the audience.

4. Leaving with a dialogue

Talking about things you have personally experienced and lessons you have arduously learned in your college application essay is always nice.

After all, your piece is something that gives admissions officers a different perspective of you, as a teener who is preparing to work on an undergraduate degree, beyond your GPA, standardized test scores and extracurricular activities.

Just like what was mentioned earlier, summarizing is off-limits when it comes to concluding a college essay .

But there’s a nifty way to reiterate the main point of your composition without simply giving a recap of everything you have cited from the very beginning. And it’s by ending your college application essay with a dialogue.

In most instances, the shorter and crisper the dialogue, the better the effect. It’s like abruptly ending your submission, too.

However, closing yours with words spoken to someone keeps the reader from having to do the guesswork since your point is implied, anyway, which is a textbook connect-the-dots scenario.

Planning on highlighting in your college application essay the fact that you developed a sense of social responsibility? Here’s how you can close it without merely giving a summary:

“I will talk to you later,” I said to my best friend on the phone. “I’m currently on my way to help feed the hungry.”

5. Revealing the central idea

It’s true that the introduction is meant to give the reader an idea of the topic of the essay as well as the various points that will be made about it.

But because a college application is no ordinary essay, there are instances when your composition can make a bigger impact if you save your main point until the very end.

Execute it correctly and you can keep admissions officers gluttonously devouring the intro and main body of your personal essay until they get to the concluding paragraph, which, hopefully, would end in you getting an acceptance letter.

Needless to say, you will have to hold back what you are trying to say long enough.

But the biggest challenge that comes with disclosing the central idea last is keeping the readers engaged and interested adequately for them to keep reading until they reach the end and learn what you have been trying to say all this time.

Failure to do so may leave admissions officers eagerly wanting to reach for another application essay that would make more sense.

Giving snapshots of how you shopped for your first bicycle with your dad in 2nd grade, how you first cannonballed in the water at Bandemer Park in Ann Arbor, Michigan and how you founded a running club in your high school could end in this:

By the time I earn a bachelor’s degree in sports science, hopefully, I have also run my very first Ironman Triathlon, which would serve as an homage to some of the most important and memorable moments of my life thus far.

Read Next: How to Start a Compelling Essay About Yourself

Independent Education Consultant, Editor-in-chief. I have a graduate degree in Electrical Engineering and training in College Counseling. Member of American School Counselor Association (ASCA).

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• Applying For Scholarships

How to End a Scholarship Essay

David Dec 3, 2018

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You are so close to the end. Your hard work of studying, finding scholarships and applying to them is almost completely behind you. At this point, you may have written most of your scholarship essay.

(If you’re still struggling to start, head over here first ) when you realize, you don’t know how to end a scholarship essay. Well, no fears! We are here with some great tips for writing an awesome conclusion that will help you win the scholarship of your dreams.

How To Write the Conclusion

Your conclusion needs to give the judges the last impression of who you are. It should leave them remembering you.

Your conclusion should do these three things:

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• Wrap up your story by summing up your main points
• Clarify your thesis in a new and fresh way
• Answer the question: Why is all this important?

This is where you need to answer, why does all this matter to you? What are your hopes for the future? Where do you see yourself in a few years? This is the place to share them. Find a way to connect to your original story that you started your essay with.

A conclusion is a good place for you to explain how the scholarship will help you reach your goals. Share how you plan to use the life lesson from your essay in your future plans, to meet goals or dreams.

Remember, up until now your essay was about your past. The conclusion is your chance to bring the judge back to your present and talk about the future.

For example, if you started your essay by sharing a specific experience… You can conclude the essay by explaining how that experience will impact you in the future.

Scholarship committees have thousands of students to choose from. They want to make sure that the students they choose will get the most out of winning the scholarships.

