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Memories Essay | Essay on My Best Memories for Students and Children in English

July 22, 2021 by Prasanna

Memories Essay: Memories are an essential part of our bodies. They shape our character as the entirety of our insight and past encounters are put away there. We all have Memories, both great and awful. You have Memories from some time in the past and furthermore from ongoing occasions. Besides, a few Memories assist us with getting extreme days and make us happy on great days.

Memories are the easily overlooked details that help in running our lives easily. As such, Memories are indispensable and they are extremely dear to us. They assist us with learning our missteps and improve us. As I would like to think, one’s cherished Memories are the dearest to anybody. They help in keeping the kid in you alive. In addition, it likewise is a justification for our grins in the middle of grown-up life.

You can read more  Essay Writing  about articles, events, people, sports, technology many more.

Beloved Memories are a remarkable piece of our life. The clever, most joyful, delightful, best, superb and remarkable Memories of youth days are very difficult to quit recalling. Youth is truth be told the most awesome aspect of anybody’s life.

Essay on Childhood Memories

Memories are perhaps the most essential things which we can treasure for the duration of our life. They develop our character as the entirety of our insight and past encounters are put away there. Memories can be both acceptable and awful. There are Memories either from quite a while in the past or from the late past. On our crucial occasions, we may get some reward by reviewing our Memories. We can run our lives easier with the assistance of these Memories. Memories help us from numerous points of view. We can correct ourselves from previous slip-ups. Beloved Memories are loved by us all. They make us grin even at our advanced age.

Cherished Memories are exceptionally huge in our lives. We can review the best occasions of our lives. Beloved Memories develop our future and perspective. Individuals with great beloved Memories are cheerful people. On the opposite side, some terrible beloved Memories likewise influence the fate of a person.

A cherished memory certainly doesn’t characterize anybody however they assume an essential part in one’s life. It isn’t required that an individual with great Memories consistently carries on with a prosperous life while an individual with terrible Memories consistently carries on with a dangerous life. Here and there, repulsive beloved Memories make a man more grounded.

By the by, one might say that the internal identity is kept alive by cherished Memories. There is consistently a kid inside each individual. It might come out of nowhere at any stage throughout everyday life.

Some might be energized on seeing swings; some may behave like a kid when they see panipuri. The purpose for the realities is we are reminded by our cherished Memories without fail. Thus, cherished Memories assume an exceptionally fundamental part in our lives.

Childhood Memories

I was conceived and raised in an entirely cute family. I have grown up with my senior sibling with whom I used to play a ton. I recollect every single game we used to play together. Each second is extremely valuable to me. In the early evening, we used to play cricket in our close by ground. The Memories of playing in the ground together are entrancing.

Another lovely thing I can recollect is flying kites. It used to be quite possibly the most intriguing thing of my youth. Indeed, even the senior individuals from the family took an interest in us. We used to fly kites on our porch. The kite-flying project would keep going for the whole day.

Another excellent thing I can recall is my meeting at the zoo with my family. We made one zoo visit each year. They used to be those exceptionally basic yet sensational family cookout minutes. We would convey stuffed food from home that my mom used to cook. My senior sibling would click a few photos of us. At the point when I take a gander at those photos now, the Memories wake up. Today, such countless things have changed yet my beloved Memories is still new in my heart. It feels so invigorating to remember them over and over. My beloved Memories are exceptionally near my heart and make me grin on my troublesome days.

We should all love our cherished Memories as they can generally be our friend, our “joy of isolation.” Simple things hold grave significance when they are from the youth days. The days were liberated from intricacies and loaded with guiltlessness. Thus, they are so close to heart. Everybody adores their cherished recollections. It is the stage that establishes the framework of a kid’s character and future. Tragically, we can’t get those days back now yet we ought to be content for having particularly stunning adolescence.

FAQ’s on Memories Essay

Question 1. Why are memories important in life?

Answer: Memories are exceptionally fundamental in our lives since they permit us to develop and figure out how to be a superior individual. Our memories can show us vital life exercises, exhibit abilities and capacities and can cause us to feel cheerful and engaged. We can recall where we did our missteps and gain from them.

Question 2. What are happy memories?

Answer: At the point when you consider lovely memories, you can portray it as thinking back. You can allude to the recollections as memories or then again, in the event that you truly need to overdo it, maybe a little, sweet memory.

Question 3. Why are memories so powerful?

Answer: Different neurons in the mind should fire in synchrony to make constant recollections attached to extreme feelings, new exploration has found. Memories connected with compelling feelings regularly become singed in the mind. What’s as yet a secret is a reason these recollections, recorded by the cerebrum’s hippocampus, become so solid.

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Childhood Memories Essay for Students and Children

500+ words essay on childhood memories.

Memories are a vital component of our bodies. They shape our personality as all our knowledge and past experiences are stored there. All of us have memories, both good and bad. You have memories from long ago and also from recent times. Furthermore, some memories help us get by tough days and make us cheerful on good days.

Memories are the little things which help in running our lives smoothly. In other words, memories are irreplaceable and they are very dear to us. They help us learn from our mistakes and make us better. In my opinion, one’s childhood memories are the dearest to anyone. They help in keeping the child in you alive. Moreover, it also is a reason for our smiles in between adult life.

Importance of Childhood Memories

Childhood memories are very important in our lives. It makes us remember the best times of our lives. They shape our thinking and future. When one has good childhood memories, they grow up to be happy individuals. However, if one has traumatic childhood memories, it affects their adult life gravely.

Thus, we see how childhood memories shape our future. They do not necessarily define us but they surely play a great role. It is not important that someone with traumatic childhood memories may turn out to be not well. People get past their traumatic experiences and grow as human beings. But, these memories play a great role in this process as well.

Most importantly, childhood memories keep the inner child alive. No matter how old we get, there is always a child within each one of us. He/She comes out at different times.

For instance, some may act like a child on seeing swings; the other may get excited like a child when they see ice cream. All this happens so because we have our childhood memories reminding us of the times associated with the things we get excited about. Therefore, childhood memories play a great role in our lives.

Get the huge list of more than 500 Essay Topics and Ideas

My Childhood Memories

Growing up, I had a very loving family. I had three siblings with whom I used to play a lot. I remember very fondly the games we use to play. Especially, in the evenings, we used to go out in the park with our sports equipment. Each day we played different games, for example, football on one day and cricket on the other. These memories of playing in the park are very dear to me.

Furthermore, I remember clearly the aroma of my grandmother’s pickles. I used to help her whenever she made pickles. We used to watch her do the magic of combining the oils and spices to make delicious pickles. Even today, I can sometimes smell her pickles whenever I look back at this memory.

Most importantly, I remember this instance very clearly when we went out for a picnic with my family. We paid a visit to the zoo and had an incredible day. My mother packed delectable dishes which we ate in the zoo. My father clicked so many pictures that day. When I look at these pictures, the memory is so clear, it seems like it happened just yesterday. Thus, my childhood memories are very dear to me and make me smile when I feel low.

Q.1 Why is Childhood Memories important?

A.1 Childhood memories shape our personality and future. They remind us of the good times and help us get by on tough days. Moreover, they remind us of past experiences and mistakes which help us improve ourselves.

Q.2 What can be a common childhood memory for all?

A.2 In my opinion, a childhood memory most of us have in common is the first day of school. Most of us remember what we felt like on the first day. In addition, our birthdays are also very common childhood memory that reminds us of gifts and celebrations on that day.

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201 Memory Research Topics & Essay Examples

Memory is a fascinating brain function. Together with abstract thinking and empathy, memory is the thing that makes us human.

❓ Memory Research Questions

🏆 best memory topic ideas & essay examples, 💭 exciting memory research topics, 💫 interesting memory topics for essays, 👍 research topics about memory in psychology, 🕑 learning & memory research topics, 💡 easy memory essay ideas.

In your essay about memory, you might want to compare its short-term and long-term types. Another idea is to discuss the phenomenon of false memories. The connection between memory and the quality of sleep is also exciting to explore.

If you’re looking for memory topics to research & write about, you’re in the right place. In this article, you’ll find 174 memory essay topics, ideas, questions, and sample papers related to the concept of memory.

