how to end about me essay

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Academic Writing

How to Conclude an Essay (with Examples)

Last Updated: July 22, 2024 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 3,218,654 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.

Tips for Ending an Essay

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”

Step 2 Briefly summarize your essay’s main points.

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

Step 3 Rework your thesis statement into the conclusion.

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.

Step 4 Think about your essay’s argument in a broader “big picture” context.

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.

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↑ https://www.uts.edu.au/current-students/support/helps/self-help-resources/grammar/transition-signals
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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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Your chance of acceptance, your chancing factors, extracurriculars, writing an 'all about me' essay.

I've been given an assignment to write an 'All About Me' essay for one of my classes, and I'm unsure about where to start. Any suggestions on structuring it or making it unique? Thanks in advance!

It's great that you want to make your 'All About Me' essay stand out! Here are some tips and a possible structure to help you create a memorable piece:

1. Start with a hook: Begin your essay with an interesting anecdote or a quote that reflects your personality, interests, or experiences. This will help grab the reader's attention and set the tone for the rest of the essay.

2. Introduce yourself: Briefly share general information about yourself like your name, age, background, and location. You might also mention your interests and passions early on to give the reader a sense of who you are.

3. Choose a theme: Select a central theme that connects different aspects of your life. This could be a particular value, belief, or interest that has played a significant role in shaping your personality and experiences. Having a central theme allows you to develop a cohesive narrative throughout the essay.

For example, if your theme is "perseverance in difficult situations," you can share personal anecdotes that demonstrate your resilience, such as overcoming a personal challenge or working on a long-term project.

4. Share your experiences and achievements: Discuss 2-3 key events or accomplishments that have had a significant impact on your life. Make sure these personal anecdotes align with your chosen theme and help the reader understand more about who you are. Focus on clearly conveying the lessons you've learned and the personal growth you've experienced.

5. Reflect on your future: Briefly discuss your goals and aspirations for the future and how your experiences, values, and interests have shaped them.

6. End with a powerful conclusion: Wrap up your essay by summarizing what you've learned about yourself and reflecting on your growth. Leave the reader with a lasting impression by connecting the conclusion back to your opening hook or central theme.

Keep these tips in mind for a unique and compelling 'All About Me' essay:

- Show, don't tell: Use vivid descriptions, anecdotes, and examples to illustrate your points, rather than just stating them directly.

- Be genuine: Share honest experiences, thoughts, and emotions. Authenticity is key in making your essay memorable and relatable.

- Revise and edit: Make sure to proofread your essay multiple times to ensure it's polished and well-written.

Good luck, and I'm confident that by following these guidelines, you'll create a standout 'All About Me' essay!

About CollegeVine’s Expert FAQ

CollegeVine’s Q&A seeks to offer informed perspectives on commonly asked admissions questions. Every answer is refined and validated by our team of admissions experts to ensure it resonates with trusted knowledge in the field.

What are your chances of acceptance?

Calculate for all schools, your chance of acceptance.

Your chancing factors

Extracurriculars.

15 Tips for Writing a College Essay About Yourself

What’s covered:.

What is the Purpose of the College Essay?
How to Stand Out Without Showing Off
15 Tips for Writing an Essay About Yourself
Where to Get Free Feedback on Your Essay

Most students who apply to top-tier colleges have exceptional grades, standardized test scores, and extracurricular activities. How do admissions officers decide which applicants to choose among all these stellar students? One way is on the strength of their college essay .

This personal statement, along with other qualitative factors like teacher recommendations, helps the admissions committee see who you really are—the person behind the transcript. So, it’s obviously important to write a great one.

What Is the Purpose of the College Essay?

Your college essay helps you stand out in a pool of qualified candidates. If effective, it will also show the admissions committee more of your personality and allow them to get a sense of how you’ll fit in with and contribute to the student body and institution. Additionally, it will show the school that you can express yourself persuasively and clearly in writing, which is an important part of most careers, no matter where you end up.

Typically, students must submit a personal statement (usually the Common App essay ) along with school-specific supplements. Some students are surprised to learn that essays typically count for around 25% of your entire application at the top 250 schools. That’s an enormous chunk, especially considering that, unlike your transcript and extracurriculars, it isn’t an assessment of your entire high school career.

The purpose of the college essay is to paint a complete picture of yourself, showing admissions committees the person behind the grades and test scores. A strong college essay shows your unique experiences, personality, perspective, interests, and values—ultimately, what makes you unique. After all, people attend college, not their grades or test scores. The college essay also provides students with a considerable amount of agency in their application, empowering them to share their own stories.

How to Stand Out Without Showing Off

It’s important to strike a balance between exploring your achievements and demonstrating humility. Your aim should be to focus on the meaning behind the experience and how it changed your outlook, not the accomplishment itself.

Confidence without cockiness is the key here. Don’t simply catalog your achievements, there are other areas on your application to share them. Rather, mention your achievements when they’re critical to the story you’re telling. It’s helpful to think of achievements as compliments, not highlights, of your college essay.

Take this essay excerpt , for example:

My parents’ separation allowed me the space to explore my own strengths and interests as each of them became individually busier. As early as middle school, I was riding the light rail train by myself, reading maps to get myself home, and applying to special academic programs without urging from my parents. Even as I took more initiatives on my own, my parents both continued to see me as somewhat immature. All of that changed three years ago, when I applied and was accepted to the SNYI-L summer exchange program in Morocco. I would be studying Arabic and learning my way around the city of Marrakesh. Although I think my parents were a little surprised when I told them my news, the addition of a fully-funded scholarship convinced them to let me go.

Instead of saying “ I received this scholarship and participated in this prestigious program, ” the author tells a story, demonstrating their growth and initiative through specific actions (riding the train alone, applying academic programs on her own, etc.)—effectively showing rather than telling.

15 Tips for Writing an Essay About Yourself

1. start early .

Leave yourself plenty of time to write your college essay—it’s stressful enough to compose a compelling essay without putting yourself under a deadline. Starting early on your essay also leaves you time to edit and refine your work, have others read your work (for example, your parents or a teacher), and carefully proofread.

2. Choose a topic that’s meaningful to you

The foundation of a great essay is selecting a topic that has real meaning for you. If you’re passionate about the subject, the reader will feel it. Alternatively, choosing a topic you think the admissions committee is looking for, but isn’t all that important to you, won’t make for a compelling essay; it will be obvious that you’re not very invested in it.

3. Show your personality

One of the main points of your college essay is to convey your personality. Admissions officers will see your transcript and read about the awards you’ve won, but the essay will help them get to know you as a person. Make sure your personality is evident in each part—if you are a jokester, incorporate some humor. Your friends should be able to pick your essay from an anonymous pile, read it, and recognize it as yours. In that same vein, someone who doesn’t know you at all should feel like they understand your personality after reading your essay.

4. Write in your own voice

In order to bring authenticity to your essay, you’ll need to write in your own voice. Don’t be overly formal (but don’t be too casual, either). Remember: you want the reader to get to know the real you, not a version of you that comes across as overly stiff or stilted. You should feel free to use contractions, incorporate dialogue, and employ vocabulary that comes naturally to you.

5. Use specific examples

Real, concrete stories and examples will help your essay come to life. They’ll add color to your narrative and make it more compelling for the reader. The goal, after all, is to engage your audience—the admissions committee.

For example, instead of stating that you care about animals, you should tell us a story about how you took care of an injured stray cat.

Consider this side-by-side comparison:

Example 1: I care deeply about animals and even once rescued a stray cat. The cat had an injured leg, and I helped nurse it back to health.

Example 2: I lost many nights of sleep trying to nurse the stray cat back to health. Its leg infection was extremely painful, and it meowed in distress up until the wee hours of the morning. I didn’t mind it though; what mattered was that the cat regained its strength. So, I stayed awake to administer its medicine and soothe it with loving ear rubs.

The second example helps us visualize this situation and is more illustrative of the writer’s personality. Because she stayed awake to care for the cat, we can infer that she is a compassionate person who cares about animals. We don’t get the same depth with the first example.

6. Don’t be afraid to show off…

You should always put your best foot forward—the whole point of your essay is to market yourself to colleges. This isn’t the time to be shy about your accomplishments, skills, or qualities.

7. …While also maintaining humility

But don’t brag. Demonstrate humility when discussing your achievements. In the example above, for instance, the author discusses her accomplishments while noting that her parents thought of her as immature. This is a great way to show humility while still highlighting that she was able to prove her parents wrong.

8. Be vulnerable

Vulnerability goes hand in hand with humility and authenticity. Don’t shy away from exploring how your experience affected you and the feelings you experienced. This, too, will help your story come to life.

