Two years.
That’s how long I’ve been a writing tutor at the Marian E. Wright Writing Center (M.E.W.).
And yet, like all good things, my time at the Writing Center must come to an end. Today is my last day working at M.E.W. and I wanted to commemorate my time here by reflecting on conclusions.
Most people are under the impression that a conclusion paragraph should be a summary of everything you just wrote about and nothing more. If that was how I wanted to conclude my time at the writing center, my final paragraph might look something like this:
My two years at M.E.W. were rewarding on both a professional and a personal level. I connected with professionals in the field through conferences, worked one-on-one with writers to promote effective writing skills, and boosted my resume in the process. But the true joy of working at M.E.W. was being part of the Writing Center family. I will miss my brothers and sisters, but I am forever thankful for the laughs we had, and the skills we developed together.
Not bad.
I mean, it would help to have the rest of the “paper,” but you can get a general sense of what it was probably about.
Here’s the problem: my readers just read my paper. A play-by-play of what they just finished reading is only so useful. My conclusion needs something extra; something to not only tie my points together, but to highlight the questions and/or possibilities my argument reveals.
With that in mind, let’s try writing this conclusion again:
My two years at M.E.W. were rewarding on both a professional and a personal level. I connected with professionals in the field through conferences, worked one-on-one with writers to promote effective writing skills, and became part of the M.E.W. family. It was this family that pointed me towards my new career as a grant writer, and supported me unconditionally as I transitioned into my new position. My time as a M.E.W. tutor has come to a close, but I will continue to look for ways to collaborate with the Writing Center so as to spread the spirit of community they promote; finding my replacement might be a good place to start.
What do you think?
Now, instead of just reflecting on the things that happened in the rest of the paper, I have connected my experiences with my career. I have also promised future collaboration, and suggested how this might be accomplished.
And all I did was ask myself the question:
What questions/possibilities does my argument reveal?
For more information on writing conclusions, feel free to visit the following link:
https://www.scribbr.com/academic-essay/conclusion/#:~:text=The%20conclusion%20is%20the%20final,reader%20with%20a%20strong%20impression
You are also, of course, welcome to bring you conclusions (and introductions/body paragraphs) to the Writing Center if you need a second pair of eyes. The M.E.W. community is ready to help!