• How does sensory memory work?
• How is short-term memory different from long-term memory?
• What memory-training techniques are the most effective?
• What are the reasons for memory failures?
• Memory and aging: what is the connection?
• What are the key types of memory disorders?
• How to improve memory?
• Memory Chart Stages in Psychology For instance, the brain uses the procedural memory to encode procedural skills and tasks that an individual is involved in. The stages of memory are very complex and often pass unrecognized.
• “The Sorrow of War” by Bao Ninh: Memory as a Central Idea The image of soldier Kien in The Sorrow of War demonstrates the difficulties of the Vietnamese people before, through and after this war.
• Computer’s Memory Management Memory management is one of the primary responsibilities of the OS, a role that is achieved by the use of the memory management unit.
• Memory for Designs Test The examination of the functioning of the memory of an individual cannot be limited to only one memory test, and as a result, there are a variety of assessments that target the various features of […]
• Chauri Chaura Incident in History and Memory The book’s first half was a reconstruction, a narrative in historical view of the burning of the chowki or station and the account of the trial that focused on the testimony of the principal prosecution […]
• Free and Serial Memory Recalls in Experiments In the study, the experimenters changed the order in which the items were presented to the participants before each trial to test the ability of the subject to recognize these words it was observed that […]
• Rivermead Behavioural Memory Test and Cognistat Rivermead Behavioural Memory Test and the Cognistat are the assessment tools employed by the occupational therapists in order to determine the levels of impairment in their mental function that directly impact the individuals’ executive abilities […]
• Mnemonics for Memory Improvement in Students The selected participants will be split into two groups that will be asked to memorize a set of words from a story with the help of the suggested technique.
• Memory and Attention as Aspects of Cognition It has specific definitions, such as “consideration with a view to action,” “a condition of readiness involving a selective narrowing or focusing of consciousness and receptivity,” and “the act or state of applying the mind […]
• Chocolate Consumption and Working Memory in Men and Women In this study, the independent variable was chocolate intake, while the dependent variable was the effect of chocolate on the memory of different genders.
• Long and Short Term Memory The procedure of conveying information from STM to LTM entails the encoding and consolidation of information: it is not a task of time; the more the data resides in STM it increases the chances of […]
• “How Reliable Is Your Memory?” by Elizabeth Loftus Regardless of how disturbing and sorrowful it may be, and even when pointed out that this certain memory is false, a person may be unable to let it go.
• Love and Memory From a Psychological Point of View The commonly known love types include affection, passionate love, friendship, infatuation, puppy love, sexual love, platonic love, romantic love and many other terms that could be coined out to basically describe love.
• Improving Memory and Study Power Study power and memory are important aspects of the learning process and improving them is necessary for success. Working the brain is important in improvement of memory and study power.
• Hippocampus: Learning and Memory The limbic cortex, amygdala, and hippocampus are considered the processing parts of the limbic system while the output part comprises the septal nuclei and the hypothalamus.
• Concreteness of Words and Free Recall Memory The study hypothesized that the free recall mean of concrete words is not statistically significantly higher than that of abstract words.
• Music Role in Memory and Learning Processes As such, the study purposed to test the differences in visuospatial abilities between men and women bearing in mind that the former is perceived to demonstrate greater memory capabilities compared to the latter As such, […]
• Biopsychology of Learning and Memory The hippocampus is a brain region in the form of a horseshoe that plays an essential role in the transformation of information from the short-term memory to the long-term memory.
• Memory Test The two controversies determine the classification of memory depending on the form of information processing that occurs in the brain and the different types of memories in relation to the accessibility.
• The Effect of Sleep Quality and IQ on Memory Therefore, the major aim of sleep is to balance the energies in the body. However, the nature of the activity that an individual is exposed to determines the rate of memory capture.
• Emotions: The Influence on Memory At the same time, the influence of positive and negative feelings on the process of memorization and reproduction is different. In conclusion, it should be said that the process of the influence of emotions on […]
• Surrealism and Dali’s “The Persistence of Memory” Of course, The Persistence of Memory is one of the best-known works, which is often regarded as one of the most conspicuous illustrations of the movement.
• Memory and Emotions in Personal Experience I tried to convince Sherry that the kind of life she led will not do good to her. I thought that Sherry is a grown-up person who would understand the mistakes she had done and […]
• Amnesia and Long-Term Memory These factors interfere with the function of hippocampus, the section of the human brain that is responsible for the development of memory, storing and organizing information.
• Conflict at Walt Disney Company: A Distant Memory? The conflict between Michael Eisner and the Weinstein brothers, the two board members, and Steve Jobs was related to a dysfunctional form of conflict.
• ”The Mystery of Memory” Documentary by Gray & Schwarz The documentary examines the brain’s ability to form and retrieve a memory, highlights the importance of neurobiology, and focuses on the problems of PTSD treatment and neuroscience backwardness, concluding that human memory is still a […]
• The Relationship Between Memory and Oblivion The purpose of this essay is to discuss the relationship between memory and oblivion, private and public recollection of events, and the way these concepts are reflected in the works of Walid Raad, Christo, and […]
• Misinformation Effect and Memory Impairment It is important to determine the science behind the misinformation effect, because the implication of the study goes beyond the confines of psychology.
• How to Improve Your Memory One of the most effective ways to memorize some information is based on the research concerning working memory. Furthermore, Sperling’s research which proves that people have photographic memory can help work out some strategy to […]
• Memory Process: Visual Receptivity and Retentiveness For one to articulately understand the concepts of working-memory, short-term-memory, and long-term-memory in present days, he or she has to streamline the three memory types to specifics of what constitutes or makes a difference or […]
• Statistics: The Self-Reference Effect and Memory After the distraction part was over, the participants were asked to recall the twelve adjectives they rated from a list of 42 words. This brings the question of whether the results would be different if […]
• Effects of Marijuana on Memory of Long-Term Users The pivotal aim of the proposed study is to evaluate the impact of marijuana use on long-term memory of respondents. The adverse impact of marijuana after the abstinent syndrome refers to significant changes in prefrontal […]
• Factors of Learners’ and Adults’ Working Memory An individual’s working memory refers to their ability to access and manipulate bits of data in their mind for a short period.
• Memory Mechanisms: Cognitive Load Theory The teacher’s task is not only to give information but also to explain the principles of learning and to work with it.
• The Self-Reference Effect and Memory Accordingly, the analysis has the following hypotheses: the SRE should enhance recognition of words that participants can relate to themselves, and people should feel more confident about their memory under the SRE.
• Henry Molaison and Memory Lessons The case of Henry Molaison serves as a poignant reminder of the complexity of memory and the importance of understanding its various components.
• Intergenerational Trauma and Traumatic Memory The exploration of interconnected issues of intergenerational trauma and traumatic memory in society with historical data of collective violence across the world sensitizes to the importance of acknowledging trauma.
• The Role of Memory Cells in Cellular Immunity Therefore, when a bacterium gets into the body for a second time, the response is swift because the body has fought it before. Thus, a healthy body can recognize and get rid of chronic microorganisms […]
• Psychological Conditions in Addition to Highly Superior Autobiographical Memory The authors, who have many papers and degrees in the field, have noted the features of the brain structure and the differences between HSAM.
• Cognitive Psychology: The Effects of Memory Conformity The experiment’s control conditions did not allow the witnesses to discuss the event seen in the videos, while in the other condition, the witnesses were encouraged to discuss the event.
• Survival and Memory in Music of the Ghosts by Ratner When it comes to individual memory of Teera’s childhood, the author explains the connection between her memories of her father and musical instruments: “Perhaps it’s because as a child she grew up listening to her […]
• Concept for Teaching Memory in Primary School Students Teaching is one of the most demanding and demanding jobs in the world because it is the job that holds the future generation together.
• Draw It or Lose It Memory and Storage Considerations Since the size of the biggest component of this data is known and the additional component can be reasonably estimated, memory for it can be assigned at load time.
• The Multi-Storage Memory Model by Atkinson and Schiffrin The function of the is to track the stimuli in the input register and to provide a place to store the information coming from the LTS.
• Civility, Democracy, Memory in Sophocles’ Antigone In Sophocles’ Antigone, the narrative flow makes the audience empathize with the tragic fate of the characters, deepening the emotional involvement of the readers and viewers.
• The Psychological Nature of Memory Using the numerical representation of the participants’ results, the researchers calculated the dependence of the memory and theory of mind in the process of recalling the interlocutors.
• Functioning of Human Memory Schemas Consecutively, the study aimed to identify the relation between the facilitation of prior knowledge schemas and memories and the ability to form new schemas and inferences in older adults.
• Enhancing Individual and Collaborative Eyewitness Memory Considering the positive results of research utilizing category clustering recall and the reported benefits of group memory, a question arises whether the use of category clustering recall might diminish the negative effects of group inhibition.
• Memory: Its Functions, Types, and Stages of Storage First, information is processed in sensory memory, which perceives sensory events for a couple of seconds to determine whether the information is valuable and should be kept for a longer period. As information goes through […]
• The Relationship Between the Working Memory and Non-Conscious Experiences The structure of the proposal follows the logical layout, beginning from the background of the issue through the methodology to problem significance and research innovation.
• Consciousness: The Link Between Working Memory and Unconscious Experience The present study seeks to address the gap in the research regarding the executive function of VWM and consciousness. This study will follow a modified structure of Bergstrom and Eriksson experiment on non-conscious WM to […]
• The Role of Image Color in Association With the Memory Functions Memory is the cornerstone of human cognition that enables all of its profound mechanisms, and the instrument of knowledge acquisition and exchange.
• The Memory Formation Process: Key Issues Hippocampus plays an essential role in the memory formation process because it is the part of the brain where short-term memories become long-term memories.
• Information Processing and Improving Learning and Memory Information processing theory is a method of studying cognitive development that arose from the American experimental psychology tradition.
• Memory Techniques in Learning English Vocabulary ‘Word’ is defined by Merriam Webster Dictionary as follows: “1a: something that is said b plural: the text of a vocal musical composition c: a brief remark or conversation 2a: a speech sound or series […]