Here’s an excerpt from a Common App essay that demonstrates vulnerability and allows us to connect with the writer:

“You ruined my life!” After months of quiet anger, my brother finally confronted me. To my shame, I had been appallingly ignorant of his pain.

Despite being twins, Max and I are profoundly different. Having intellectual interests from a young age that, well, interested very few of my peers, I often felt out of step in comparison with my highly-social brother. Everything appeared to come effortlessly for Max and, while we share an extremely tight bond, his frequent time away with friends left me feeling more and more alone as we grew older.

In this essay, the writer isn’t afraid to share his insecurities and feelings with us. He states that he had been “ appallingly ignorant ” of his brother’s pain, that he “ often felt out of step ” compared to his brother, and that he had felt “ more and more alone ” over time. These are all emotions that you may not necessarily share with someone you just met, but it’s exactly this vulnerability that makes the essay more raw and relatable.

9. Don’t lie or hyperbolize

This essay is about the authentic you. Lying or hyperbolizing to make yourself sound better will not only make your essay—and entire application—less genuine, but it will also weaken it. More than likely, it will be obvious that you’re exaggerating. Plus, if colleges later find out that you haven’t been truthful in any part of your application, it’s grounds for revoking your acceptance or even expulsion if you’ve already matriculated.

10. Avoid cliches

How the COVID-19 pandemic changed your life. A sports victory as a metaphor for your journey. How a pet death altered your entire outlook. Admissions officers have seen more essays on these topics than they can possibly count. Unless you have a truly unique angle, then it’s in your best interest to avoid them. Learn which topics are cliche and how to fix them .

11. Proofread

This is a critical step. Even a small error can break your essay, however amazing it is otherwise. Make sure you read it over carefully, and get another set of eyes (or two or three other sets of eyes), just in case.

12. Abstain from using AI

There are a handful of good reasons to avoid using artificial intelligence (AI) to write your college essay. Most importantly, it’s dishonest and likely to be not very good; AI-generated essays are generally formulaic, generic, and boring—everything you’re trying to avoid being. The purpose of the college essay is to share what makes you unique and highlight your personal experiences and perspectives, something that AI can’t capture.

13. Use parents as advisors, not editors

The voice of an adult is different from that of a high schooler and admissions committees are experts at spotting the writing of parents. Parents can play a valuable role in creating your college essay—advising, proofreading, and providing encouragement during those stressful moments. However, they should not write or edit your college essay with their words.

14. Have a hook

Admissions committees have a lot of essays to read and getting their attention is essential for standing out among a crowded field of applicants. A great hook captures your reader’s imagination and encourages them to keep reading your essay. Start strong, first impressions are everything!

15. Give them something to remember

The ending of your college essay is just as important as the beginning. Give your reader something to remember by composing an engaging and punchy paragraph or line—called a kicker in journalism—that ties everything you’ve written above together.

Where to Get Free Feedback on Your College Essay

Before you send off your application, make sure you get feedback from a trusted source on your essay. CollegeVine’s free peer essay review will give you the support you need to ensure you’ve effectively presented your personality and accomplishments. Our expert essay review pairs you with an advisor to help you refine your writing, submit your best work, and boost your chances of getting into your dream school. Find the right advisor for you and get started on honing a winning essay.

Conclusions

What this handout is about.

This handout will explain the functions of conclusions, offer strategies for writing effective ones, help you evaluate conclusions you’ve drafted, and suggest approaches to avoid.

About conclusions

Introductions and conclusions can be difficult to write, but they’re worth investing time in. They can have a significant influence on a reader’s experience of your paper.

Just as your introduction acts as a bridge that transports your readers from their own lives into the “place” of your analysis, your conclusion can provide a bridge to help your readers make the transition back to their daily lives. Such a conclusion will help them see why all your analysis and information should matter to them after they put the paper down.

Your conclusion is your chance to have the last word on the subject. The conclusion allows you to have the final say on the issues you have raised in your paper, to synthesize your thoughts, to demonstrate the importance of your ideas, and to propel your reader to a new view of the subject. It is also your opportunity to make a good final impression and to end on a positive note.

Your conclusion can go beyond the confines of the assignment. The conclusion pushes beyond the boundaries of the prompt and allows you to consider broader issues, make new connections, and elaborate on the significance of your findings.

Your conclusion should make your readers glad they read your paper. Your conclusion gives your reader something to take away that will help them see things differently or appreciate your topic in personally relevant ways. It can suggest broader implications that will not only interest your reader, but also enrich your reader’s life in some way. It is your gift to the reader.

Strategies for writing an effective conclusion

One or more of the following strategies may help you write an effective conclusion:

Play the “So What” Game. If you’re stuck and feel like your conclusion isn’t saying anything new or interesting, ask a friend to read it with you. Whenever you make a statement from your conclusion, ask the friend to say, “So what?” or “Why should anybody care?” Then ponder that question and answer it. Here’s how it might go: You: Basically, I’m just saying that education was important to Douglass. Friend: So what? You: Well, it was important because it was a key to him feeling like a free and equal citizen. Friend: Why should anybody care? You: That’s important because plantation owners tried to keep slaves from being educated so that they could maintain control. When Douglass obtained an education, he undermined that control personally. You can also use this strategy on your own, asking yourself “So What?” as you develop your ideas or your draft.
Return to the theme or themes in the introduction. This strategy brings the reader full circle. For example, if you begin by describing a scenario, you can end with the same scenario as proof that your essay is helpful in creating a new understanding. You may also refer to the introductory paragraph by using key words or parallel concepts and images that you also used in the introduction.
Synthesize, don’t summarize. Include a brief summary of the paper’s main points, but don’t simply repeat things that were in your paper. Instead, show your reader how the points you made and the support and examples you used fit together. Pull it all together.
Include a provocative insight or quotation from the research or reading you did for your paper.
Propose a course of action, a solution to an issue, or questions for further study. This can redirect your reader’s thought process and help them to apply your info and ideas to their own life or to see the broader implications.
Point to broader implications. For example, if your paper examines the Greensboro sit-ins or another event in the Civil Rights Movement, you could point out its impact on the Civil Rights Movement as a whole. A paper about the style of writer Virginia Woolf could point to her influence on other writers or on later feminists.

Strategies to avoid

Beginning with an unnecessary, overused phrase such as “in conclusion,” “in summary,” or “in closing.” Although these phrases can work in speeches, they come across as wooden and trite in writing.
Stating the thesis for the very first time in the conclusion.
Introducing a new idea or subtopic in your conclusion.
Ending with a rephrased thesis statement without any substantive changes.
Making sentimental, emotional appeals that are out of character with the rest of an analytical paper.
Including evidence (quotations, statistics, etc.) that should be in the body of the paper.

Four kinds of ineffective conclusions

The “That’s My Story and I’m Sticking to It” Conclusion. This conclusion just restates the thesis and is usually painfully short. It does not push the ideas forward. People write this kind of conclusion when they can’t think of anything else to say. Example: In conclusion, Frederick Douglass was, as we have seen, a pioneer in American education, proving that education was a major force for social change with regard to slavery.
The “Sherlock Holmes” Conclusion. Sometimes writers will state the thesis for the very first time in the conclusion. You might be tempted to use this strategy if you don’t want to give everything away too early in your paper. You may think it would be more dramatic to keep the reader in the dark until the end and then “wow” them with your main idea, as in a Sherlock Holmes mystery. The reader, however, does not expect a mystery, but an analytical discussion of your topic in an academic style, with the main argument (thesis) stated up front. Example: (After a paper that lists numerous incidents from the book but never says what these incidents reveal about Douglass and his views on education): So, as the evidence above demonstrates, Douglass saw education as a way to undermine the slaveholders’ power and also an important step toward freedom.
The “America the Beautiful”/”I Am Woman”/”We Shall Overcome” Conclusion. This kind of conclusion usually draws on emotion to make its appeal, but while this emotion and even sentimentality may be very heartfelt, it is usually out of character with the rest of an analytical paper. A more sophisticated commentary, rather than emotional praise, would be a more fitting tribute to the topic. Example: Because of the efforts of fine Americans like Frederick Douglass, countless others have seen the shining beacon of light that is education. His example was a torch that lit the way for others. Frederick Douglass was truly an American hero.
The “Grab Bag” Conclusion. This kind of conclusion includes extra information that the writer found or thought of but couldn’t integrate into the main paper. You may find it hard to leave out details that you discovered after hours of research and thought, but adding random facts and bits of evidence at the end of an otherwise-well-organized essay can just create confusion. Example: In addition to being an educational pioneer, Frederick Douglass provides an interesting case study for masculinity in the American South. He also offers historians an interesting glimpse into slave resistance when he confronts Covey, the overseer. His relationships with female relatives reveal the importance of family in the slave community.