Ideas On How to End a Scholarship Essay

• End the conclusion with dialogue- this could be words of admiration from a character in the story such as a mentor, parents, or teacher.
• Action- Leave the essay open-ended so that the reader thinks about you. For example, “I put on my jacket and stepped outside confidently.”
• End the conclusion with a description: “The sun began to peak out from the clouds, sending rays of orange and red throughout the sky, warming my face and brightening up the world.”

Finally, don’t forget to revise your paper as well as have family or a teacher also revise it . Revision is necessary to a successful paper. Make sure that you have not left any questions unanswered in your essay. If so, your conclusion is a good place to answer those questions.

Conclusion Example:

Well, I can’t promise that I’m going to find a cure for cancer or the AIDS virus, but, I know one thing is true. The way my eyes would brighten up when we sang that song is the same way they brighten up when I think about my future. While I may not find the cure for fatal illnesses, I know that my passion for the field will defeat any hurdle that stands in my way and that I am going to do everything to be the best doctor that I can be.

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David Tabachnikov is the CEO of ScholarshipOwl. Formerly at Waze and Google, David is an experienced CTO/R&D manager with over 10 years of experience of leading tech teams. David fervently believes that students should have greater access to education, and is passionate about using technology to help them achieve that goal.

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Free PDF: The 4 questions every SOP must answer → Master’s or PhD

How to End a Statement of Purpose (4 Things Brilliant Applicants Do)

• By Jordan Dotson
• Updated: April 22, 2024

As anyone who’s ever watched Game of Thrones knows, a bad ending can ruin everything. A decade of work, gone down the drain. Where once you were filled with hope and excitement, now you have a nasty taste in your mouth. Know that feeling? Well, so does every grad school admissions reader, because there’s little as disappointing as an SOP with an…awkward…conclusion. They’re just so much easier to reject . But you can avoid this problem. You can revel in stacks of hard-earned admissions letters as long as you follow the timeless rules of writing. Let’s learn how to end a statement of purpose properly, and so transform your Dream School into your biggest fan.

Table of Contents

Cheat Sheet: How to End a Statement of Purpose for Grad School

Brief reference to your introduction story, restate your “sentence of purpose”, reaffirm your desire to study at dream university, optional: career goals statement, two amazing examples of how to end a statement of purpose, how to write a statement of purpose conclusion (if you want to get rejected), never say “thank you” in a statement of purpose conclusion, conclusion on sop conclusions.

An excellent statement of purpose conclusion will include 3 sentences (with an optional 4th if you’re super ambitious):

• A brief reference to your Introduction Story
• A restatement of your “Sentence of Purpose”
• A reaffirmation of your desire to study at Dream University
• OPTIONAL: A “Career Goals Statement”

Each of these elements will connect, in some way, to your introduction. Thus, they’ll create a sense of circularity. The ending will actually feel like an ending, and the reader will walk away feeling excited and hopeful about your future.

Let’s examine these sentences one-by-one!

If you’ve wisely followed our free SOP Starter Kits (for Master’s and PhD applicants), then you already know that the most successful SOPs start with an open-ended story…and conclude that story in the final paragraph.

Consider this Public Health PhD statement of purpose (7 applications, 5 admits!). It begins with the story of a tragic news headline directly related to her proposed research:

“The headlines kept me awake late into a weekday night: six Asian women shot dead in Georgia…”

Then, in the conclusion, it reminds us of this story with a single sentence:

“It shouldn’t take a once-in-a-lifetime tragedy and temporary media buzz to spotlight these overlooked groups when my peers and I have been grappling with racism and acculturation for as long as we can remember.”

Likewise, when you’re contemplating how to end your statement of purpose, try to take us back to the beginning. Use some tiny bit of language to remind the reader how your intellectual journey started. Thus, you’ll give us a powerful sense of completion, of harmony, of circularity, as well as the feeling that you’re a great writer!

Get Your Free SOP Starter Kit

Learn the exact steps to writing an intelligent, persuasive SOP that earns multiple admissions! These guides will leave you feeling super confident and ready to hit “submit.”