• Covalent Modification of Deoxyribonucleic Acid Regulates Memory Formation The article by Miller and Sweatt examines the possible role of DNA methylation as an epigenetic mechanism in the regulation of memory in the adult central nervous system.
• Repressed Memory in Childhood Experiences The suffering often affects a child’s psychological coping capacity in any respect, and one of the only ways of dealing with it is to force the memory out of conscious perception.
• Adaptive Memory and Survival Subject Correlation The results of the study have revealed that the participants found it slightly easier to recall the words related to the notion of survival.
• Developmental Differences in Memory Over Lifespan While growth refers to the multiplication of the number of individual units or cells in the body, maturation on the other hand can be defined as the successive progress of the individual’s appendage land organs […]
• Memory, the Working-Memory Impairments, and Impacts on Memory The first important argument for a thorough discussion on how ADHD could affect brain functioning and working memory impairments is the existence of prominent factors that could create a link between the disorder and the […]
• Working Memory in 7 &13 Years Aged Children However, it was hypothesized that children with AgCC will show similar performance improvement in verbal working memory task performance from 7 to 13 years of age as indicated in the study with CVLT.
• Working Memory & Agenesis of the Corpus Callosum However, it was hypothesized that children with AgCC will show similar improvement in performance on verbal working memory task performance from 7 to 13 years of age as indicated in the study with CVLT.
• Lifespan Memory Decline, Memory Lapses and Forgetfulness The purpose of the research by Henson et al.was to deepen the understanding of differential aging of the brain on differential patterns of memory loss.
• Elaborative Process and Memory Performance The process is significant in the study and retention of data. In addition, the application of the concepts in the author’s learning process will be highlighted.
• The Essence of Context Dependent Memory The results ought to show that the context in which eyewitnesses observed an event is important in the recall memory of the participants.
• Memory Strategies Examples and How They Work A good strategy for memory is the one that improves information encoding, necessitates storage of data in a memorable state and enables the mind to easily retrieve information. Indeed, a malfunction in retrieval of stored […]
• “Neural Processing Associated With True and False Memory Retrieval” by Yoko The researchers noted that both true and distorted memories activate activities in the left parental and left frontal areas of the brain. Parahippocampal gyrus- Is the area of the brain that is responsible for processing […]
• Dementia and Memory Retention Art therapy is an effective intervention in the management of dementia because it stimulates reminiscence and enhances memory retention among patients with dementia.
• Fabricating the Memory: War Museums and Memorial Sites Due to the high international criticism, a very tiny portion of the East Wing is dedicated to explain the context, yet visitors easily overlook the section after the dense display of tragedies after a-bomb in […]
• Shape Memory Alloys (SMAs) The first mentioning of shape memory materials was with the discovery of martensite in 1890, which was the first step for phenomenal discovery of the shape memory effect.
• Biological Psychology: Memory By and large, there is a general agreement that molecular events are involved in the storage of information in the nervous system. It is about to differentiate different kinds of memory, one which is short-term […]
• The Memory of Silence and Lucy: A Detailed Analysis From damaging relationships to her hope to come back to the native land, Lucy has all kinds of issues to address, but the bigger issue is that Lucy’s progress is cyclical, and she has to […]
• Two Tutorials on the Virtual Memory Subject: Studytonight and Tutorials Point The explanation of the demand paging term leads to the concept of a page fault. It is a phrase that characterizes an invalid memory reference that occurs as a result of a program addressing a […]
• Music and Memory: Discussion Future research should focus on addressing the limitations of the study and exploring the effect of other types of music. The findings of the study are consistent with the current body of knowledge about the […]
• Fuzzy-Trace Theory and False Memory The writers set out to show the common ground for all these varied scenarios and convincingly show that false memories are a result of an interaction between memory and the cognitive process of reasoning. The […]
• Individual Differences in Learning and Memory In the following paper, the variety of learning styles will be evaluated in relation to theories of human learning and memory retrieval on the basis of the findings currently made by academic researchers.
• The Difference Between Females and Males Memory The hippocampus is of importance when it comes to memory formation and preservation and is relatively larger in females than males, giving the females advantage in memory cognition.
• The Nature of False Memory Postevent information is one of the reasons that provoke the phenomenon of misinformation. The participants watched a video of a hockey collision and were asked to estimate the speed of the players.
• Organizational Memory and Intellectual Capital The main emphasis here concerns modalities of motivating the retrieval and use of information and experiences in the OM. The source of intellectual capital arises from the managers’ ability to welcome new information and experiences, […]
• Advertising and Memory: Interaction and Effect An advert sticks into one’s memory when it focuses on the characteristic of the material being advertised, other advertisements competing for the same market niche, and the kind of people it targets.
• The Internet and Autobiographical Memory Allie Young’s blog or journal is a perfect illustration of the impact that social sites and blogs have, since for her autobiographic memory; she uses a blog site to write about issues affecting her life.
• Creativity and Memory Effects in Advertising A study was conducted in China to establish the kind of effects agency creativity has on the total outcome of the advertising campaign.
• Memory, Thinking, and Human Intelligence As Kurt exposits, “The effects of both proactive and retroactive inferences while one is studying can be counteracted in order to maximize absorption of all the information into the long-term memory”.
• Psychological Issues: Self-Identity and Sexual Meaning Issues, and Memory Processing Most sex surveys are run by firms dealing in other products and the motives of the surveys are for marketing of their primary products.
• Human Memory as a Biopsychology Area This paper is going to consider the idea that electrical activity measures of the brain of a human being can be utilized as a great means for carrying out the study of the human memory.
• Biopsychology: Learning and Memory Relationship Memorization involves an integral function of the brain which is the storage of information. Memorization is directly linked to learning through the processes of encoding, storage, and retrieval of information.
• Apiculture: Memory in Honeybees They have a sharp memory to recall the previous locations of food, the scent, and the color where they can get the best nectar and pollen.
• Gender and Memory Capabilities of Humans However, in the spatial memory, none of the genders outdid the other and this questioned the prevalent idea that men are more advanced in spatial memory as compared to women.
• Collective Memory as “Time Out”: Repairing the Time-Community Link The essay will first give an account of how time helps to shape a community, various events that have been formulated in order to keep the community together and the effectiveness of these events in […]
• Community Gatherings and Collective Memory The objective of this paper is to examine some of the gatherings that take place in the community and how these gatherings are related to time.
• “The Memory Palace of Matteo Ricci” by Jonathan D. Spence: Concept of Memory Palaces The information concerning Matteo Ricci’s concept of memory palaces presented in the book is generalized to the extent that it is necessary to search for an explanation and some clarifications in the additional sources; “His […]
• Gender Factor Affecting Memory: Critically Evaluating of Researches In the book, ‘Gender and Memory,’ the authors, Leydesdorf, Passerini, and Thompson, point out that there is a significant difference in memories for narrative speech between men and women.
• Biologically Programmed Memory The brain, which carries the memory of the species, is a complex and delicate organ believed to carry the functions of the species.
• Sleep Patterns and Memory Performance of Children The article presents the essence, the methods and the results of the experiment which had to show the influence of TV and computer games on German children’s sleep.
• Psychology: Memory, Thinking, and Intelligence Information which serves as the stimuli moves from the sensory memory to the short term memory and finally to the long term memory for permanent storage.
• Working With Working Memory Even if we can only make a connection of something we see with a sound, it is easier to remember something we can speak, because the auditory memory helps the visual memory.
• Operant Conditioning, Memory Cue and Perception Operant conditioning through the use of punishment can be used to prevent or decrease a certain negative behavior, for example, when a child is told that he/she will lose some privileges in case he/she misbehaves, […]
• Human Memory: Serial Learning Experiment The background of the current research was stated in Ebbinghaus’ psychological study, and reveals the fact, that if e series of accidental symbols is offered for memorizing, the human memory will be able to memorize […]
• Hot and Cold Social Cognitions and Memory What is mentioned in biology text books and journals about the human brain is so small and almost insignificant compared to the myriad functions and parts of the brain that are yet to be explored.
• Memory Consolidation and Reconsolidation After Sleep The memory consolidation of the visual skill tasks is related to the REM sleep and the short wave component of the NREM.
• Attention, Perception and Memory Disorders Analysis Teenage is the time for experimentation, with a desire to be independent and try new and forbidden things like drugs or indulge in indiscrete sexual activity.
• Memory in Context of Optimal Studying Skill The focal point of the paper is to understand the different aspects of memory and find out the best method of studying.
• Autobiographical Memory and Cognitive Development During this stage important cognitive processes take place and are fundamental towards the development of autobiographical memory in the infants. This help the infants to have important memory cues that form part of the autobiographical […]
• Sensory and Motor Processes, Learning and Memory There are three processes involved in the sensory function of the eyes: the mechanical process, the chemical process, and the electrical process. The mechanical process starts as the stimuli passes through the cornea and […]
• Repressed Memory and Developing Teaching Strategies The author aims to emphasize the “importance, relevance, and potential to inform the lay public as well as our future attorneys, law enforcement officers, therapists, and current or future patients of therapists” with regards to […]
• The Implications of False Memory and Memory Distortion The former refers to the manner of impressing into our minds the memories which we have acquired while the former refers to the manner by which a person reclaims the memories which have been stored […]
• Memory Comprehension Issue Review To sum up, studying with the background of loud music is counterproductive, as it is also an information channel that interferes with the comprehension and memorization of more important information.
• Memory Loss Treatment in Nursing Practice The identification of clinical manifestations of the disease is an important first step toward a correct diagnosis and the development of a plan of action to improve the patient’s short-term and long-term stability.
• The Interaction of Music and Memory Therefore, the research is of enormous significance for the understanding of individual differences in the connection between memory and music. Therefore, the research contributes to the understanding of the interaction of age with music and […]
• The Effect of Memory, Intelligence and Personality on Employee Performance and Behaviour The present paper will seek to explain the theoretical background on memory, intelligence and personality and evaluate the influence of these factors on work performance and employee behaviours.
• Cogmed Working Memory Training in Children The methodology of the study is strong, and the number of participants is adequate to measure the effects of the program.