Works consulted

We consulted these works while writing this handout. This is not a comprehensive list of resources on the handout’s topic, and we encourage you to do your own research to find additional publications. Please do not use this list as a model for the format of your own reference list, as it may not match the citation style you are using. For guidance on formatting citations, please see the UNC Libraries citation tutorial . We revise these tips periodically and welcome feedback.

Douglass, Frederick. 1995. Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave, Written by Himself. New York: Dover.

Hamilton College. n.d. “Conclusions.” Writing Center. Accessed June 14, 2019. https://www.hamilton.edu//academics/centers/writing/writing-resources/conclusions .

Holewa, Randa. 2004. “Strategies for Writing a Conclusion.” LEO: Literacy Education Online. Last updated February 19, 2004. https://leo.stcloudstate.edu/acadwrite/conclude.html.

You may reproduce it for non-commercial use if you use the entire handout and attribute the source: The Writing Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

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9 Tips for Writing an Essay About Yourself

You know yourself better than anyone else, but writing about yourself can still be tough! When applying for scholarships or to college, essay prompts can feel so general (and yet so specific!) that they leave us stumped. So we’ll show you 8 tips to write an essay about yourself, so that you can land more scholarships. (Psst – Going Merry makes applying easy .)

1. Create a List of Questions

2. brainstorm and outline, 3. be vulnerable, 4. use personal examples, 5. write in the first person, 6. don’t be afraid to show off…but stay on topic, 7. show personality , 8. know your audience, 9. proofread and edit.

Let’s start with some examples of personal essay prompts:

Tell me about yourself.
Describe a challenge or event that made you who you are today.
What are your short and long-term goals, and how do you plan to achieve them?
Write about a time you failed at something. How did it affect you?

These are just a few of many scholarship essay prompts that require you to look internally, to answer a question, solve a problem, or explain a scenario in your life.

We get it. You might not be a big fan of bragging about yourself, or you might want to keep your personal stories to yourself. But by opening up and sharing your story, you can show scholarship providers, colleges and universities who you are, and why you’re deserving of their scholarship.

(Don’t just take our word for it – check out our scholarship winners page full of students like you who were brave enough to share their stories with us).

To get started, check out these 9 tips on how to write an essay about yourself:

After reading through the scholarship essay prompt, breathe, and make a list of smaller questions you can answer, which relate to the big essay prompt question.

Let’s say the main essay prompt question asks you, “What were challenges or barriers you had to work to overcome?” Then the smaller questions might be something like:

What is your background? Family, finances, school.
What was challenging about that background?
What’s your greatest accomplishment? How did you get there? How have previous challenges influenced your goals?

Think of these questions as mini-prompts. They explain your story and help you answer the main essay prompt with more details than if you just answered it without a plan in place.

After considering smaller questions, it’s time to brainstorm your answers. Take out a pen and paper – or open up a document on a computer – and take your time in answering each mini-prompt. Organize your responses in order:

Intro to main essay prompt.
Answer about 3 mini-prompt questions.
Conclude by rewriting the answer to the main essay prompt with a summary of your mini-prompt answers.

This organization will help you stay on topic and answer the prompt directly. (Or check out these 6 scholarship essay examples for alternative essay structures.)

Don’t be afraid to let your strengths, challenges, and personal stories shine through in your essay! Scholarship and admissions committees love to see that you’re self-aware how you can improve as a person, or how you’ve grown because of your experiences. Honest writing can help tell the best stories (in this case, YOUR story).

Since this essay is all about you , you should make your answer as specific as possible! Avoid using generalizations (e.g., “I’m really good at music). Instead, go for more personalized statements (e.g., “My fourth-grade teacher Ms. Matay really inspired me to pursue my interest in the clarinet”). Your personal examples are what will help your scholarship essay stand out among the thousands of applicants..

You’re telling your story, so write from your perspective! You can narrate your story. You can provide an overview of what you learned from your experiences. However you choose to answer the prompt, we recommend writing in an active tone, and using “I” and “me” throughout your essay.

Most students worry about bragging in their essay, but we say go for it! This is your time to shine, so highlight your accomplishments and strengths. Review your essay to make sure that you’re keeping the tone informative and that you’re still on topic. (Brag while answering the essay prompt; don’t just mention random, unrelated but impressive facts about yourself!)You can use this brag sheet where you can brainstorm your accomplishments. While the worksheet is geared toward requesting letters of recommendation , you can still use it to write out your hobbies, interests, college list , and strengths to help you answer your scholarship essay prompt.

Just because it’s an essay doesn’t mean it has to be dry and boring. This essay is all about you, so let your personality shine through. If you’re the class clown, you can use a bit of humor. If you wear your heart on your sleeve, don’t be afraid to show emotion. Trying your best to express who you are as a person will have a huge effect on the admissions or scholarship committee!

If you’re applying for a scholarship, research the scholarship provider. If you’re applying to college, research the school. Understanding what makes the provider/college unique and what their motivations are, will allow you to incorporate that information in your essay. For example, many scholarships are funded by private companies that sell products. You might want to reference those products in your essay. A good example of this is Emily Trader’s essay for the Life Happens organization , where she uses her personal narrative to explain the importance of insurance planning, since that is the mission of the organization (which is funded by insurance companies).

The last step in answering your essay prompt is to double-check your work! One typo can be distracting and cause scholarship providers to scratch their head while reading the essay. ( Psst, humble brag: Going Merry’s application platform includes spellcheck because we’ve got your back .) In addition to proofreading for typos and grammatical errors, also consider whether the sentence or paragraph structure makes sense. Are you breaking paragraphs in the right place? Are you using topic sentences well to signpost your main ideas? Does the essay flow? Consider these “bigger” structural questions too. You might also want to ask a friend, family member, teacher, or guidance counselor to review your essay. They might catch something you didn’t see the first time around, and that can really help your essay! In fact, that is scholarship winner Daniel Gill ’s #1 tip. (Another tip is to apply for scholarships using Going Merry !)

Also, check out this helpful list of the 10 most common scholarship essay topics while you’re brainstorming!

Top 10 Most Common Scholarship Essay Prompts Graphic

Now that you know how to write an essay about yourself, it’s time to start applying for scholarships! Remember: You’ve got this.

Sign up for your free Going Merry profile . From there, you can easily upload and submit your essay for thousands of scholarships. We make it easy so you’ll only need to enter your profile information once! And then, you can apply away. In fact, we even have some bundled scholarships so that you only enter your essay once, to apply for multiple scholarships at the same time.

Or if you’re not ready to register, simply sign up to receive an email with 20 new scholarship opportunities each week. Just enter your email address below:

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Traditional Academic Essays In Three Parts

Part i: the introduction.

An introduction is usually the first paragraph of your academic essay. If you’re writing a long essay, you might need 2 or 3 paragraphs to introduce your topic to your reader. A good introduction does 2 things:

Gets the reader’s attention. You can get a reader’s attention by telling a story, providing a statistic, pointing out something strange or interesting, providing and discussing an interesting quote, etc. Be interesting and find some original angle via which to engage others in your topic.
Provides a specific and debatable thesis statement. The thesis statement is usually just one sentence long, but it might be longer—even a whole paragraph—if the essay you’re writing is long. A good thesis statement makes a debatable point, meaning a point someone might disagree with and argue against. It also serves as a roadmap for what you argue in your paper.

Part II: The Body Paragraphs

Body paragraphs help you prove your thesis and move you along a compelling trajectory from your introduction to your conclusion. If your thesis is a simple one, you might not need a lot of body paragraphs to prove it. If it’s more complicated, you’ll need more body paragraphs. An easy way to remember the parts of a body paragraph is to think of them as the MEAT of your essay:

Main Idea. The part of a topic sentence that states the main idea of the body paragraph. All of the sentences in the paragraph connect to it. Keep in mind that main ideas are…

like labels. They appear in the first sentence of the paragraph and tell your reader what’s inside the paragraph.
arguable. They’re not statements of fact; they’re debatable points that you prove with evidence.
focused. Make a specific point in each paragraph and then prove that point.

Evidence. The parts of a paragraph that prove the main idea. You might include different types of evidence in different sentences. Keep in mind that different disciplines have different ideas about what counts as evidence and they adhere to different citation styles. Examples of evidence include…

quotations and/or paraphrases from sources.
facts , e.g. statistics or findings from studies you’ve conducted.
narratives and/or descriptions , e.g. of your own experiences.

