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    How to End a Scholarship Essay in Five Steps

    Gabriel Jimenez-Ekman By Gabriel Jimenez-Ekman
    Gabriel Jimenez-Ekman

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

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    Edited by Maria Geiger
    Maria Geiger

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

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    Updated: May 20th, 2024
    Woman stares in front of her as she works on the end of her scholarship essay

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

    1. Recall your introduction

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

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

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

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

    3. Discuss your plans for the future

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

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

    Also read: How to write a scholarship cover letter

    4. Thank your reader for their time

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

    Also read: How to write an essay about yourself

    5. Remember to proofread!

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

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

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

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

    Additional resources

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

    Frequently asked questions about scholarship essays

    How long should a scholarship essay be?

    How long your scholarship essay will be will vary from scholarship to scholarship. Some essay applications may give you more room than others. In order to still utilize the tips above, decide beforehand how much of your scholarship essay you’ll want to spend on each section. For example, for a 500 word essay, you may want to spend the first 100 words writing an introduction, another 100 talking about your career plans, and then the remainder of the page tying those two things together.

    What should I include in my scholarship essay?

    Again, this is something that will vary depending on what it is the scholarship asks you to write about. The scholarship committee might want to know about a specific time in your life, how you plan to use the scholarship money, or just general information. The point is that whatever you include should answer the question that they ask you. Don’t talk about your future career aspirations if a scholarship is asking to hear about a difficult time in your life that you overcame.

    What looks good on scholarship applications?

    The best thing you can do for your scholarship application is take your time and make sure that all the necessary information is included. Some scholarships may ask you to write an essay, for letters of recommendation and school materials. Give yourself ample time to collect all the required components!

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