Your essay has a thesis statement, right?

I sure hope so, because your thesis—your “sentence of purpose”—is the #1 most important sentence in your SOP . It explains your goals with boldness and clarity. Here’s a beautiful example:

“This is why I apply to Gotham University today: to learn to disentangle data, construct valid inferences, and design clinical trials which apply statistical methods for improved cancer-screening tests and treatments.”

Your conclusion should recycle and paraphrase this statement. These are your all-important goals, after all! When your reader reaches the end of your essay, you want those goals to be blazing in their mind. For example:

“For all these reasons, I feel certain that Gotham will be a vital step toward achieving my goal of designing clinical trials for improved cancer-screening tests and treatments”

Notice how easy it is to understand this applicant’s goals? We don’t even need to read the rest of the essay. We know exactly what she wants to achieve: to design clinical trials for improved cancer screening. By stating this with confidence, she, in turn,  gives us confidence in her .

That’s a pretty powerful effect!

This part is easy. Tell them you’re going to work hard. Tell them you’d be honored to get admitted. Tell them you’re certain that this school will help you achieve you goals. Don’t splatter them with awkward flattery (read on below to find out why this is a bad idea). But do be honest and convey that you really really want to go to this school!

“If given the opportunity to enroll, I am confident I have the capability, tenacity, and enthusiasm to thrive in this program and unfold this new chapter in my life-long intellectual journey to understand the uniqueness of what it means to be human.”

Don’t feel like you have to write something so effusive, however. Simplicity and clarity are always welcome! An excellent statement of purpose could just as well end this way:

“If given the opportunity to enroll, I am confident that Stanford University will help me achieve these goals.”

In 1-2 sentences, explain your career goals after graduation. If you’re a PhD applicant, or have truly ambitious goals, you might write two sentences explaining both your short-term and long-term career aspirations. It could look something like this:

“Upon graduation, I hope to attain a _____ role in a company like _____ or _____, both of whom are currently developing fascinating new ______ solutions applicable to the _____ industry.”

This quick guide explains in detail how to craft these oh-so-important statements (you should always include one in your SOP somewhere ). Once again, they ensure that your admissions reader remembers exactly which big goals you’re chasing in their graduate program. As long as those goals align with their goals , they won’t even have to wonder if you’re their ideal student. They’ll already know. You’ll already have made that clear.

Where To Place These 4 Elements in your SOP Conclusion

Anywhere you like!

Honestly, as long as you include 3-4 of these elements, your statement of purpose conclusion will be strong. It’s really up to you and your own writing style. In the examples below, you’ll see how two insanely successful applicants structured the end of their SOPs. They both give you a great template to follow.

PhD Mechanical Engineering/Robotics

• Reference to the Introduction Story
• Restatement of “Sentence of Purpose”
• Career Goals Statement
• Affirmation of desire to study at Dream University

Statement of Purpose Conclusion:

Developing a blueberry-sensing AGV from idea to mass deployment has been a rewarding learning experience. 1 It has given me a taste of the excitement and fulfillment that comes from directing novel engineering investigations, and diving deeply into learning new techniques, frameworks, and tools. It has also opened my eyes to the fact that a PhD is the perfect environment for me to grow my research skills, help innovate the field of robotics, achieve my long-term goal of advancing automated manufacturing, and bring environmentally-friendly technology to the forefront of the industry. 2 After graduate study, I hope to start or join an early-stage start-up 3 and lead from a deeply technical point of view; the analytical research mindset, technical knowledge, and academic connections from a Mechanical Engineering PhD from Gotham will be invaluable towards this goal. 4

Master’s Education/Psychology

Now, having broken free from the “troubled student” label and discovered my own academic passion, 1 I am determined to develop intellectual tools to help similar students in Chinese high schools through methodologies based on cognitive dissonance 2 . I aim to accomplish this goal through intensive study of developmental psychology and motivation, and hopefully by working closely with professors Edward Nygma, Selina Kyle, and Viktor Fries. My broad academic and research background in economics and psychology ensure my compatibility with the Human Development and Education program, and I believe that pursuing an Ed.M. at Gotham will fully prepare me to effect real change for students in China and beyond 3 .