• Elderly Dementia: Holistic Approaches to Memory Care The CMAI is a nursing-rated questionnaire that evaluates the recurrence of agitation in residents with dementia. Since the research focuses on agitation, the CMAI was utilized to evaluate the occurrence of agitation at baseline.
• The Conceptual Relationship Between Memory and Imagination In particular, the scholar draws parallels between these processes by addressing the recorded activity of specific brain structures when “remembering the past and imagining the future”.
• Cognitive Psychology: Memory and Interferences For instance, I remember how to organize words in the right way to form a sentence and I know the capitals of countries.
• Memory as a Topic of Modern Studies in Psychology Holt and Delvenne present a research paper on the effect of rehearsing on memorization, stating that there is a connection between “spatial” attention, repetition, and short-term memory.
• How Memory and Intelligence Change as We Age The central argument of the paper is that intelligence and memory change considerably across the lifespan, but these alterations are different in the two concepts. The article by Ofen and Shing is a valuable contribution […]
• Memory Acquisition and Information Processing The problem of disagreeing with memories can be explained by a closer look at the process of memory acquisition. Most part of the sensory information is not encoded due to selective attention.
• Varlam Shalamov on Memory and Psychological Resilience The soldiers sent to therapists such as Rivers and Yealland in Regeneration had one problem in common they were unable to forget the traumatic and frightening experiences that had affected them in the past.
• Learning Activity and Memory Improvement The easiest way to explain the difference between implicit and explicit types of learning is to think of the latter as active learning and of the former – as passive one.
• Psychology: Short-Term and Working Memory The thing is that the term short-term memory is used to describe the capacity of the mind to hold a small piece of information within a very short period, approximately 20 seconds.
• Memory Model of Teaching and Its Effectiveness The main objective of the research study was to find out the difference in the effect of the memory model and the traditional method of teaching on students’ performance.
• Dealing With the Limitations of Flash Memory Implanted medical chip technology can help to reduce the amount of medical misdiagnosis that occur in hospitals and can also address the issue of the amount of money that Jones Corp.pays out to its clients […]
• Learning Disabilities and Memory Disorders Large amounts of phenylalanine in the blood will result in complications of the neurons in the central nervous system referred to as myelinization of the cerebral hemispheres.
• Collective Memory and Patriotic Myth in American History However, to think that colonists and early Americans pursued a general policy of killing or driving out the native Indians is incorrect.
• When the Desire Is Not Enough: Flash Memory As a result, a number of rather uncomfortable proposals were made to the founders of Flash, but the company’s members had to accept certain offers for the financing to continue and the firm not to […]
• Amphetamines and Their Effects on Memory The scope of the problem of stimulant abuse is quite important in nowadays medicine since the application of amphetamine is not explored in an in-depth manner.
• Memory Retrieval, Related Processes and Secrets The resulting impression of having experienced what is portrayed in the picture leads to the creation of false memories. The authors of the study make it clear that placing one in specific visual and spatial […]
• Sociocultural Memory in European and Asian Americans The Asian perspective on the use of memory, however, suggests that a much greater emphasis should be placed on using memory as a learning resource so that it can be expanded with the help of […]
• Emotional Memory: Negative and Positive Experiences For instance, autobiographical memory provides a chance to remember the events that shaped one’s personality and defined the further course of one’s development.
• The Public Memory of the Holocaust In addition to his pain, Levi concerns the increasing temporal distance and habitual indifference of hundreds of millions of people towards the Holocaust and the survivors1 It causes the feeling of anxiety that was fuelled […]
• Memory Formation and Maintenance The first similarity between working memory and long term memory is that in both cases, tasks retrieve information from secondary memory, although sometimes working memory tasks retrieve information from the primary memory. After completion of […]
• Working Memory Training and Its Controversies As a result, a range of myths about WM has been addressed and subverted successfully, including the one stating that WM related training cannot be used to improve one’s intellectual abilities and skills.
• Music and Human Memory Connection The effects of music on people vary considerably, and this project should help to understand the peculiar features of the connection between human memory and music.
• Police Shooting Behaviour, Memory, and Emotions The subject of the study was limited to analyzing the shooting behavior of police officers in danger-related situations. It is supposed that officers with low capacity of working memory are more likely to shoot the […]
• Place-Based Memory Studies and Thinking Architecture There is a need to inform the society of the history represented by the sites and educate the masses on events leading to such occurrences.
• Working Memory Training: Benefits and Biases The research results indicate that the effects of stereotyping on the development of WM and the relevant skills are direct and rather drastic.
• Memory, Thoughts, and Motivation in Learning Moreover, using the knowledge acquired from various sources of information, students can interpret the contents of their various environments and apply them to their advantage.
• Working Memory Concept The central executive, as the name implies, is the primary component of the working memory system; every other component is subservient to it.
• False Memory and Emotions Experiment The hypothesis was as follows: a list of associate words creates a false memory by remembering a critical lure when the list is presented to a subject and a recall test done shortly after that.
• Building of Memory: Managing Creativity Through Action It could be important for the team to understand Kornfield’s vision of the project, the main and secondary tasks, the project timeline, and the general outline of it. The third technique is to ensure face-to-face […]
• Stroop Effect on Memory Function The aim of the study was to examine the Stroop effect on memory function of men and women. The aim of the study was to examine Stroop effect on men and women’s cognitive functions.
• Memory Distortions Develop Over Time Memory is the ability to recall what happened in the past or the process through which one’s brain stores events and reproduce them in the future. Simpson were put on a scoreboard to analyze the […]
• Working Memory Load and Problem Solving The present research focuses on the way working memory load affects problem solving ability and the impact working memory capacity has on problem solving ability of people.
• Sensory Memory Duration and Stimulus Perception Cognitive psychologists argue that perceived information takes one second in the sensory memory, one minute in the short-term memory and a life-time in the long-term memory.
• Memory Study: Mnemonics Techniques Having carried out two experiments, Oberauer comes to the conclusion that information in working memory is highly organized and has its own structure and understanding of this structure can help to improve the work of […]
• Memory Study: Different Perspectives Having carried out two experiments, Oberauer comes to the conclusion that information in working memory is highly organized and has its own structure and understanding of this structure can help to improve the work of […]
• Individual Recognition Decisions and Memory Strength Signal The individual recognition decision and the memory strength will be compared to determine their relation. A positive correlation between the individual recognition decisions and the aggregated memory strength will be shown.
• Working Memory Concept: Psychological Views To begin with, the findings support the use of the Working-Memory Model because it offers a clear distinction between the subordinate memory systems and the “central executive” memory.
• Memory Strategies and Their Effects on the Body Memory problems are a common concern in the society due to the increased rate of memory problems among the individuals. This is a strategy that uses chemicals to suppress the adverse effects of memory problems.
• George Santayana’s Philosophy Views on Historical Memory To Plato, democracy was the worst form of governance because it was the tyranny of the multitude. Furthermore, the effects of the war were hard to take because people lost everything they had.
• Cognitive Stimulation on Patients With Impaired Memory Cognitive stimulation therapy is effective in mitigating the effects of dementia. As a result, the researchers tested cognitive stimulation therapy in clinical trials.
• Face Recognition and Memory Retention It is imperative to mention that cognitive process is very significant in face recognition especially due to its role in storage and retrieval of information from long-term memory.
• False Memory Condition: Experimental Studies It is therefore important to conduct some experiments to see the differences between the correct memory and the false memory. The distracters and words to be identified were the variables that were independent.
• Memory Capacity and Age Correlation Since young adults have high levels of positive emotions and low levels of negative emotions, the positive emotions enable them to enhance their memory capacity for positive information.
• Eye-Path and Memory-Prediction Framework Online marketing and advertising actively develop nowadays, and modern advertisers need to focus on the customers’ attitudes and behaviours in the context of the effectiveness of the advertisement’s location on the web page.
• Long Term Memory and Retrieval The mode of presenting the items in sequence in the first presentation has great impact on the results and validity of the study.
• Denying the Holocaust: The Growing Assault on Truth and Memory by Deborah Lipstadt The book is divided into chapters that focus on the history and methods that are used to distort the truth and the memory of the Holocaust.
• Power, Memory and Spectacle on Saddam Hussein’s Death His rational was that the only way to unite the country was to eliminate the elements of division who in his opinion were the opposition.
• Review of Wordfast: Strengths and Weaknesses of This Translation Memory Tool Recognizing the variety of benefits of using Wordfast in the translation process, it should be noted that the use of this ACT program can have a number of unintended negative implications for the quality of […]
• Theoretical Models in Understanding Working Memory The second model for understanding the processes involved in working memory is the Baddeley and Hitch multi-component model which states that working memory operates via a system of “slave systems” and a central controller which […]
• Semantic Memory and Language Production
• Basic Functions of Memory and Language
• The Concept of Autobiographical Memory
• Neuroimaging Experiments and Memory Loss Studies
• Semantic Memory and Language Production Relationship
• Chinese Novellas: The Role of Memory and Perception
• Memory Lane and Morality
• Autonoetic Consciousness in Autobiographical Memory
• Memory by Analogy: Hiroshima Mon Amour
• “Memory by Analogy” Film Concepts
• Film About Hirosima Memory by Analogy
• Ecstasy and Memory Impairment Neurological Correlation
• Memory Theories in Developing Marketing Strategies of the iPad
• Definition of Storage Locations in Memory
• Establishing False Memory in Humans
• Constructive Nature of Memory
• Comparison and Contrast Assignment on “Paradoxical Effects of Presentation Modality on False Memory,” Article and “Individual Differences in Learning and Remembering Music.”
• Memory Systems of the Brain
• Strategies of the Memory
• Brain and Memory
• Biology of Memory: Origins and Structures
• Cannabis and Its Effects on Long Term Memory
• Mental Chronometry: Response Time and Accuracy
• Working Memory in Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
• False Memory Syndrome: Is It Real?
• How Age and Diseases Affect Memory
• Memory, Thinking, and Intelligence
• Language and Memory Paper
• Memory: Understanding Consciousness
• Sleep Improves Memory
• Language Rules for a Reliable Semantic Memory
• Social Development Essay Topics
• Alzheimer’s Disease Research Ideas
• Dementia Research Ideas
• Meditation Questions
• Epilepsy Ideas
• Hypnosis Questions
• Neuroscience Research Ideas
• Brain Titles
• Chicago (A-D)
• Chicago (N-B)

