What are some good ways to end my college essay?

First, take a deep breath. The fact that you’re stressing about your conclusion feeling "flat" is actually a good sign, it means you have the self-awareness to know that a generic summary won't cut it in elite admissions.

You are asking the right questions, but you are framing the choice as Circle Back vs. Future Goals. In reality, the strongest conclusions often do both, but they do it through a specific technique I talk about often: Recontextualization.

Here is the truth about endings: Admissions officers spend about 4-8 minutes total on your entire application. By the time they hit your conclusion, they shouldn't just be reminded of what they just read (they haven't forgotten yet). They need to be shown why it matters to the person you are becoming.

Here is my advice on how to fix a "flat" ending:

1. The "Full Circle" approach (Do it, but deeper)

You asked if you should reference your introduction. Yes, but do not just repeat it. If you open with an anecdote about struggling to order food in a new language, don't end by saying, "Now I can order food perfectly." That is static. Instead, recontextualize that opening image. Show us how that same scenario now looks through the lens of the growth you described in the body.

Bad Full Circle: "Looking back at that first day, I realize how far I've come."

Strong Recontextualization: Return to the moment of confusion from the intro, but interpret it with your new perspective. Perhaps that silence you feared isn't a failure of language anymore, but a space you now use to listen and understand others more deeply. Change the meaning of the intro.

2. The "Future Goals" approach (Avoid the cliché)

You mentioned ending with a statement about your future. Be very careful here. Most students write: "I hope to bring this perspective to [College] and become a doctor." That is the definition of noise. It blends in.

If you go the future route, you need to be tangible and vivid. Don't tell me you want to change the world; show me a snippet of how you will do it using the specific traits you just proved you have.

Action-Based is better than vague reflection: If your essay is about learning a language, don't just say you value communication. Show us how you plan to use that specific empathy to tackle a real-world problem. Make the admissions officer visualize you on their campus, not just as a student, but as an active force.

3. "Reflection" vs. "Action"

You asked which is better. In my experience, the best conclusions are forward-looking reflections. Pure reflection ("I learned that resilience is key") is boring. Pure action ("I will join the debate club") can feel disconnected. Combine them: "Learning this language didn't just teach me vocabulary; it taught me to be comfortable with the unknown. That is a mindset I will need as I tackle [specific ambitious goal/field of study]."


Since you feel your body is strong, your conclusion does not need to summarize. Its job is to land the plane.

Don't: Summarize the points you just made (repetitive).

Don't: Use broad platitudes like "This experience made me who I am today."

Do: Tie the specific personal growth (from the language barrier) to a specific way you interact with the world now.

My recommendation for you: Try to combine your "Full Circle" idea with the "Future" idea.

Draft a sentence that brings up the image/hook from your intro.

Immediately follow it by showing how you will use that experience to solve a problem or contribute to a community in the future.

This bridges the gap between "who I was" (intro), "who I became" (body), and "what I will do" (conclusion). That is how you rise above the noise.