There are two incredibly common mistakes applicants make when concluding their SOPs:

Problem #1: Waiting Too Long to Explain “Why This School”

This problem is particularly annoying—it’s the problem that inspired the creation of WriteIvy! Every year, thousands of applicants submit boring SOPs that read like long autobiographies. Then, they add little awkward paragraphs—at the very end—that explain why they love Dream University.

In the olden days of the 80s and 90s, this was all you had to do to get admitted. There weren’t many applicants. It wasn’t nearly as competitive. Frankly, everyone submitted these trash essays, and as long as their credentials were solid, they’d got accepted. I call these “Boomer Essays.”

Today, graduate admissions is MUCH more competitive.

The best applicants don’t write this way anymore. The best applicants make a huge effort to write statements of purpose that follow the timeless lessons of rhetoric and the lost art of persuasion . They know good writing is the key to getting admitted.

In fact, many faculty consider this type of essay—with the “why us” portion tacked on at the end—worthy of immediate rejection:

“It’s a kiss of death when I read a personal essay that describes an applicant’s life-long goal of serving humankind and has a paragraph tacked on to the end that “personalizes” the essay for the particular school to which it was sent.”

Who would you accept? The smart young scientist who writes like a genius? Or the smart young scientist who writes like an impatient, thoughtless, disgruntled Boomer?

Luckily, fixing this is easy: follow the SOP Starter Kits! (Conveniently available here for Master’s and PhD applicants.)

Problem #2: Empty, Vapid Flattery

Everybody loves flattery…as long as they respect the person giving it.

If an MIT professor tells you you’re brilliant, whoa, you’re flattered! That means you’re really smart! If a snot-nosed 6-year old tells you you’re brilliant, however…well it’s cute and it makes you smile, but you know it doesn’t really mean you’re smart. It just means you’re smarter than a 6-year old.

Much the same, universities don’t care when a snot-nosed bachelor’s graduate—one who’s never once set foot on their campus—tells them how wonderful they are. How would you know? What qualifications do you have to claim that they’re a “world-class institution”? Are you an authority on world-class universities? Or do you just blindly repeat everything you read in U.S. News and World Report ?

Thus, never include any kind of general flattery or unfounded compliments in your statement of purpose conclusion. It only makes you look snot-nosed.

Flattery to Avoid

World-class facilities!

Esteemed faculty!

This prestigious program!

Internationally renowned professors!

…in fact, if you just stay away from the words “world-class,” “esteemed,” and “renowned,” you’ll probably be alright.

An essay is not a letter. Repeat that to yourself a few times: An essay is not a letter .

essay [noun] a short literary composition on a particular theme or subject, usually in prose and generally analytic, speculative, or interpretative.

letter [noun] a written or printed communication addressed to a person or organization and usually transmitted by mail.

There are some schools (mostly in Europe) who refer to their application essays as “letters of intent.” For those guys, you can feel free to write a nice letter and sign it “Thank you so much and with all love and care from your desperate applicant, Bob.” For everyone else: write an essay.

Essays are not addressed to individual people. They’re carefully crafted arguments that are equally applicable to anyone who might read them. By saying “thank you” in a statement of purpose, you signal (even if subconsciously) that you don’t fully understand the nature of the document you’re writing.

Would you say “thank you for reading” at the end of a research paper?

No, of course not.

Keep that same professional attitude when you end your statement of purpose.