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Best Childhood Memories Essay Ideas: 94 Narrative Topics [2024]

Many people believe that childhood is the happiest period in a person’s life. It’s not hard to see why. Kids have nothing to care or worry about, have almost no duties or problems, and can hang out with their friends all day long.

An essay about childhood gives an opportunity to plunge into your memories. All you need to do is recollect those happy days and write a brilliant essay! In this article by Custom-Writing.org , you’ll find great tips and topic ideas to kickstart the process.

• 🔝 Top 10 Topics
• 💡 Coming Up with Ideas
• 🧸 Childhood Memories Essay Topics
• ✍️ Writing Examples & Guide
• 🔍 References

🔝 Top 10 Childhood Topics to Write About

• Your favorite holiday memory.
• Your brightest memories of winter.
• Your earliest school memory.
• Your first visit to a farm.
• What was your favorite toy?
• Do you remember your granny’s kitchen?
• Your childhood memories of your parents.
• Your best childhood friend.
• Things that you initially disliked at school.
• Experiments with physics in childhood.

💡 Coming Up with Childhood Memories Essay Ideas

Perhaps you got lost in your memories and cannot choose the best one to describe in your essay. Or maybe you have a bad memory and cannot recollect something specific to write about. If that’s the case, here are some recommendations for you.

Childhood Memories List: How to Write

Don’t know where to start? Try creating a list of your memories to decide which ones you need for your paper.

There are our top tips on making a childhood memories list:

• Write down everything that comes to your mind. What are some significant memories from your childhood? Every little experience starting with your earliest memory matters. Of course, you don’t need all of this information for your essay. Still, it will help your brain to start working in the right direction.
• Try to focus on specific things such as holidays, trips, or food. Everybody’s favorite childhood memories are often connected with them. Remarkable events also might include school, neighborhood, hometown, presents you received, and your achievements. Nostalgia is your best friend in this case.
• Divide your memories into categories. Good childhood experiences such as receiving a dream present or adopting a pet belong to one category. Life-changing events, key achievements, and unfortunate accidents can go into other categories.
• Try not to avoid bad childhood memories. It’s not the most pleasant thing in this task. But sometimes, writing about bad situations or challenges is a good strategic decision for your paper. It can also help your personal growth.

How to Remember Childhood Memories

What is your earliest memory? A frightening fall down the stairs? Or perhaps blowing candles on your second birthday? Whatever the content, it is probably short and vague.

When we grow older, our recollections of early childhood become fragmentary . In fact, a profound memory loss occurs, which psychologists call infantile amnesia (you can learn more about it from the article “ New perspectives on childhood memory ”). Memories formed during early childhood are more fragile than those formed later in life.

That’s why it’s a great idea to write down our childhood recollections. This way, they’ll stay with us even after they lose their rich vividness and start to fade altogether.

Naturally, you can’t keep everything in your head. Some childhood memories will stay with you forever, while others vanish during your teenage years. Remembering something you have forgotten is not an easy task.

Here’s a way out: use this checklist to recall your childhood experiences:

Feeling completely out of ideas? Or maybe you can’t think of a specific topic? Keep reading to learn how to generate new ideas and write a great childhood memories essay.

🧸 Childhood Memory Essays Topics List

Favorite childhood memory ideas.

• Meeting Santa at a mall
• A gift you’ve created yourself
• First time you stayed up all night
• Your first visit to an amusement park
• Your favorite children’s book or comic
• Your best childhood camping memory
• The craziest fact you’ve learned as a child
• Memory about winning a school competition
• What was the most fun school assignment?
• Your favorite food at the elementary school cafeteria

Early Childhood Memories Essay Topics

Kindergarten is often the place where kids start socializing for the first time. Think about your experiences with friends and teachers, as well as with your family. These topic ideas will help you get on the right track:

• The first day in kindergarten. Kindergarten is a new world for a child. It has an unfamiliar environment, new people, and rules. This essay can aim at discussing feelings and expectations that accompany a child on their first day.
• Describe the first pet you had in early childhood. Almost all families have a pet that they love. Often pets are given to children as presents. This essay can relate the best moments spent with a pet when you were little.
• A relative who was closest to you in early childhood. Every child has a family member with whom they enjoy spending time. It could easily be a parent, a grandparent, a sibling , or perhaps an uncle. Write about exciting moments related to your beloved relatives.
• Your first childhood hobby. Most people had hobbies when they were kids. This initial interest sometimes determines one’s future occupation. Here, you can describe the activities you used to do as a little child. Focus on the events associated with your first hobby.
• Festive events in kindergarten. During the whole year, people celebrate many holidays. Naturally, kindergartens hold festive events to amuse children. This essay can portray the unforgettable celebrations in kindergarten.
• Describe family gatherings from your childhood.
• A typical day in your kindergarten.
• What’s the first birthday celebration you remember?
• Activities or games in kindergarten.
• Your first Halloween costume.
• Things that you didn’t like in kindergarten.
• Write about your relationship with nature in early childhood.
• Describe a performance you took part in when you were little.
• What was the best teacher in your kindergarten like?
• Discuss the book or story you loved the most in early childhood.

Elementary School Memories Essay Topics

Would you like to look back at your elementary school days? This section is just what you need. Check out these ideas and get inspired:

• How you met your first teacher. Teachers lead children through a complicated yet exciting path. That’s why we all remember our teachers, especially the first day of meeting them. This essay can recount the brightest moments associated with this event. Additionally, you might describe the teacher’s appearance and personality .
• The most challenging lesson in elementary school. You can probably recall numerous lessons from your school years. This essay can aim at describing positive and negatives aspects of studies, as well as your favorite classes.
• Memories about extracurricular activities in school. It could be sports, artistic pursuits, or activities related to specific subjects. Describe your personal preferences and say who inspired you to start doing them.
• Celebration events at school. Celebrations create the brightest and most joyful memories. In this essay, you can share personal experiences about such events, be it school performances, shows, or games.
• Who was your best school teacher? Describe the personalities of your favorite teachers and explain why you liked them.
• Write about a person who helped with school lessons.
• What did your first school building look like?
• Describe what you daydreamed about in school.
• Wonderful hikes or trips organized by the school.
• What were your plans for the future growing up?
• Write about going to a museum with your class.
• Memories of participation in school sports activities.
• Recall your participation in writing for a school newspaper.
• Did you take part in any important school activities or events?

Happy Childhood Memories Essay Topics

When writing about your childhood, you’d probably prefer recalling happy events rather than sad ones. But what if you don’t know which pleasant memory to choose? This list will help you make up your mind!

• The best birthday party ever. Recall the most exciting details associated with it. For example, describe some beautiful presents and a celebratory atmosphere.
• The day you’ve met your first love . Write about the impressions, feelings, and the most treasured memories associated with that day.
• Recall the best day spent with your childhood friend. Recount the activities and events that made you happy.
• The most significant achievement in childhood. Recall your achievements connected with the studies, sports, or arts. You can start by describing the task you’ve had, explain its importance, and thank the people who helped you.
• The day you made somebody happy . This essay can describe the instances where you helped others. What were your motivations, and why did it make you happy?
• Describe the best school gathering you can remember. Schools often organize parties where students can have fun. This essay can recount the circumstances and special moments related to such a party.
• Recall a fictional character you liked the most in childhood.
• Write about the best present you gave to someone when you were little.
• Describe the best surprise made by friends or relatives in childhood.
• The most wonderful journey or trip in childhood.
• A sad event that changed things for the better.
• What were the happiest summer holidays in your childhood like?
• Chronicle the day when your childhood dream came true.
• Write about your childhood fear and how you overcame it.
• Tell about getting a good grade for an important assignment.
• Describe the first home where your family lived.

Funny Childhood Memories Essay Ideas

Writing about a funny event is perhaps the best option you can choose. You’ll enjoy describing it, and your readers will appreciate you for making them laugh! Here are some prompts to kickstart the creative process.

• Recollect your childhood actions that make your relatives laugh. Children often behave in interesting, comical, and amusing ways. This essay can detail some fun moments that your parents remember.
• Amusing and funny moments in your favorite cartoons. You probably remember many great cartoons from your childhood. What made them funny? Do you still find them entertaining?
• The funniest pranks you did at school. If you were a mischievous child, this topic is for you. Recall various funny, elaborate, or even failed pranks you did at school.
• Describe the first time you rode a bicycle. Learning to ride a bike is a staple of many childhoods. It’s challenging, but once you master it, you will never forget how to ride it!
• What tricks used to help you pass difficult exams? Usually, students make cribs or copy someone else’s answers. You can describe more creative ways of passing exams.
• Poking fun at younger siblings. If you have brothers and sisters, you probably tease each other. How do you feel about such activities? Do you both have a good laugh, or did somebody get upset?
• Playing superheroes in childhood. Many children have favorite superheroes such as Batman, Spiderman, Ironman, and others. What were your personal favorites? Did you try to imagine you have superpowers?
• Describe the most ridiculous haircut you’ve had when you were little.
• Funny moments with your school teachers.
• Did you have an imaginary friend? What were they like?
• Trying to cook in childhood.
• What tricks did you use to hide bad marks from your parents?
• Attempts to renovate your childhood room.