Analysis. The parts of a paragraph that explain the evidence. Make sure you tie the evidence you provide back to the paragraph’s main idea. In other words, discuss the evidence.

Transition. The part of a paragraph that helps you move fluidly from the last paragraph. Transitions appear in topic sentences along with main ideas, and they look both backward and forward in order to help you connect your ideas for your reader. Don’t end paragraphs with transitions; start with them.

Keep in mind that MEAT does not occur in that order. The “ T ransition” and the “ M ain Idea” often combine to form the first sentence—the topic sentence—and then paragraphs contain multiple sentences of evidence and analysis. For example, a paragraph might look like this: TM. E. E. A. E. E. A. A.

Part III: The Conclusion

A conclusion is the last paragraph of your essay, or, if you’re writing a really long essay, you might need 2 or 3 paragraphs to conclude. A conclusion typically does one of two things—or, of course, it can do both:

Summarizes the argument. Some instructors expect you not to say anything new in your conclusion. They just want you to restate your main points. Especially if you’ve made a long and complicated argument, it’s useful to restate your main points for your reader by the time you’ve gotten to your conclusion. If you opt to do so, keep in mind that you should use different language than you used in your introduction and your body paragraphs. The introduction and conclusion shouldn’t be the same.
For example, your argument might be significant to studies of a certain time period .
Alternately, it might be significant to a certain geographical region .
Alternately still, it might influence how your readers think about the future . You might even opt to speculate about the future and/or call your readers to action in your conclusion.

Handout by Dr. Liliana Naydan. Do not reproduce without permission.

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Writing Center

Strategic enrollment management and student success, conclusions and why they matter, a guide to what they are, how they work, and how to master them, conclusions vs. introductions.

Similarly to introductions, conclusions exist to guide readers. While introductions guide readers into essays, conclusions guide readers out. These functions are equally important in the structure of an essay. A conclusion is a paragraph (or set of paragraphs) that comes at the very end of an essay and it must restate the thesis (say what the essay has argued) and summarize the argument.

Think about a conclusion from the reader's point of view as the end of a conversation

Hey! Don't hang up on me!

Sometimes it's hard to know what to say in a conclusion. after all, you've just written the essay, what else can possibly be left to say? A lot of writers feel this way. However, an essay without a conclusion is similar to hanging up the phone the instant after you've told your friend a great story - your friend is going to think about how rude you were rather than about your story. In a phone conversation, you've got to wrap things up and say goodbye, this is also true for an essay. Make sure to provide your reader with a summary.

A summary: Since good stories are complex and can't be learned by heart the first time, give your reader a device to help remember and master your story (your argument).
A sense of relevance: Help the reader understand the point of your story by explaining the relevance of it.

How conclusions work

What does it really mean to say that a conclusion resembles the end of a phone conversation?

All things come to an end. Of course, you can't keep talking on the phone forever; both you and your friend expect an end to your conversation. At the same time, a conversation is something produced by two people, meaning that its end must be agreed upon, and if you hang up without warning, then you've seized all control, which isn't friendly. Even though the conclusion of an essay may be just a repetition of ideas found elsewhere, a reader needs to be able to see that things are winding down.
An end means a last look. If you sound polite and cheerful in saying goodbye, your friend will be much more likely to recall the story you've told and to look forward to hearing from you in the future. Because the conclusion to an essay is a reader's last impression of a writer's work, the writer must maintain excellence up to the last sentence, not dash something off quickly or run out of steam.
A last look is a kind of legacy. While you probably wouldn't tell your friend a pointless story, or one with no relation to any shared experience, making the relevance clear helps your friend know how to think about your story. Similarly, an essay that leaves a reader with something to think about is an essay that is more likely to be judged favorably and even reread. Connecting the writing to the reader is central to succeeding in communicating the importance of your story.

Acing the conclusion

The strategies below can help you write a conclusion that leaves your reader satisfied and feeling like they've gotten closure on your ideas.

Remind and encapsulate

Remember that even though you are already familiar with your essay, your reader is not. Having a reader who wants to reread your work is great, but your reader shouldn't have to reread. Giving your reader a summary is similar to taking a snapshot of your whole essay. Looking at that snapshot reminds your reader of the main points that have come before. A snapshot is a lot easier to carry around than a thousand little details.

Acknowledge loose ends

Since issues are complex and often do not have a single, neat resolution, the topic of your essay doesn't need to either. What possible resolutions do you see for the issue you have presented? Is there even a resolution? In either case, say what you see. Don't present answers if you haven't found any. Just be honest.

Make connections

Show your reader the point of reading your essay. What did you learn from writing your essay? How might reading your essay be helpful to your reader? What does your essay contribute?

Don't get carried away

You don't have to revolutionize the world or say the absolute final world on an age-old debate. In fact, a grandiose conclusion may seem out of proportion in anything as short as an essay. Communicating an idea is enough.

Now let's apply these ideas to an example conclusion

The trend towards "good taste" in mass-market products draws into question the idea of good taste altogether (Thesis) . Many things symbolizing high class living are in danger of losing their status simply because they can now be purchased at any Home Depot or Ikea; (Summary 1: the first main point) however, critics call décor and furniture exports such as Pier 1 Imports and Pottery Barn "cheap" not for offering sophisticated designs at bargain prices, but for offering them to all, even to mail-order costumers (Summary 2: the second main point) . Worst of all, Martha Stewart is said to have reduced good taste to merely another brand name by creating a line of home wares for the suburban superstore K-Mart (Summary 3: the third main point) . The implication is that a fine object loses its fineness as it gains wider appreciation, that beauty and elegance are qualities conferred by the elite and that an object's glow vanishes once too many have touched it, In other words, the wealthy and influential are not content with wealth and influence, but must have a world all to themselves; when others enter this world, they come to destroy (Relevance 1: a synthesis of the main points that reveals their significance in a wider context) . Martha Stewart would have to disagree. Sconce lights might look out of place on a cattle ranch, but their popularity does not equate them with the neon signs that one sees in the windows of bars - quality is quality. If replacing the average household's melamine plates with porcelain makes some people insecure, then so be it (Relevance 2: a stance that applies to readers) .

5 moving, beautiful essays about death and dying

by Sarah Kliff

It is never easy to contemplate the end-of-life, whether its own our experience or that of a loved one.

This has made a recent swath of beautiful essays a surprise. In different publications over the past few weeks, I’ve stumbled upon writers who were contemplating final days. These are, no doubt, hard stories to read. I had to take breaks as I read about Paul Kalanithi’s experience facing metastatic lung cancer while parenting a toddler, and was devastated as I followed Liz Lopatto’s contemplations on how to give her ailing cat the best death possible. But I also learned so much from reading these essays, too, about what it means to have a good death versus a difficult end from those forced to grapple with the issue. These are four stories that have stood out to me recently, alongside one essay from a few years ago that sticks with me today.

My Own Life | Oliver Sacks

As recently as last month, popular author and neurologist Oliver Sacks was in great health, even swimming a mile every day. Then, everything changed: the 81-year-old was diagnosed with terminal liver cancer. In a beautiful op-ed , published in late February in the New York Times, he describes his state of mind and how he’ll face his final moments. What I liked about this essay is how Sacks describes how his world view shifts as he sees his time on earth getting shorter, and how he thinks about the value of his time.

Before I go | Paul Kalanithi

Kalanthi began noticing symptoms — “weight loss, fevers, night sweats, unremitting back pain, cough” — during his sixth year of residency as a neurologist at Stanford. A CT scan revealed metastatic lung cancer. Kalanthi writes about his daughter, Cady and how he “probably won’t live long enough for her to have a memory of me.” Much of his essay focuses on an interesting discussion of time, how it’s become a double-edged sword. Each day, he sees his daughter grow older, a joy. But every day is also one that brings him closer to his likely death from cancer.

As I lay dying | Laurie Becklund

Becklund’s essay was published posthumonously after her death on February 8 of this year. One of the unique issues she grapples with is how to discuss her terminal diagnosis with others and the challenge of not becoming defined by a disease. “Who would ever sign another book contract with a dying woman?” she writes. “Or remember Laurie Becklund, valedictorian, Fulbright scholar, former Times staff writer who exposed the Salvadoran death squads and helped The Times win a Pulitzer Prize for coverage of the 1992 L.A. riots? More important, and more honest, who would ever again look at me just as Laurie?”

Everything I know about a good death I learned from my cat | Liz Lopatto

Dorothy Parker was Lopatto’s cat, a stray adopted from a local vet. And Dorothy Parker, known mostly as Dottie, died peacefully when she passed away earlier this month. Lopatto’s essay is, in part, about what she learned about end-of-life care for humans from her cat. But perhaps more than that, it’s also about the limitations of how much her experience caring for a pet can transfer to caring for another person.

