Remembering Essay: Student Example
In his memory narrative, Ryan recalls a difficult time when he realized
what was really important. His essay reflects the growing pains many freshmen
will experience. He writes about the turning point in his life when he
finally realized his priority in life: getting an education. In the process
he sacrificed one very special person; knowing that he was making the right
decision didn't make it any easier for him. Ryan writes honestly about
the painful realities he faced. I chose this essay for freshmen to read
because Ryan writes so profoundly yet simply about what many freshmen may
experience. Perhaps at the end of this semester students may find themselves
pondering if they have taken the right path. Rich in self-evaluation and
narration of events, honest and candid, the essay does have a couple of
problems that easily could have been corrected in a quick revision. He
writes mostly in past tense, but once in awhile slips in to present tense.
Sometimes a change in tense is necessary and quite effective; in this case,
however, Ryan's switch is both ungrammatical and a little distracting.
Ryan also needed to pay attention more closely to punctuation. This essay
is presented with Ryan's permission and may not be reproduced in any part
or whole without his written consent.
Ryan
14 May 1998
Looking back at my first semester at the University
of Northern Colorado and trying to explain why thing were so horrible that
I had to leave is pretty difficult. I had a wonderful girlfriend ( Kristin),
my roommate was my best friend, and no classes before 11:15 A.M. It sounds
like things couldn't get much better.
But something just wasn't right and things weren't
working out the way I wanted them to. With about two weeks left in the
semester I decided I was going to move to Seattle and live with my parents
as soon as finals were over. I wanted to leave because I was having serious
problems with classes and I was looking for an easy way out.
My friends and I didn't make a huge issue of me leaving,
almost as if we already knew how things would end up. I said good-bye to
my best friends and had one more thing to do before leaving. Kristin and
I never really talked about what was going to happen to us. Neither one
of us could stand talking about the idea of being apart, so we never did.
I spent the night before I left with her and we never really talked at
all, we both just laid on her couch just holding reach other and crying
all night.
Just as planned, I moved the next day an stared over
in Seattle. I didn't feel like doing anymore school work so I got a job
instead. I quickly realized school was much more fun than working full
time. I missed my friends and especially Kristin. Three months of forty
hour work weeks slowly roll by and I asked for a week off to come back
and visit my friends here at Northern Colorado.
The anticipation of arrival was killing me and I
couldn't stand being in the airplane anymore. My old roommate picked me
up at the airport and we drove back to school talking the entire time.
Being back in my old dorm room actually feels good for a change. I started
to realize that going to school isn't half as bad as the alternative I
was currently living in Seattle. I haven't seen Kristin yet and I knew
she is in her room down the hall waiting for me to come see her. I started
to feel real weird as I approached her room, I remember all the letters
and phone calls I received from her. We talked about me returning so many
times and now it was happening.
When I see her again for the first time it is great
and we hug for a long time. We sat down in her room and talked for while,
but things didn't seem the same. Being apart for three months has seemed
to take it's toll on the relationship and it was showing. I wanted to spend
time with my friends also so I left Kristin with a not so great feeling
about the way our reunion went. My friends and I spent the day remembering
old times and talking about the future.
I didn't even see Kristin that night and was feeling
a variety of emotions. I was mostly sad because I knew I was losing someone
I cared about and couldn't do anything about it. I was also confused because
up until the moment I got here things seemed to be fine. I spent a sleepless
night wondering what was going to happen tomorrow.
In the morning Kristin and I went on a walk and discussed
what was going on. She claimed I had changed and so things were different
and she didn't feel the same way about me anymore. I'm not the type to
be really emotional but I was pretty upset and confused. It was hard for
me to even look at her now because the Kristin I remember was gone. I guess
we both changed and she realized it before I did. I spent the rest of the
week with my friends and left Colorado without saying good-bye to Kristin.
When I returned to Seattle I had a new outlook on
things and felt a sense of closure that was absent when I left school the
first semester. I went back to my job and continued to communicate with
friends in Colorado. I now knew what I wanted and what would be best in
the long run for me. I saved the money I was making and set a date for
when I would return to Colorado for good.
I returned June 28 and stayed with a friend the rest
of the summer until school started. I was so happy to be back and actually
excited to start my classes. Leaving school showed me the alternative to
not getting a college education and motivated me to work harder.
Today, things are better than I could have imagined.
School is going great and I got a 3.4 last Fall and a 3.6 this Spring.
I still haven't ever seen or talked to Kristin since then but I still sometimes
wonder what she is doing these days. Sometimes in life you have to remove
yourself from what you love to remind yourself of how important to you
it is. I learned many valuable lessons when I left school and I view that
decision as the most important I have ever made.
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