Childhood Christmas Memories Topics

Christmas is the favorite holiday of many children. Were you one of them? Choose your essay title from this list on Christmas memories:

• What is the best Christmas present from your childhood? Describe the present, the wrapping, and your emotions related to it. Why did you want it so much? You can also try to remember where this present is now.
• Describe a family Christmas trip that you enjoyed the most as a child. Answer the following questions. What were the new places you have seen? What were the new people you met? How much time did you spend there? Did you feel homesick? What did you feel when you returned home?
• What was your favorite pastime during the Christmas holidays in childhood? For example, you can write about watching cartoons or playing with your siblings. Or maybe you enjoyed winter sports and walking with your friends.
• Was Christmas your favorite holiday in childhood? Explain why or why not. Create a list of the things that you did and didn’t enjoy. You can also compare Christmas with other holidays. Find several arguments to defend your opinion.
• Describe the best Christmas present you gave somebody in childhood. It can be something you made yourself or bought. Explain why you chose this gift and what was the recipient’s reaction. What did you want to show with this present? Was it your idea to give it? How did you choose it? Answer these questions in your essay.
• What are your favorite Christmas memories ? You have a wide choice here. You can describe family get-togethers, receiving or giving presents, eating sweets, or having fun while resting from school.
• Describe your favorite childhood Christmas photo. Explain why it is so valuable to you. Define the people or objects in the picture. Try to remember who took it and what camera was they used. Also, provide some information about the time and place.
• Write about your family’s Christmas traditions.
• Describe your favorite Christmas decorations in childhood.
• When was the time you stopped believing in Santa Claus?
• What was your favorite Christmas movie in childhood?
• Write about the Christmas dishes did you enjoy the most as a child.
• What was your favorite Christmas TV special ?
• What were your favorite Christmas songs when you were little?
• Describe the perfect Christmas Eve of your childhood.
• Tell about the friends you liked to invite to your Christmas parties.

These recollections can form a great foundation for your essay. Because childhood is often the best time in a person’s life, writing essays on your childhood experiences can be a real pleasure. If you try to be creative and choose a unique topic, you are sure to succeed in writing an impressive essay.

✍️ “My Childhood Memories” Essay Writing Guide

Writing about your childhood is an exciting assignment that has some peculiarities. Let’s explore some of them.

Childhood Memories Essay: Dos and Don’ts

Your main task is to make the reader feel like they’ve experienced the memory you described. There are certain elements that you can include in your essay to make it stand out. Similarly, some things are better to avoid.

Keep these things in mind, and you will surely write a perfect composition.

Childhood Memories Essay: Step by Step

Follow these steps of the essay writing process, and you will see that writing a good essay on your childhood memories is not as challenging as it may seem.

Narrative Essay on Childhood Memories: Outline

Every essay must have a proper structure. That’s why it’s useful to make a short outline before you start writing. It will keep you from losing your way as you write your essay. It also saves you time! If you have a plan, you won’t miss any important points in your essay.

Your paper should include:

After you’ve finished writing, revise and edit your essay . Make sure your paragraphs are written in a logical order. Read your essay aloud so that you can see how it flows and determine where you need to improve it.

Try our memory-activating prompts and follow these writing tips to compose your perfect childhood memories essay! If you’re not sure that you can write a good paper on your own, you can always ask our experts to help you out.

Further reading:

• School Days Essay: How to Describe a Memorable Event
• Growing Up Essay: Great Ideas for Your College Assignment
• Writing Essay about Someone Who has Made an Impact on Your Life
• Excellent Remembering a Person Essay: Free Writing Guidelines
• Life Experience Essay: How to Write a Brilliant Paper

🔗 References

• The Fate of Childhood Memories: Children Postdated Their Earliest Memories as They Grew Older
• Can You Trust Your Earliest Childhood Memories?: BBC
• How to Start Writing Your Own Childhood Memories for Posterity: HobbyLark
• 650 Prompts for Narrative and Personal Writing: The New York Times
• Bright Side Readers Shared 14 Childhood Stories and We Plunged Into Their Memories Together: Brightside
• Great Questions: StoryCorps
• Introductions and Conclusions: University of Toronto
• Make a List: Childhood Memories: Practical Parenting
• Tips to Retrieve Old Memories: Harvard University
• Make the Most of Your Memory: 10 Tips for Writing About Your Life: Writer’s Digest
• Childhood Christmas Memories: DNA Explained
• What Do Your Earliest Childhood Memories Say about You?: The Conversation
• Can’t Remember Your Childhood? What Might Be Going On: Healthline
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The 20 Best Memoirs of 2022

From marriage to medicine to masculinity, the year's best memoirs dig deep into thorny topics.

Every product was carefully curated by an Esquire editor. We may earn a commission from these links.

Still, our favorite memoirs of 2022 elevate the form to new heights. They tackle personal, psychological, and philosophical concerns through topics ranging from ancestry to medicine to marriage. With guts and grace, these authors dive deep into their loves and losses, and come ashore with these dazzling treasures for you to read. (Or give ! What better gift than that of a remarkable true story?)

Stay True, by Hua Hsu

When Hsu arrived at Berkeley in the 1990s, a rebellious undergrad obsessed with creating zines and developing “a worldview defined by music,” he made an unexpected friend. At first, Hsu wrote his fraternity brother Ken off as “mainstream,” thinking they had nothing in common beyond their Asian American identities—but soon, an unlikely friendship blossomed, with the two young men penning a screenplay together and discussing philosophy late into the night. It all came crashing down when Ken was murdered in a carjacking, sending Hsu into a decades-long spiral of grief and guilt. Ever since, Hsu has been trying to write Stay True , a wrenching memoir about who Ken was and what Ken taught him. At once a love letter, a coming-of-age tale, and an elegy, it’s one of the best books about friendship ever written.

The Man Who Could Move Clouds, by Ingrid Rojas Contreras

“They say the amnesias were a door to gifts we were supposed to have,” Rojas Contreras muses in this poetic memoir. After a head injury afflicted the author with amnesia, she learned that this had happened before: decades ago, her mother took a fall that left her with amnesia, and when she recovered, she gained access to “the secrets.” The first woman to know “the secrets,” Rojas Contreras’ mother inherited them from her father, known to the family as Nono, a Colombian community healer renowned for his ability to communicate with the dead, predict the future, heal the sick, and move the clouds. After Rojas Contreras’ accident, she and her mother traveled to Colombia to disinter Nono’s remains and tell his story. That quest, recounted here with mesmerizing prose and bracing insight, sent the women on a journey through the brutal colonial history that shaped their family and their nation. Rich in personal and political history, The Man Who Could Move Clouds is an effervescent read.

The Extraordinary Life of an Ordinary Man, by Paul Newman

After six decades of Hollywood superstardom, it’s difficult to imagine that anything could remain unknown about Paul Newman . But that’s the particular magic trick of this memoir, assembled by way of a literary scavenger hunt. Between 1986 and 1991, Newman sat down with screenwriter Stewart Stern for a series of soul-baring interviews about his life and career. With the actor’s encouragement, Stern also recorded hundreds of hours worth of interviews with his friends, family, and colleagues. The whole enterprise was destined to become Newman’s authorized biography, but his feelings on the project soured; in 1998, he gathered the tapes in a pile and set fire to them. Luckily, Stern kept transcripts—over 14,000 pages worth. Now, those transcripts have been streamlined into this honest and unvarnished memoir, in which the actor speaks openly about his traumatic childhood, his lifelong struggle with alcoholism, and his tormenting self-doubt. But the highs are there too—like his 50-year marriage to actress Joanne Woodward—as well as the mysteries of making art, and the “imponderable of being a human being.” All told, the memoir is an extraordinary act of resurrection and reimagination.

Bad Sex, by Nona Willis Aronowitz

When Teen Vogue ’s sex columnist decided to end her marriage at 32 years old, chief among her complaints was “bad sex.” Newly divorced, Aronowitz went in search of good sex, but along the way, she discovered thorny truths about “the problem that has no name”—that despite the advances of feminism and the sexual revolution, true sexual freedom remains out of reach. Cultural criticism, memoir, and social history collide in Aronowitz’s no-nonsense investigation of all that ails young lovers, like questions about desire, consent, and patriarchy. It’s a revealing read bound to expand your thinking.

The High Sierra: A Love Story, by Kim Stanley Robinson

A titan of science fiction masters a new form in this winsome love letter to California’s Sierra Nevada mountain range. Constructed from an impassioned blend of memoir, history, and science writing, The High Sierra chronicles Robinson’s 100-plus trips to his beloved mountains, from his LSD-laced first encounter in 1973 to the dozens of ​​“rambling and scrambling” days to follow. From descriptions of the region’s multitudinous flora and fauna to practical advice about when and where to hike, this is as comprehensive a guidebook as any, complete with all the lucid ecstasy of nature writing greats like John Muir and Annie Dillard.

Year of the Tiger, by Alice Wong

In this mixed media memoir, disability activist Alice Wong outlines her journey as an advocate and educator. Wong was born with a form of progressive muscular dystrophy; as a young woman, she attended her dream college, but had to drop out when changes to Medicaid prevented her from retaining the aides she needed on an inaccessible campus. In one standout essay, Wong recounts her struggle to access Covid-19 vaccines as a high-risk individual. The author's rage about moving through an ableist world is palpable, but so too is her joy and delight about Lunar New Year, cats, family, and so much more. Innovative and informative, Year of the Tiger is a multidimensional portrait of a powerful thinker.