Yes, Lopatto’s essay is about a cat rather than a human being. No, it does not make it any easier to read. She describes in searing detail about the experience of caring for another being at the end of life. “Dottie used to weigh almost 20 pounds; she now weighs six,” Lopatto writes. “My vet is right about Dottie being close to death, that it’s probably a matter of weeks rather than months.”

Letting Go | Atul Gawande

“Letting Go” is a beautiful, difficult true story of death. You know from the very first sentence — “Sara Thomas Monopoli was pregnant with her first child when her doctors learned that she was going to die” — that it is going to be tragic. This story has long been one of my favorite pieces of health care journalism because it grapples so starkly with the difficult realities of end-of-life care.

In the story, Monopoli is diagnosed with stage four lung cancer, a surprise for a non-smoking young woman. It’s a devastating death sentence: doctors know that lung cancer that advanced is terminal. Gawande knew this too — Monpoli was his patient. But actually discussing this fact with a young patient with a newborn baby seemed impossible.

"Having any sort of discussion where you begin to say, 'look you probably only have a few months to live. How do we make the best of that time without giving up on the options that you have?' That was a conversation I wasn't ready to have," Gawande recounts of the case in a new Frontline documentary .

What’s tragic about Monopoli’s case was, of course, her death at an early age, in her 30s. But the tragedy that Gawande hones in on — the type of tragedy we talk about much less — is how terribly Monopoli’s last days played out.

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The Rise and Fall of George Santos Is a Lesson for America

A mong the truest words to be written about George Santos came in an August filing from his federal prosecutors, who observed that since December, 2022, “when a New York Times article was published detailing apparent misrepresentations in Santos’s biography, Santos has effectively gone on a speaking tour.”

The final moments of that tour came on Monday, August 19, when Santos pleaded guilty to wire fraud and aggravated identity theft.

There will still be some encores, and a reunion or two. Sentencing for the 36-year-old former congressman is set for February 2025, and he now faces multiple years in prison as well as hundreds of thousands of dollars in restitution. He will have other moments in front of cameras.

But the freewheeling speaking ceased outside the Long Island courthouse Monday afternoon, when Santos abandoned his claims about a “witch hunt” and instead apologized haltingly for his “unethical” decisions and the “lies” he told himself, vowing to make amends.

Beyond that, there is nothing much left for Santos to say. His rise and fall on the national stage is complete, even if his example lives on.

His was the story of a figure out of Twain, Melville, or even “Goodfellas”—the tale of a grifter from Queens who was always looking for a quick buck and a fun time. Santos was a gambler in more ways than one, whether he was betting on an ability to cheat a pet lover out of donations or actually heading to Atlantic City. He loved the world of entertainment, before he endeavored to entertain the world. He tried out different fields and biographies, sampled call center cubicles and small-time hustles. But he didn’t make it big until he put on the costume of a politician and entered history. In doing so, he exposed the rot at the heart of American politics. He was the perfect symbol of almost everything that is wrong with that staid, officious world; and also a warning of what might be to come.

Read More: What I Learned Investigating George Santos

He served less than a year before he finally got pushed out in December 2023, vowing to wear his expulsion like a “badge of honor,” a la Donald Trump. Unsurprisingly, the hustle continued. Santos’s first quick fix was selling video clips to civilians on the Cameo app , agreeing to say anything, even “Happy Hanukkah,” for the right price. Like usual with Santos, it worked—for a while. The disgraced former congressman broke the record for biggest first day, week, and month on Cameo, the company co-founder and CEO told me earlier this year.

Those videos were fun, as were so many aspects of the Santos saga, but they were only confectionary sprinkles decorating a much more perplexing story. What makes someone lie the way Santos did? And what does it say about the United States that the hustle worked so long–and so well?

These questions are very different than the ones that Santos partially dodged by skipping out on a fully fledged jury trial. They have nothing to do with hearing in painstaking detail where exactly his money went and who helped him hustle it. But they do help to explain why Santos briefly became such a notorious public figure, the chip on his shoulder leading to one of the great performances of the 21st century, a wild ride that people could gawk at but probably not stomach themselves. Certainly, though, there is something interesting–even relatable–about his shameless self-transformation, his desperate bid for celebrity and riches, his attempt to bluster into the stratosphere where titans of power seem to be effortlessly earning, just by being beautiful or amusing or loud. Couldn’t he be all those things, and more?

He was a product of America, after all, shaped by a culture that encourages myth-makers to rise and thrive. Through his crazy hijinks and dumb luck, he became an American legend, another hustler who got away with the con for a minute, using every trick in the book. He did not break our political system—he just showed how broken it already was.

Though Santos’s brief moment in Congress is (mostly) receding into the past, these issues are even more urgent. The political climate’s count of hucksters has diminished by one, but has not changed much at all. Santos’s story shows how easy it is to suck up attention and invent a persona, to stave off consequence and leave a trail of victims, while still crying victimization. He understood that liars and losers can win in this country simply by blustering and being outrageous and shameless—and persistent. He’s not alone.

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Presentation 101: How to Conclude Your Presentation with a Strong End

What do you do when you're ready to close a presentation? Maybe you'll just summarize the main points to end the topic, or make a call to launch an initiative, or play a video related to the topic, and so on. Typically, there are many methods to have a strong ending in presentation. Different presenters can have different methods. Overall, presenters should end their presentation with a strong end to motivate their audience. In this blog post, we’ll dive into the benefits of a strong end in presentation and the methods to conclude a presentation well.

What are the benefits of a good ending in presentation?

1.Leave a deep impression on the audience. At the end of the presentation, we can summarize the content of the presentation, emphasize the key points, or use a vivid metaphor to summarize the whole text, so that the audience has a clear impression of the content of the presentation, which can make the audience remember our presentation more deeply.

2.Enhance the persuasive power of the presentation. At the end of the speech, we can re-emphasize our own position and point of view, or use some thought-provoking words to impress the audience, so that they will resonate with our point of view, to enhance the persuasive power of the presentation.

3.Leave the audience with good feelings. At the end of the presentation, we can use some warm words to thank the audience for listening and support, or to express our good wishes for the future, so that the audience will still be immersed in a good emotion when they leave the presentation.

4.Add a sense of completeness to the presentation. At the end of the presentation, we can summarize the whole presentation, review the key content of the presentation, so that the whole presentation presents a complete structure, so that the audience feels that the content of the presentation is clear and logical, so as to increase the attractiveness of the presentation.

5.Provide a strong call to action: A well-crafted ending can prompt your audience to take action, whether it's to implement your suggestions, support your cause, or purchase your product or service

Seven Tips for have a strong end in your presentation:

1.Call to Action. At the end of the speech, he used his profound understanding and unique insights to offer hope and appeal to the audience. This kind of ending can inspire the audience's enthusiasm and make the audience take action.

E.g. "Now that we've discussed the importance of saving water resource, I urge each of you to commit to one small change in your daily lives to reduce water pollution. Whether repeatedly use water or reduce bath time, every action counts towards a more sustainable future."

2.Reiteration of Key Points. This is the most common way to end. Generally speaking, restating a point can help the audience review the speech and deepen their memory and understanding.

E.g. "In conclusion, our three main strategies for improving customer satisfaction are proactive communication, personalized service, and swift issue resolution. By implementing these strategies consistently, we can strengthen our relationships with customers and drive long-term loyalty."

3.Quotations or Anecdotes. This method uses a poem or a famous quote to summarize the key points. It not only makes the speech dramatic but also better conveys the speaker's emotions.

E.g. "As Lao Tzu said, ‘The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.’ Let's remember these words as we are going to implement our plan.”

4.Visuals or Demonstrations. Using tools such as video at the end of a speech can better capture the audience's attention, increase the visual impact of the speech, and convey the message more vividly.

E.g. "Before we conclude, let me show you a brief video showcasing the impact of protect the marine environment. the beautiful sight of the sea serves as a powerful reminder of why our work is so important."

5.Open-Ended Questions. By using open-ended questions to elicit responses from your audience, you can effectively engage your audience and make your presentation more memorable.

E.g. "Finally, I'd like to leave you with a question: What role can each of us play in promoting diversity and inclusion within our organization? I encourage you to reflect on this question and share your thoughts with your colleagues."

6.Give a Storytelling. Sharing a story at the end is equivalent to responding to the speech with an example. This not only attracts the audience's interest, but also emphasizes the content of the speech.