The end of your essay should never be awkward. It should never—like Game of Thrones—leave the audience scratching their chins and wondering, “ Wait, is that really it? ” Luckily, this is easy to avoid if just make sure to include 3-4 of these sentences:

Then, make sure NOT to do these 3 things:

• Don’t wait until the last paragraph to describe why you want to study at Dream University;
• Don’t fill the conclusion paragraph with empty, vapid flattery;
• Don’t say “thank you,” as if your essay were a letter.

Follow those rules, follow the SOP Starter Kits, and you’ll all but guarantee the admissions reader smiles when she reaches the end of your statement of purpose. She’ll walk away glowing and muttering to herself:

“Man, that essay was really great. Now THIS is a student I want to see in my class.”

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How to End a Scholarship Essay in Five Steps

Gabriel Jimenez-Ekman is a content editor and writer at Scholarships360. He has managed communications and written content for a diverse array of organizations, including a farmer’s market, a concert venue, a student farm, an environmental NGO, and a PR agency. Gabriel graduated from Kenyon College with a degree in sociology.

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Maria Geiger is Director of Content at Scholarships360. She is a former online educational technology instructor and adjunct writing instructor. In addition to education reform, Maria’s interests include viewpoint diversity, blended/flipped learning, digital communication, and integrating media/web tools into the curriculum to better facilitate student engagement. Maria earned both a B.A. and an M.A. in English Literature from Monmouth University, an M. Ed. in Education from Monmouth University, and a Virtual Online Teaching Certificate (VOLT) from the University of Pennsylvania.

The end of a scholarship essay is one of the most important sections for writing a winning scholarship essay . It’s the part of the essay that leaves an impression on the reader, giving you the best chance of standing out from the other applications. This guide will show you how to end a scholarship essay in five steps, allowing you to close in the most effective and succinct way!

1. Recall your introduction

You can view your conclusion as a companion to your introduction. While an introduction provides a quick survey of the main points you’ll go over in your body paragraphs, a conclusion takes all of these points to the next level by tying them altogether in a concise and full circle manner. You don’t need to restate everything you just said, the conclusion should instead show how all those points you just made come together to form one larger idea. 

2. Build on past points, don’t repeat them

Again, your conclusion should focus on elevating the points you have made throughout the essay rather than restating them. At this point in the essay, you can assume that your reader already knows the basis of your case as a candidate. Use this opportunity to reference your past points, reflect on them, and take them to the next level. Your conclusion should tie your anecdotes together and emphasize any common themes.

EXAMPLE: A physics student may have told a story about being fascinated by Isaac Newton in elementary school and another story about an experiment they performed at a science program in high school. They could use their conclusion to emphasize a life-long fascination with physics, and what has motivated them to stick with it.

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3. discuss your plans for the future.

Make sure that your reader knows you have plans for your future career , and that you will continue to pursue your passions even after college. Emphasize how this scholarship would help you to achieve those plans, so they realize that by granting you this scholarship, they will help create a success story.

EXAMPLE: The physics student from the previous example could tie in their past stories towards their goals for the future. This could name a specific field of study they hope to pursue within physics, a graduate school they hope to attend, or a scientist they’d like to work for. The more succinct and specific, the better.

Also read: How to write a scholarship cover letter

4. Thank your reader for their time

At the end of a scholarship essay, it’s a good idea to leave a gracious impression upon your reader. Make sure that your reader knows that you appreciate the time they spent reading your essay, and the opportunity being presented to you.

Also read: How to write an essay about yourself

5. Remember to proofread!

As you finish writing that last sentence, you might think that you are done with your essay, but there is one more very important step. Make sure to proofread your work to correct for any typos and to ensure that your ideas flow logically and smoothly.

During this step, it’s a great idea to consult someone to read your essay over, try asking a friend, family member, teacher, or advisor for help. It can be difficult to see mistakes and opportunities for improvement after you have been working on your essay for a while. A fresh set of eyes can point out those mistakes and opportunities. 

Remember to take breaks as well and give yourself time to come back and make edits later! Once you’ve implemented these edits, you should be ready to submit. Best of luck!