My Pinup, by Hilton Als

Has any book ever roved so far and wide in just 48 pages as My Pinup ? In this slim and brilliant memoir, Als explores race, power, and desire through the lens of Prince. Styling the legendary musician in the image of his lovers and himself, Als explores injustice on multiple levels, from racist record labels to the world's hostility to gay Black boys. “There was so much love between us,” the author muses. “Why didn’t anyone want us to share it?” These 48 meandering pages are difficult to describe, but trust us: My Pinup is a heady cocktail you won’t soon forget.

Novelist as a Vocation, by Haruki Murakami

In this winsome volume, one of our greatest novelists invites readers into his creative process. The result is a revealing self-portrait that answers many burning questions about its reclusive subject, like: where do Murakami’s strange and surreal ideas come from? When and how did he start writing? How does he view the role of novels in contemporary society? Novelist as a Vocation is a rare and welcome peek behind the curtain of a singular mind.

Bloomsbury Publishing Dirtbag, Massachusetts: A Confessional, by Isaac Fitzgerald

In this bleeding heart memoir, Fitzgerald peels back the layers of his extraordinary life. Dirtbag, Massachusetts opens with his hardscrabble childhood in a dysfunctional Catholic family, then spins out into the decades of jobs and identities that followed. From bartending at a biker bar to smuggling medical supplies to starring in porn films, it’s all led him to here and now: he’s still a work in progress, but gradually, he’s arriving at profound realizations about masculinity, family, and selfhood. Dirtbag, Massachusetts is the best of what memoir can accomplish. It's blisteringly honest and vulnerable, pulling no punches on the path to truth, but it always finds the capacity for grace and joy. “To any young men out there who aren’t too far gone,” Fitzgerald writes, “I say you’re not done becoming yourself.”

Pretty Baby, by Chris Belcher

As a financially strapped PhD student in Los Angeles, Belcher fell into an unusual side hustle: she began working as a pro-domme, fulfilling the fantasies of male clients aroused by feelings of shame and weakness. Belcher found unique power in the work as a queer woman, writing, “My clientele wanted a woman who would never want them in return, and at that, I excelled." But as she illuminates in this discerning memoir, the work had its drawbacks—namely, the brutality and blackmail of men. In a lucid examination of power, sexuality, and class, Belcher tells a gripping story about the performance of identity, inside and outside of the dungeon.

Also a Poet: Frank O'Hara, My Father, and Me, by Ada Calhoun

When Calhoun once went looking for a childhood toy, she stumbled upon a far greater treasure: dusty cassette tapes of interviews recorded by her father, art critic Peter Schjeldahl, who started but never completed a biography of the gone-too-soon poet Frank O’Hara. As a lifelong O’Hara fan, Calhoun gleefully committed to finishing what Schjeldahl started, but the task proved to be anything but easy. Like her father before her, Calhoun was stonewalled by Maureen O’Hara, the poet’s prickly sister and executor; the project also revealed the faultlines in her complicated bond with Schjeldahl, whom she longs to impress. In this heartfelt memoir, Calhoun recounts how going in search of O’Hara revealed so much more—like the painful complexities of parents, children, art, and ambition.

Because Our Fathers Lied, by Craig McNamara

How do we reckon with the sins of our parents? That’s the thorny question at the center of this moving and courageous memoir authored by the son of Robert S. McNamara, Kennedy’s architect of the Vietnam War. In this conflicted son’s telling, a complicated man comes into intimate view, as does the “mixture of love and rage” at the heart of their relationship. At once a loving and neglectful parent, the elder McNamara’s controversial lies about the war ultimately estranged him from his son, who hung Viet Cong flags in his childhood bedroom as a protest. The pursuit of a life unlike his father’s saw the younger McNamara drop out of Stanford and travel through South America on a motorcycle, leading him to ultimately become a sustainable walnut farmer. Through his own personal story of disappointment and disillusionment, McNamara captures an intergenerational conflict and a journey of moral identity.

The Unwritten Book, by Samantha Hunt

One of our most gifted practitioners of the short story makes her first foray into nonfiction with this shapeshifting volume. Hunt’s many-feathered subject is the things that haunt: art, the dead, the forest, things left unfinished. Her investigation centers on an unfinished novel written by her late father, a Reader's Digest editor; “the dead leave clues, and life is a puzzle of trying to read and understand these mysterious hints before the game is over,” she writes. As she considers the novel, she sifts through her relationship with her father, characterized as it was by his alcoholism and their shared love of story. Eerie, profound, and daring, this is a book only the inimitable Hunt could write.

Roc Lit 101 Shine Bright, by Danyel Smith

Memoir, criticism, and cultural history meet in this masterful study of the brilliant Black women who shaped American pop music, enriched by the author's own experiences and memories. Some of the figures here will be familiar, like Aretha Franklin and Whitney Houston, while others are long overdue for the reckoning Smith provides, from the Dixie Cups, a gone-too-soon sixties girl group, to the enslaved poet Phyllis Wheatley, who cleared a path for generations of descendants by singing her poems. In this soulful, enriching portrait of these extraordinary artists’ struggles and triumphs, Smith widens the canon to usher in new luminaries.

Lost & Found, by Kathryn Schultz

Eighteen months before Schultz’s father died after a long battle with cancer, she met the love of her life. It’s this painful dichotomy that sets the foundation for Lost & Found , a poignant memoir about how love and loss often coexist. Braiding her personal experiences together with psychological, philosophical and scientific insight, Schultz weaves a taxonomy of our losses, which can “encompass both the trivial as well as the consequential, the abstract and the concrete, the merely misplaced and the permanently gone.” But so too does she celebrate the act of discovery, from finding what we’ve mislaid to lucking into lasting love. Penetrating and profound, Lost & Found captures the extraordinary joys and sorrows of ordinary life.

Ecco Press South to America, by Imani Perry

The American South is often cast as a backwater cousin out of step with American ideals. In this vital cultural history, Perry argues otherwise, insisting the South is, in fact, the foundational heartland of America, an undeniable fulcrum around which our wealth and politics have always turned. Fusing memoir, reportage, and travelogue, Perry imparts Southern history alongside high-spirited interviews with modern-day Southerners from all walks of life. At once a love letter to “a land of big dreams and bigger lies” and a clarion call for change, South to America will change how you understand America’s past, present, and future.

Admissions, by Kendra James

When James enrolled at Connecticut’s prestigious Taft School at fifteen years old, she had no idea that, as the predominantly white boarding school’s first “Black American legacy student to graduate since 1891,” she would become its involuntary poster child for diversity. James’ hopes for a positive high school experience were dashed by “a swamp of microaggressions,” ranging from a student who accused her of stealing $20 to an article in the student newspaper blaming students of color for the segregation of campus. Determined that students after her wouldn’t suffer the same fate, she became an admissions officer specializing in diversity recruitment, but soon felt that she was “selling a lie for a living.” Frank and devastating in its candor, as well as incisive in its critique of elite academia, Admissions is a poignant coming-of-age memoir.

The Invisible Kingdom, by Meghan O'Rourke

“I got sick the way Hemingway says you go broke: ‘gradually and then suddenly,’” O’Rourke writes in The Invisible Kingdom , describing the beginning of her decades-long struggle with chronic autoimmune disease. In the late nineties, O’Rourke began suffering symptoms ranging from rashes to crushing fatigue; when she sought treatment, she became an unwilling citizen of a shadow world, where chronic illness sufferers are dismissed by doctors and alienated from their lives. In this elegant fusion of memoir, reporting, and cultural history, O’Rourke traces the development of modern Western medicine and takes aim at its limitations, advocating for a community-centric healthcare model that treats patients as people, not parts. At once a rigorous work of scholarship and a radical act of empathy, The Invisible Kingdom has the power to move mountains.

Read an exclusive interview with O'Rourkre here at Esquire.

Ancestor Trouble, by Maud Newton

Who are our ancestors to us, and what can they tell us about ourselves? In this riveting memoir, Newton goes in search of the answers to these questions, spelunking exhaustively through her frustrating and fascinating family tree. From an accused witch to a thirteen times-married man, her family tree abounds with stories that absorb and appall, but taxonomizing her family history doesn’t satisfy Newton’s hunger for meaning. Just what do the facts of a life tell us about who we are or where we come from, and what can our personal histories tell us about our national past? Carefully blending memoir and cultural criticism, Newton explores the cultural, scientific, and spiritual dimensions of ancestry, arguing for the transformational power of grappling with our inheritances.

Foreverland: On the Divine Tedium of Marriage, by Heather Havrilesky

No one writes about the agony and ecstasy of relationships with as much gutsy grace as Havrilesky, who has long counseled troubled lovers under the guise of Ask Polly . In Foreverland , Havrilesky turns the microscope on her own relationship, illuminating the joys and exasperations of her fifteen-year marriage. From parenting to quarantining together to bristling at her husband’s every loud sneeze, Havrilesky proves that forever is hard, wonderful work.

Read Havrilesky’s column about her husband here at Esquire.

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What Are Your Core Childhood Memories?

If you’re not on TikTok, let me fill you in: the youths are all about “core memories.” What does that mean, exactly? If you peruse the 661 million videos ascribed to #corememory you’ll find sentimental piano tracks playing over the moments people want to remember. There’s a toddler’s wobbly entrance into his first day of daycare; a dog with cheeks flapping out as he peeks out of the car’s sunroof; parents hovering over their teenager’s shoulder as she opens a college acceptance letter; newlyweds swaying on an empty beach. I sniffle as I watch the videos because I’m overly sentimental. Suddenly, they’re not strangers, I’m rooting for them! I hope they grasp onto these memories because I know they — or really we — can never get a grip on time. Somehow, storing these memories in the cobwebs of your brain — or the corner of your TikTok — feels like a soothing way to say, “I’ll carry this with me.”