E.g. "Let me share a story with you. Years ago, a small team of passionate individuals set out to change the world with nothing but an idea and a relentless drive to succeed. Today, that idea has transformed into a global movement, touching the lives of millions. Remember, it all started with a vision and the courage to pursue it."

7.Inspiring or Motivational Statements. This method can directly express the speaker's ideas. Give the audience a powerful attraction.

E.g. "As we conclude today's presentation, I want to leave you with this thought: No matter how daunting the challenges may seem, never underestimate the power of perseverance and innovation. Together, we have the ability to overcome any obstacle and create a brighter future for generations to come."

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Knowledge Base
How to write an essay introduction | 4 steps & examples

How to Write an Essay Introduction | 4 Steps & Examples

Published on February 4, 2019 by Shona McCombes . Revised on July 23, 2023.

A good introduction paragraph is an essential part of any academic essay . It sets up your argument and tells the reader what to expect.

The main goals of an introduction are to:

Catch your reader’s attention.
Give background on your topic.
Present your thesis statement —the central point of your essay.

This introduction example is taken from our interactive essay example on the history of Braille.

The invention of Braille was a major turning point in the history of disability. The writing system of raised dots used by visually impaired people was developed by Louis Braille in nineteenth-century France. In a society that did not value disabled people in general, blindness was particularly stigmatized, and lack of access to reading and writing was a significant barrier to social participation. The idea of tactile reading was not entirely new, but existing methods based on sighted systems were difficult to learn and use. As the first writing system designed for blind people’s needs, Braille was a groundbreaking new accessibility tool. It not only provided practical benefits, but also helped change the cultural status of blindness. This essay begins by discussing the situation of blind people in nineteenth-century Europe. It then describes the invention of Braille and the gradual process of its acceptance within blind education. Subsequently, it explores the wide-ranging effects of this invention on blind people’s social and cultural lives.

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Step 1: hook your reader, step 2: give background information, step 3: present your thesis statement, step 4: map your essay’s structure, step 5: check and revise, more examples of essay introductions, other interesting articles, frequently asked questions about the essay introduction.

Your first sentence sets the tone for the whole essay, so spend some time on writing an effective hook.

Avoid long, dense sentences—start with something clear, concise and catchy that will spark your reader’s curiosity.

The hook should lead the reader into your essay, giving a sense of the topic you’re writing about and why it’s interesting. Avoid overly broad claims or plain statements of fact.

Examples: Writing a good hook

Take a look at these examples of weak hooks and learn how to improve them.

Braille was an extremely important invention.
The invention of Braille was a major turning point in the history of disability.

The first sentence is a dry fact; the second sentence is more interesting, making a bold claim about exactly why the topic is important.

The internet is defined as “a global computer network providing a variety of information and communication facilities.”
The spread of the internet has had a world-changing effect, not least on the world of education.

Avoid using a dictionary definition as your hook, especially if it’s an obvious term that everyone knows. The improved example here is still broad, but it gives us a much clearer sense of what the essay will be about.

Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is a famous book from the nineteenth century.
Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is often read as a crude cautionary tale about the dangers of scientific advancement.

Instead of just stating a fact that the reader already knows, the improved hook here tells us about the mainstream interpretation of the book, implying that this essay will offer a different interpretation.

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Next, give your reader the context they need to understand your topic and argument. Depending on the subject of your essay, this might include:

Historical, geographical, or social context
An outline of the debate you’re addressing
A summary of relevant theories or research about the topic
Definitions of key terms

The information here should be broad but clearly focused and relevant to your argument. Don’t give too much detail—you can mention points that you will return to later, but save your evidence and interpretation for the main body of the essay.

How much space you need for background depends on your topic and the scope of your essay. In our Braille example, we take a few sentences to introduce the topic and sketch the social context that the essay will address:

Now it’s time to narrow your focus and show exactly what you want to say about the topic. This is your thesis statement —a sentence or two that sums up your overall argument.

This is the most important part of your introduction. A good thesis isn’t just a statement of fact, but a claim that requires evidence and explanation.

The goal is to clearly convey your own position in a debate or your central point about a topic.

Particularly in longer essays, it’s helpful to end the introduction by signposting what will be covered in each part. Keep it concise and give your reader a clear sense of the direction your argument will take.

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As you research and write, your argument might change focus or direction as you learn more.

For this reason, it’s often a good idea to wait until later in the writing process before you write the introduction paragraph—it can even be the very last thing you write.

When you’ve finished writing the essay body and conclusion , you should return to the introduction and check that it matches the content of the essay.

It’s especially important to make sure your thesis statement accurately represents what you do in the essay. If your argument has gone in a different direction than planned, tweak your thesis statement to match what you actually say.

To polish your writing, you can use something like a paraphrasing tool .

You can use the checklist below to make sure your introduction does everything it’s supposed to.

Checklist: Essay introduction

My first sentence is engaging and relevant.

I have introduced the topic with necessary background information.

I have defined any important terms.

My thesis statement clearly presents my main point or argument.

Everything in the introduction is relevant to the main body of the essay.

You have a strong introduction - now make sure the rest of your essay is just as good.

Argumentative
Literary analysis

This introduction to an argumentative essay sets up the debate about the internet and education, and then clearly states the position the essay will argue for.

The spread of the internet has had a world-changing effect, not least on the world of education. The use of the internet in academic contexts is on the rise, and its role in learning is hotly debated. For many teachers who did not grow up with this technology, its effects seem alarming and potentially harmful. This concern, while understandable, is misguided. The negatives of internet use are outweighed by its critical benefits for students and educators—as a uniquely comprehensive and accessible information source; a means of exposure to and engagement with different perspectives; and a highly flexible learning environment.

This introduction to a short expository essay leads into the topic (the invention of the printing press) and states the main point the essay will explain (the effect of this invention on European society).

In many ways, the invention of the printing press marked the end of the Middle Ages. The medieval period in Europe is often remembered as a time of intellectual and political stagnation. Prior to the Renaissance, the average person had very limited access to books and was unlikely to be literate. The invention of the printing press in the 15th century allowed for much less restricted circulation of information in Europe, paving the way for the Reformation.

This introduction to a literary analysis essay , about Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein , starts by describing a simplistic popular view of the story, and then states how the author will give a more complex analysis of the text’s literary devices.

Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is often read as a crude cautionary tale. Arguably the first science fiction novel, its plot can be read as a warning about the dangers of scientific advancement unrestrained by ethical considerations. In this reading, and in popular culture representations of the character as a “mad scientist”, Victor Frankenstein represents the callous, arrogant ambition of modern science. However, far from providing a stable image of the character, Shelley uses shifting narrative perspectives to gradually transform our impression of Frankenstein, portraying him in an increasingly negative light as the novel goes on. While he initially appears to be a naive but sympathetic idealist, after the creature’s narrative Frankenstein begins to resemble—even in his own telling—the thoughtlessly cruel figure the creature represents him as.

If you want to know more about AI tools , college essays , or fallacies make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples or go directly to our tools!

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Your essay introduction should include three main things, in this order:

An opening hook to catch the reader’s attention.
Relevant background information that the reader needs to know.
A thesis statement that presents your main point or argument.

The length of each part depends on the length and complexity of your essay .

The “hook” is the first sentence of your essay introduction . It should lead the reader into your essay, giving a sense of why it’s interesting.

To write a good hook, avoid overly broad statements or long, dense sentences. Try to start with something clear, concise and catchy that will spark your reader’s curiosity.

A thesis statement is a sentence that sums up the central point of your paper or essay . Everything else you write should relate to this key idea.

The thesis statement is essential in any academic essay or research paper for two main reasons:

It gives your writing direction and focus.
It gives the reader a concise summary of your main point.

Without a clear thesis statement, an essay can end up rambling and unfocused, leaving your reader unsure of exactly what you want to say.

The structure of an essay is divided into an introduction that presents your topic and thesis statement , a body containing your in-depth analysis and arguments, and a conclusion wrapping up your ideas.

The structure of the body is flexible, but you should always spend some time thinking about how you can organize your essay to best serve your ideas.

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ALS has killed multiple people in my family. Now the disease is coming for me

I was diagnosed with familial ALS in 2022, and while my body is deteriorating, I’m hopeful the future will be different for my children.

For better or worse, I don’t remember a single thing about my mother or her battle with ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. She was diagnosed at age 29, when I was 2 years old, and my sister, Michelle, was 6 years old.

She died one year after her diagnosis.

My grandmother, mother and two uncles also died from ALS , which runs in my family.