See also: What’s the best scholarship essay format?

Additional resources

As you write and submit your scholarship applications, don’t forget to check back on Scholarships360 for resources and assistance. We can help you find vetted scholarships custom-matched to your interests and demographics through our free scholarship search tool . Additionally, we can guide you through writing a 250 word essay or a 500 word essay . Finally, we can help you find local scholarships , which are a great resource to improve your chances of a successful application.

Frequently asked questions about scholarship essays

How long should a scholarship essay be, what should i include in my scholarship essay, what looks good on scholarship applications.

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8 Brilliant Cover Letter Closing Paragraph & Conclusion Examples

To make an impression on a hiring manager with your cover letter, you’ll need solid content all the way through, including in the closing paragraph. Many people focus only on the body paragraphs but when you are learning how to write a cover letter it’s critical not to dismiss the importance of this final section of your letter.

Savvy job seekers know that a cover letter’s closing paragraph contains the last words a hiring manager might read before they decide whether or not to review your resume or offer you a job interview.

For this reason, the best cover letter conclusions are polite, succinct and customized to the job ad.

The tone of the closing paragraph of your cover letter should be the same as the rest of your letter — professional, polite, and enthusiastic about the role at hand.

Refrain from using language that is too casual or familiar and avoid using humor, which is subjective and could unintentionally be off-putting to the reader.

When in doubt, ask a trusted friend or family member to read your cover letter in full, putting particular focus on the closing paragraph to ensure that it matches the tone of the rest of the letter.

If you think you’ll need a little help getting your cover letter in the best possible overall shape, put our Cover Letter Builder to use. You’ll get access to professionally written text and keyword suggestions that can really help speed the writing process along.

What should the final paragraph of a cover letter include?

There are five things to keep in mind when writing a cover letter closing paragraph. Take the advice below into consideration:

• Show your gratitude. Express an appreciation for the reader’s consideration of your credentials. It takes time to review a cover letter and resume carefully, so communicate your thanks.
• Express your enthusiasm. Include a gentle interest in next steps but be polite. You should request an interview but never demand one or declare that you’ll call the office in the coming week.
• Succinctly explain your value. The final paragraph of a cover letter should remind a recruiter of the value you’ll provide to the organization if you are hired. To do this, study the job ad before writing your cover letter. Ask yourself: what problems is the company trying to solve with this hire? What critical skills will I bring to the organization? In a line or two, write about these in your conclusion.
• Don’t focus on your own needs. Remember, a cover letter should outline what you can do for the organization, not what it can do for you. Don’t use your cover letter to discuss your career goals.
• Use a professional sign-off. End with a professional sign-off, such as “Sincerely,” “Thank you,” or “Best regards.”

8 cover letter closing paragraph examples

To help you write a strong closing paragraph, our team of professional writers has crafted a few examples. Use these closing paragraph text examples word-for-word or as inspiration as you write your own.

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Deferred or Waitlisted? How to Write a Letter of Continued Interest

What’s covered:, what is a letter of continued interest, what do colleges want to know about students who have been waitlisted or deferred.

• A General Outline For a Letter of Continued Interest

Example of a Strong Letter of Continued Interest

• What Are Your Chances of Acceptance If You’re Deferred or Waitlisted?

For students who are waitlisted or deferred from a top-choice college, the application process can seem frustrating or even discouraging. If you’ve received a letter placing you on the waitlist or deferring your early admissions application, you are probably feeling some combination of disappointment and impatience.

You now have to wait even longer to find out if you’ve gotten into the school of your dreams. And worse still, the odds of being accepted off the waitlist are even slimmer than the regular acceptance rate. While you may be feeling powerless, rest assured that there is something you can do during the interim to improve your chances of being accepted.

Writing a letter of continued interest is a smart thing to do if you’ve been waitlisted or deferred. In this post, we’ll explain what one of these letters entails, how you should go about writing one, and even include an example to inspire your writing. 