I was diagnosed with familial ALS on March 1, 2022. It was devastating, but not surprising. I’d lived my entire life worried about the disease. That day, my worst nightmare became my reality. I had never done genetic testing for ALS because I knew that if I was positive, my anxiety would be crippling, and there was no intervention that could help me anyway — or so I thought. Thank goodness, after my diagnosis, my neurologist at Rutgers took swift action and referred me to Columbia University’s Eleanor and Lou Gehrig ALS Center, where a new treatment called tofersen was available for my very unique genotype, SOD1.

Only about 5-10% of ALS cases are familial, meaning that two or more people in the family have ALS, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention . SOD1 accounts for about 3% of total ALS cases (20% of familial ALS and 2-7% of sporadic ALS), according to research . Parents with a genetic mutation causing ALS have a 50% chance of passing that mutation on to their children.

Considering no one in my family lived beyond one year after being diagnosed, I am so grateful to be alive. Though my treatment is new, it brings me hope, and has slowed my progression significantly.

This disease is devastating in every way. My first symptom was weakness in my right arm, and for a solid year, I was able to keep my diagnosis private and make adjustments to cope. Today, both of my arms are so weak I can’t raise them at all. I do have mobility in my hands, so I’m able to type. My speech and ability to swallow have been severely diminished. I get all my nutrition via a feeding tube, and I mostly use an app on my iPad and phone to communicate. At night I use a bilevel positive airway pressure (BiPAP) machine to help me breathe and rest my respiratory muscles. Luckily, my legs so far have been unaffected, and I often participate in walks to raise money for ALS research.

People with familial ALS typically live only one to two years after symptoms begin, the CDC reports . Considering no one in my family lived beyond one year after being diagnosed, I am so grateful to be alive 2 ½ years after my diagnosis. Though my treatment is new, it brings me hope. It’s not a cure, but it has slowed my progression significantly.

My older sister did genetic testing for ALS shortly after I was diagnosed, and thank God she is negative. I have two sons, Henry, 19, and Charlie, 21, both in college. My younger son is positive for the same gene, which means there’s a chance he, too, will eventually have ALS , but right now he is not symptomatic. My oldest is in the process of being tested. It is so important that my kids get tested as there is a possibility that they too could receive tofersen, now FDA-approved as Qalsody , and prevent the disease from expressing symptoms.

Melanie Craig with her family at baseball game

I work hard at staying in the moment and taking each day as it comes. It’s not easy. The unknown is so challenging. This medicine is brand-new so no one really knows what will happen. I’m a planner and like to be prepared for changes to come, but at the same time, I’m trying to stay in the moment and not think too far ahead — it’s a challenge I struggle with daily.

The love and support my family and friends have shown me has been overwhelming. I wish everyone had the opportunity to experience this when they are healthy.

Before my diagnosis, I worked as a NICU nurse at Morristown Medical Center in New Jersey. I enjoyed running, Pilates, golf and skiing. I loved to travel and enjoy time with friends and family. Now, a typical day for me starts with my husband of 24 years, Andrew, preparing my medications and breakfast and administering it via my feeding tube. After that, he helps me shower and get dressed. He also does my hair and makeup. He prepares my lunch and then heads to work. I usually spend the morning watching TODAY and catching up on social media and email. Around noon a volunteer (often a teammate from my old women’s hockey team) comes to visit and give me lunch. The afternoons can feel long. I try to turn off the television and read or ride the Peloton. My husband gets home around five. He cooks for himself and the kids (they’re home from college right now) and prepares my dinner. We watch some TV and catch up. Then he gives me my evening meds and gets me ready for bed — helping me into my PJs, getting me settled comfortably and putting on my BiPAP mask. We try to stick to a routine so it doesn’t get too overwhelming.

The love and support my family and friends have shown me has been overwhelming. I wish everyone had the opportunity to experience this when they are healthy.

Melanie Craig with friend playing hockey

One example: I learned to play hockey as an adult with some women I met through my kids’ hockey team. We had a great time learning together. I stopped playing before my diagnosis, but my teammates didn’t forget me. When they heard what had happened, they took it upon themselves to learn how to administer a feeding through my feeding tube, and someone from the team often comes by to give me lunch, so my husband doesn’t have to leave work. Other friends have also joined in to help.

I’ve received love and support from childhood friends, high school friends, work colleagues, neighbors and even strangers. The wider ALS community has also been amazing. Connecting with others who have the disease through social media, fundraising, advocacy and support groups has helped me feel less alone. ALS United Greater New York , I Am ALS, the ALS Therapy Development Institute, Team Gleason, the Healey Center for ALS at Massachusetts General Hospital and Synapticure have been supportive in so many ways. My friends and family recently got together to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the ice bucket challenge , which first went viral in August 2014. I don’t think it’s a stretch to say I would not be here if it weren’t for the original ice bucket challenge, since the money the challenge raised helped fund the development of the drug I take.

Melanie Craig with group of people in nyc

People with ALS tend to hide or fade away because of the devastating physical changes, but our minds are still sharp. I want people to know that this disease — even if it’s not familial ALS — impacts the entire family. We all need support. There might not be a cure for ALS right now, but that doesn’t mean it’s incurable. The past two years alone have brought incredible advancements in ALS research , expanded access to care for people living with ALS, and enabled legislation that impacts the quality of life of people with ALS and their families. I know even more is possible. This disease might be coming for me, but I’m hopeful that the future will be different for my children. It’s time to end this terrible legacy and tell a new family story.

Melanie Craig is a mom and ALS patient in New Jersey.

Pregnancy Loss

This Miscarriage Grief Group Brought Me Unexpected Healing After My Second Loss

White woman in black camisole sitting on the bed looking out the window.

One thing no one tells you about having a miscarriage is that social media quickly becomes a nightmare.

After my second loss , my algorithm was constantly serving me baby-related posts due to interactions I'd had while still pregnant. Each time I'd scroll, I'd be bombarded with shower inspiration or birth-prep tips, and there was no way to let the app know I was no longer pregnant without "liking" photos and videos covering other topics. Even still, it can take some time for the algorithm to adjust.

Desperate for relief, I decided to type the word "miscarriage" into my search bar and discovered an account called The Miscarriage Doula . While I was initially drawn in by the inspirational quotes and helpful statistics regarding pregnancy loss, what really intrigued me was the fact that the founder, Arden Cartrette, also offered counseling and group sessions for a reasonable fee.

Cartrette – who is trained to be both a birth and bereavement doula — created The Miscarriage Doula in 2020, shortly after the birth of her first living son. She realized she was still experiencing grief from her previous losses and it inspired her to connect with those who had similar experiences, particularly with first trimester loss.

"I literally sat down and was like, 'Well, what could I have used that I didn't have?'" Cartrette says. "I didn't have a big support system around me and I really relied on the miscarriage community on Instagram. So, I wanted to create something that was community-based but that wasn't impersonal — how could I make it as personable as possible?"

What began as one-on-one counseling services evolved into the addition of group sessions. For one day each week over the course of six weeks, 10 to 12 people experiencing pregnancy loss could meet via Zoom to tell their stories, discuss coping mechanisms, and share helpful information. The main rules for joining were that you must do so from a private place, away from any living children, and if you became pregnant during that time period, you'd have to share it with the moderator first before announcing it to the group.

Signing up for the recurrent loss support group truly changed my life. Here's how my experience went.

What It's Like to Be in a Miscarriage Grief Group

Each Thursday at 8pm, I would log on and connect with a small group of women, all of whom were scattered around the country and at different stages in their fertility journey . Some had living kids, some were still trying, some had ectopic or chemical pregnancies, and some painfully had to terminate for medical reasons . Everyone was welcome.

Each session was dedicated to a different topic, and with Cartrette as our moderator, we'd discuss everything from navigating friendships to the medical testing we'd completed. It all felt like valuable information, some of which I would have never learned from my doctor or during a panic-induced Reddit spiral. Although we were given prompts, the conversations were casual, and I found it to be so helpful that, when my first six weeks were up, I signed up for another round of sessions — and ended up having six totally different yet equally meaningful chats with another group of women who experienced pregnancy loss.

Arguably, one of the best parts about joining this grief group was that each cohort got their own WhatsApp group chat. Here, we were free to share photos of pets, vacation plans, and — most importantly — openly vent. These people who could understand what I was going through and relate to all the little things, like why a celebrity pregnancy announcement might ruin my day. They also shared personal knowledge on blood tests or invasive procedures, and I was able to do the same for them.

Even after the official sessions end, the group chats remain active, which has definitely helped me feel less alone. If a family member makes a weird comment or grief hits me unexpectedly, I know there's a safe place to turn to for support. My groups have really rallied around me and, no matter what I'm feeling, I know many of them have been through it, too.