If you’ve been waitlisted or deferred, this generally indicates a few things about you as an applicant. First, the good news—the college thinks you’re worth a shot. They believe that you might be a strong candidate. Of course, this doesn’t come without a caveat. Generally, if you’re on the waitlist, the admissions committee is not entirely convinced that you’re going to be a positive contribution to the incoming class. While they recognize your potential, they have more qualified or compelling candidates, and until they hear back from them, they cannot guarantee that they have a place for you.

A letter of continued interest is exactly what it sounds like. It lets the college know that you are still interested in attending, even if you have to wait longer to find out. It also updates the college of any achievements you’ve accomplished since your original application and hopefully convinces them that you will indeed be a positive contributor to the freshman class.

In general, there are two pieces of information that can help to tip the scale in your favor. Think of it this way: colleges want to fill their freshman class with highly qualified, successful students. To do this, they need to cast a net that’s both wide enough to fill the class, yet fine enough to select only the students who will be truly successful. It’s a careful balance.

So, these colleges generally want to know two things about you. First, are you capable of succeeding at the school in question, and second, will you attend if you are offered a spot?

What To Include In a Letter of Continued Interest

Your letter of continued interest should answer these two questions in a way that is affable and genuine. It should also express gratitude for being offered a place on the waitlist or a deferred decision, because this serves as evidence of positive personality traits, like perseverance and the ability to rise above adversity.

You want to convey to the college that you haven’t been sitting around moping over the fact that you weren’t immediately accepted; if anything, you are even more motivated. Tell the school about recent accomplishments like how you worked your AP Physics grade up to an A+ in the third quarter or how you placed first at the state DECA competition in February.

Another good thing to include is a reiteration of why you are still interested in the school. Maybe you visited the campus over winter break and fell in love with the humanities library with original manuscripts from acclaimed writers. If the school has been in the news recently for a scientific breakthrough that excites you, tell them about how eager you are to work with the faculty to further that research.

What NOT To Include In a Letter of Continued Interest

We get it; you’re probably feeling frustrated and disappointed. Maybe you feel inadequate or powerless. Talking to friends and family, venting to your peers, or taking it out on the athletic field are all great ways to express these totally valid emotions.

The letter of continued interest is not the place for these feelings, though. Keep your focus on the positives and don’t let any of those negative feelings show through in your letter.

Also avoid talking about other schools you have been accepted to. Harvard won’t think any better of you if you tout over them you earned a spot at Yale. The focus for this letter should be on the school you are addressing, that’s it. Yes you might have other options at your disposal, but you need to convince the college of your undying interest, so don’t mention any other colleges.

A General Outline For a Letter of Continued Interest 

Introduction.

In your introduction you should thank the admissions committee for reviewing your application and let them know that you are still interested in attending. Remember to formally address the letter to the admissions committee, or even better, if you know the recruiter for your school or region address your letter to them. 

Be warm, cordial, and respectful in your introduction—don’t start by berating the admissions committee for rejecting you. While you can mention your disappointment, make sure you counter that with more positive emotions to keep the letter forward-thinking and hopeful.

Updates on Accomplishments

Here, you’ll provide information about your accomplishments since you submitted your original application. Do not repeat accomplishments or any information already on your application—the admissions committee already has this information and if you submit it again, it will look like you haven’t achieved anything since. Limit your updates to 2-3 topics and be sure to explain briefly what the update is, what level of accomplishment it illustrates, and how it has contributed to your overall character/development.

When considering what you want to update the admissions committee on, try and pick things that relate to your overall application theme. If you wrote about your interest in politics in your essays, tell the school how you recently won a Model UN competition and, as a result, got to visit the UN Headquarters in New York where you got to envision yourself as a diplomat, negotiating treaties on that floor.