My Biggest Takeaways From Joining a Miscarriage Grief Group

Hearing other pregnancy loss stories has confirmed that there's no "right" way to grieve . One person might celebrate their baby's due date each year, while others find the day they miscarried to be more meaningful. I've met people who are done trying to conceive and some who have gone through multiple losses, but are still trying.

It was also helpful to open up about my own journey — the physical pain that came with passing both of my losses at home and the trauma I experienced afterward, including how triggering blood and periods can be. Things I felt guilty about, like panicking and flushing my first miscarriage, were met with support, understanding, and similar stories — something that was invaluable to me.

"I think sometimes the world sees miscarriage as this simple, tiny moment in life, and it's so much more than that," says Cartrette. "Miscarriage doesn't just happen in a day or an hour. It can happen over a month, physically. But then emotionally it's...I consider it a whole year of emotional just grief and navigating life. And even after that year is up, somebody isn't healed...It's a long process."

The reality is, everyone's journey after pregnancy loss looks different and that's OK. What worked for me may not work for you. But joining a grief group after my miscarriage helped me heal — and if you're going through something similar and searching for answers, I couldn't recommend it more.

Samantha Sutton is a freelance writer with over a decade of experience. During the course of her career, she has written for POPSUGAR, InStyle, Stylecaster, Page Six, Real Simple, and more. When she is not covering women's lifestyle topics or working with publications as a stylist, she can be found somewhere between Staten Island, where she grew up, and upstate New York, where she resides with her husband, J.T., and their dog, Poppy.

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How to Write a Conclusion, With Examples
Before we dive into the details, here's a basic outline of how to write a conclusion: Restate your thesis: remind readers of your main point. Reiterate your supporting points: remind readers of your evidence or arguments. Wrap everything up by tying it all together. Write a clincher: with the last sentence, leave your reader with something to ...
How to End an Essay: Writing a Strong Conclusion
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. Method 1.
How to Write About Yourself in a College Essay
Focus on a specific moment, and describe the scene using your five senses. Mention objects that have special significance to you. Instead of following a common story arc, include a surprising twist or insight. Your unique voice can shed new perspective on a common human experience while also revealing your personality.
How to Conclude an Essay
Step 1: Return to your thesis. To begin your conclusion, signal that the essay is coming to an end by returning to your overall argument. Don't just repeat your thesis statement —instead, try to rephrase your argument in a way that shows how it has been developed since the introduction. Example: Returning to the thesis.
Writing an 'All About Me' essay?
This will help grab the reader's attention and set the tone for the rest of the essay. 2. Introduce yourself: Briefly share general information about yourself like your name, age, background, and location. You might also mention your interests and passions early on to give the reader a sense of who you are. 3.
Conclusions
Highlight the "so what". At the beginning of your paper, you explain to your readers what's at stake—why they should care about the argument you're making. In your conclusion, you can bring readers back to those stakes by reminding them why your argument is important in the first place. You can also draft a few sentences that put ...
How to End a College Admissions Essay
Option 4: End on an action. Ending on an action can be a strong way to wrap up your essay. That might mean including a literal action, dialogue, or continuation of the story. These endings leave the reader wanting more rather than wishing the essay had ended sooner. They're interesting and can help you avoid boring your reader.
15 Tips for Writing a College Essay About Yourself
We don't get the same depth with the first example. 6. Don't be afraid to show off…. You should always put your best foot forward—the whole point of your essay is to market yourself to colleges. This isn't the time to be shy about your accomplishments, skills, or qualities. 7. …. While also maintaining humility.
Ending the Essay: Conclusions
Finally, some advice on how not to end an essay: Don't simply summarize your essay. A brief summary of your argument may be useful, especially if your essay is long--more than ten pages or so. But shorter essays tend not to require a restatement of your main ideas. Avoid phrases like "in conclusion," "to conclude," "in summary," and "to sum up ...
Conclusions
The conclusion allows you to have the final say on the issues you have raised in your paper, to synthesize your thoughts, to demonstrate the importance of your ideas, and to propel your reader to a new view of the subject. It is also your opportunity to make a good final impression and to end on a positive note.
How To Write an Essay About Yourself
You either love to talk about yourself or hate it, but one thing is for sure: Writing about yourself in essay form is hard for anyone. Learn how to write the perfect essay about yourself here.
9 Tips for Writing an Essay About Yourself
5. Write in the First Person. You're telling your story, so write from your perspective! You can narrate your story. You can provide an overview of what you learned from your experiences. However you choose to answer the prompt, we recommend writing in an active tone, and using "I" and "me" throughout your essay. 6.
How to End an Essay about Yourself
Implement the Bookend Technique. The bookend technique is where you start and end an essay on a high note. With this technique, the intro and the end should integrate with the essay's body ...
How Do I Write an Intro, Conclusion, & Body Paragraph?
Part I: The Introduction. An introduction is usually the first paragraph of your academic essay. If you're writing a long essay, you might need 2 or 3 paragraphs to introduce your topic to your reader. A good introduction does 2 things: Gets the reader's attention. You can get a reader's attention by telling a story, providing a statistic ...
How to Write a Personal Statement
Watch out for cliches like "making a difference," "broadening my horizons," or "the best thing that ever happened to me." 3. Stay focused. Try to avoid getting off-track or including tangents in your personal statement. Stay focused by writing a first draft and then re-reading what you've written.
How To Write an Essay Conclusion (With Examples)
An effective conclusion is created by following these steps: 1. Restate the thesis. An effective conclusion brings the reader back to the main point, reminding the reader of the purpose of the essay. However, avoid repeating the thesis verbatim. Paraphrase your argument slightly while still preserving the primary point.
Conclusions and why they matter
These functions are equally important in the structure of an essay. A conclusion is a paragraph (or set of paragraphs) that comes at the very end of an essay and it must restate the thesis (say what the essay has argued) and summarize the argument. Think about a conclusion from the reader's point of view as the end of a conversation.
How to Write a College Application Essay: 13 Tips
You've learned about essay structures in class, no doubt, so put it to use here. Create bullet points for topics you want to hit in the body paragraphs. If you've got an idea for an intro hook or a good conclusion, jot them down—though some people find it easier to write the introduction and conclusion after they've written the body. 4.
How do I write about myself in a college essay?
Most importantly, your essay should be about you, not another person or thing. An insightful college admissions essay requires deep self-reflection, authenticity, and a balance between confidence and vulnerability. Your essay shouldn't be a résumé of your experiences but instead should tell a story that demonstrates your most important ...
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Everything I know about a good death I learned from my cat | Liz Lopatto. Dorothy Parker was Lopatto's cat, a stray adopted from a local vet. And Dorothy Parker, known mostly as Dottie, died ...
92 Essay Transition Words to Know, With Examples
Abruptly switching topics in essays can be jarring; however, transition words can smooth the change for the convenience of the reader.Moreover, you can use essay transition words to start a paragraph, sentence, or clause more naturally.Additionally, essay transition words can connect new information to the previous statement so you don't have to say everything at once.
How to Write an Essay Conclusion: Full Guide with Examples
A strong conclusion should: summarize all the main points of the essay and tie them in with the thesis statement. highlight the most important argument of your essay. show the broader implications ...
The Rise and Fall of George Santos Is a Lesson for America
Beyond that, there is nothing much left for Santos to say. His rise and fall on the national stage is complete, even if his example lives on. His was the story of a figure out of Twain, Melville ...
A strong conclusion is the pinnacle of a presentation, leaving a
Seven Tips for have a strong end in your presentation: 1.Call to Action. At the end of the speech, he used his profound understanding and unique insights to offer hope and appeal to the audience. This kind of ending can inspire the audience's enthusiasm and make the audience take action. E.g.
How to Write an Essay Introduction
Table of contents. Step 1: Hook your reader. Step 2: Give background information. Step 3: Present your thesis statement. Step 4: Map your essay's structure. Step 5: Check and revise. More examples of essay introductions. Other interesting articles. Frequently asked questions about the essay introduction.
Mom with ALS Shares What It's Like to Have Disease Run in Family
Essay. ALS has killed multiple people in my family. Now the disease is coming for me. ... It's time to end this terrible legacy and tell a new family story. Melanie Craig.
Joining a Miscarriage Grief Group Helped Me Heal After Loss
Even after the official sessions end, the group chats remain active, which has definitely helped me feel less alone. If a family member makes a weird comment or grief hits me unexpectedly, I know ...

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15 Tips for Writing an Essay About Yourself

2. Choose a topic that’s meaningful to you

3. Show your personality

4. Write in your own voice

5. Use specific examples

6. Don’t be afraid to show off…

7. …While also maintaining humility

8. Be vulnerable

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5 moving, beautiful essays about death and dying

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