Your accomplishments don’t have to be purely academic or extracurricular either. Maybe you lost a family member to cancer and since then you have clarity in pursuing oncology. You could also share an independent project you’ve taken up or a new skill you’ve taught yourself in the past few months.

Personal Element

Just as your college essay needs to be personal, so does your letter of continued interest. After you’ve demonstrated your recent accomplishments, make sure to include some details that humanize you and set you apart from the rest of the waitlist pool. Think about it this way: colleges receive hundreds of these letters, how can you make yours memorable?

Infuse your personality into the letter, whether that be through humor or a personal story that shows qualities like perseverance or curiosity. 

Humble Closing

At the end of your letter, you want to reiterate your desire to attend the school and your gratitude to the admissions committee for their time and for taking a chance on you. Just as with the opening, you want to end respectfully and positively. 

Dear College of My Dreams, (obviously you would put the actual college name here)

I would like to sincerely thank the College of My Dreams Admissions Committee for taking the time to look through my application amongst the thousands of applicants and offering me an opportunity to be on the waitlist. College of My Dreams is still my dream school, and if accepted off the waitlist, I would happily attend. I would like to take this opportunity to display my continued interest in CMD and update the Admissions Committee on some of my accomplishments since applying.

Since applying in January, I have been making substantial progress on my research project for Intel ISEF. My project seeks to test whether statistical regression and neural networking can predict geo-political conflicts in developing nations. I have been developing an algorithm to analyze such patterns using a framework of a naïve Bayes classifier under the guidance of Mr. CollegeVine, the Technology General Manager at CollegeVine Tech LLC.

This project has completely changed my perceptions of the unique dynamics implicit in a complex geo-political struggle. Additionally, I have gained an even greater appreciation for computer science’s broad applicability to solve qualitative challenges, while feeding my lifelong curiosity about international relations. It would be nice if I could eventually achieve my goal of making basic predictions about such conflicts… I wouldn’t complain either if my program found itself in the CIA’s computer system one day!

I also continued my role as a leader on the varsity basketball team this winter. Recently I was named the Northeast Elite Team MVP and was named to the All-East All Star Team. In February, I scored 34 points in our league playoff game and was recognized as the national player of the week by Basketball Weekly. We are currently gearing up for the league championship game, so lately I’ve been spending a lot of time in the gym, getting in peak shape and practicing my free throws. (That one I missed against our cross town rivals earlier this year continues to haunt me!)

Finally, I have stopped trying to beat my nine-year-old sister on the Wii. Even as the captain of my school’s basketball team, I still lose miserably whenever she chooses to play me in the digital version. I’ve now realized my best efforts are futile and I’m focusing on time and efforts on more fruitful pursuits.

CMD has distinguished itself as a top institution for me, and I am continuously in awe as I read about its amazing work in helping students achieve their dreams. I would like to thank the Office of Undergraduate Admissions once again for reviewing my application, and I would eagerly matriculate if offered a position in the Class of 2027.

Sincerely, 

(Physically Sign Your Name Here) 

What Are Your Chances of Admission If You’re Deferred or Waitlisted?

Usually, the likelihood of deferred applicants getting accepted is akin to those applying through the regular decision process. The pool of applicants for early action or early decision typically comprises the most competitive contenders of the admission season, thus making a compelling application more noticeable during the regular decision phase.

The probability of acceptance from the waitlist fluctuates based on the specific school and the admissions cycle. Broadly speaking, securing a place from the waitlist at an elite institution like Stanford is quite slim, but these odds improve significantly at schools that are less competitive. Regardless of being deferred or having been accepted, a letter of continued interest can boost your chances. College admissions can be challenging given the multitude of factors involved, especially when trying to seek an estimate of your chances of admission. However, CollegeVine’s innovative chancing engine simplifies this process. By incorporating a wide array of variables, including standardized test scores, GPA, and even extracurricular activities, this tool calculates your personalized probability of admission to your chosen school.

Related CollegeVine Blog Posts

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