The funny thing is, we can’t really control the memories we carry with us, can we? I’ve considered some of my most salient childhood memories, the ones that grab me by the feels and bring me right back . I’m in the backseat of my parents’ Toyota, listening to Madonna’s “Lucky Star” and smelling of sweat, grass, and halftime oranges; I’m splayed on my parents’ bathroom floor, feeling hairspray mist down from my mom, the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen; I’m up to bat, nauseous with nerves as my dad leans down to my height and talks me through batting tips that sound exactly like the Charlie Brown teacher ; I’m eight years old, home “sick” from school, shoveling Kraft Macaroni & Cheese down the hatchet as I watch Ricki Lake interview goth teens on the verge of parent-prescribed makeovers; I’m in the Mervyn’s dressing room with my mom, pulling on the capri pants that will guarantee back-to-school, fifth-grade popularity; I’m curled up in my own little tent in the Sierra mountains, wondering if my parents will overhear when I’m inevitably eaten by a bear.

Did my parents know those would be my core memories? (I am going to guess no, at least in the case of second-grade Ricki Lake consumption). Are core memories something parents can orchestrate? I remember reading this post on family rituals when I was pregnant with my daughter in 2020. Like many Cup of Jo articles, the comments brought me laughter and goosebumps. I frantically annotated all the rituals I wanted to steal and institute with my new family: Sunday pasta night, Friday family movies, musical mornings. I suddenly had an answer to the question, “What are you most looking forward to about motherhood?” Lovingly enforced rituals, of course.

In my mind, carving out space for these habitual experiences would form core memories for my daughter, but looking back, my own most sentimental moments seemed generally mundane and unglamorous. I know my family had elaborate parties and heartfelt traditions, but do I remember them? Eh! Maybe, with prompting! What I really remember is New Year’s Eve, 1999. My parents went out to celebrate Y2K — maybe the world was ending, maybe it wasn’t — and left me behind with my grandparents already in their slippers. My mom declined to buy me confetti (a necessity when you’re 11 years old), so I spent hours snipping a ribbon into hundreds of confetti pieces before throwing them around the living room and immediately realizing I would be the one to pick them up.

I wonder, do we remember our frustrations, most of all? Or is it about engaging as many senses as possible? Is pure presence in the moment the secret? My suspicion is that memories become core memories when something makes us feel very deeply. Sometimes those soul-shaking feelings happen on milestones, sometimes on ordinary days. It’s life’s little joke that we don’t get to choose what sticks.

And so, with a hint of desperation and an undercurrent of nostalgia, I would love to ask you: What are your core childhood memories? Were they born out of traditions or experiences your parents created for you?

Jessica Lopez is a writer and new mother based in Southern California. She has written for BRIDES, Byrdie, THE/THIRTY, and more, and she currently enjoys (over)thinking and writing about parenthood. You can connect with her on Instagram , if you’d like.

P.S. Six words to say to your child , and an ode to rituals .

(Photo by Jimena Roquero/Stocksy.)

This was a wonderful article to read, along with the beautifully written comments and memories of so many. Mine include Saturday mornings doing chores and then watching ‘Soul Train’ with my mother and trying the latest dances. The wonderfully repetitive Christmas holidays that started with my parents filming my brother and me as we opened gifts, followed by a delicious breakfast and then a leisure filled day playing with our new toys and resting. Around 5:00 pm, we would go to dinner at my great aunt and uncle’s home. They had twinkly lights in their front windows and the house was always filled with laughter and the smell of delicious food. Sundays at church filled with kind, caring people who loved and supported us. I was blessed.

Not being able to sleep because of Alice in Wonderland Syndrome. (Basically, your brain forgets how to do size and perspective, and kinda hallucinates small really big things or big microscopic things. The most re urgent one was that my beanbag was the globe. Infinitely huge to a 6 year old; but I could also see with incredible detail, every single person on it. )And feeling so lost about how to explain it; but my dad, in a rare moment told me to look at the light in the hallway. If I was looking at the light, I couldn’t see the small big things. He said that was what worked for him. It was such a relief knowing I wasn’t alone with it. I also remember getting “big girl furniture” just before my brother was born. I remember the men carrying it in, and how when they were carrying the dresser just off the floor, the top was still taller than me. I remember being part of the group of pre-school aged kids turned out after breakfast to go play until called. We loved the garbage man; he always stopped to talk to us and let us out little scraps in the truck. It made my whole week when he lifted me up over his head to throw something in the truck after they’d shut the back and just the top was open. I remember our Volkswagen van with the sink in it. My mom said I can’t remember that because I had just turned 3. But I described it, so I guess I do.

One is the annual party that my grandmother would throw in her London flat. In the memory, I am mostly returning to the kitchen over and over to retrieve more slices of the delicious M&S garlic bread. My grandmother was a narcissistic abuser, and I think one of the ways I think I deflected from that was through my love of the city and the food. This was before sensory enjoyment became impossible because I dissociated most of the time to avoid dysphoria.

The other one is when I took a roll of packing tape into my room at around 13 and taped my chest flat, then calmly ripped it off. This used to be incredibly painful, as was the knowledge that I spent so many years never feeling loved or seen because my persona was mostly a fabricated gender presentation. Now, after my top surgery this year and a lot of therapy, I find it beautiful that I knew who I was despite never seeing it or knowing anyone else had felt that way. Knowing that I honor that kid when I am myself each day in my body is something I try to keep near me.

The head nun at my catholic school elementary saying, “It’s ‘YeS’ Rebecca, not “yeah.”

Finding out, way after I threw the bag away, that my mom had packed a candy bar in my lunch. She never did again.

The only time my basketball coach named me as the best hustler during a game. It was the only game my mom made it to that season.

My grandfather surprising me with my school’s letterman’s jacket. I had qualified but couldn’t afford it. I still don’t know how he knew.

This definitely gave me all the goosebumps.

– My 2nd grade teacher, Ms Silver, coming to my dance recitals on the weekends (and walking if they were on Saturdays! – Jewish).

– My grandfather and I in the paddleboat on the lake. He brought a bucket and flooded us as I was squealing and laughing, he sank it – just for fun.

– My first kiss at the skate rink, and also my first encounter with braces.

– Telling my parents I liked girls and my mother saying ‘oh honey we know, but we can talk about it however you’d like’.

– My first solo backpacking trip and sleeping in my tent in the rain. I cried most of the night and remember being afraid to call my dad and tell him I quit. I ended up pushing through all three of the days.

My first and most life changing was at the age of 4. My Dad carrying in my sister’s lifeless body from outside after a terrible accident. My mother’s mental health deteriorating never to recover. Shelling peas, from the laundry basket. Pets, all of them over the years who are a constant source of unconditional love and support. Fishing with my Dad, he just wanted the tranquility it bought to him, but my tangled line was the result. Life gives you lots of fleeting highs & crashing lows, it is resilience that keeps you going.

Listening to Blondie’s “Heart of Glass” as I played with my Little People toys on the floor of our living room in El Salvador.

Giggling with my cousins as we hid the the guest rooms at my grandmother’s house as we played “Escondelero” (hide and seek). That was when my dad was still fun with kids.

Dancing “ballet” behind the couch as my dad played classical music and read in our suburban house in Austin.

Playing broomball (hit a tennis ball with a broom) with friends or my siblings, kicking the soccer ball back and forth in the front street, throwing the basketball at the hoop on top of the garage.

Getting into trouble with the teacher at my new elementary school because I talked too much

Kareening down narrow roads with cousins in tow (van driven my an aunt or grandmother) as we head to the beach in El Salvador

Top Ramen made by my mother with broccoli and hot dogs added for veggies and protein

My parents going for “walks around the block” wearing 80’s short shorts- probably to have some space away from us after both of them working long days

Staying up watching far too much Cinemax with my siblings- eyes wide open watching probably inappropriate movies!

A few core memories from my childhood:

*Rushing to get homework done after school each day just so I could strap on my rollerblades and skate until sunset. *Family bike rides around our neighborhood. *Swinging on the swingset in my backyard when the Florida evenings were cooling off a bit. *Christmas Eve at my Grandparent’s house and hanging out with all 7 of my cousins. *Playing Barbies and eating pizza with my best friend and her older sister who was also my babysitter.

I often find myself crippled with childhood nostalgia, and worry that I’ll forget all of it. But then a sweet moment will pop back into my mind at an unexpected moment. Melted cheese on chips and chocolate milk bring me right back that hour home alone with my brother, watching cartoons before my parents would come home – the best!

This made me think of a conversation I had with a mom with an older kid around the use of the word “trauma” and how you work hard as a parent to not have traumatic moments. She said that the things her kid told her were traumatic experiences happened on a regular, bland day and that sometimes she didn’t even remember them. The things that she thought for sure would stand out as the trauma moments were processed and forgotten. Just like happy, core memories, parents can’t force what a child will remember.

Not a happy core memory, but an influential one – When I was 10, I desperately wanted to be part of the popular group at school. But I wasn’t. I had one very best friend. Our desks faced each other in the classroom. One day we got into a fight during lunch and just as the popular girls walked past, I called my friend a bitch. In her face, I could see her heart shatter. But for one lunchtime, 50mins, I was part of the popular group. When I went back to class, she had pulled her desk out, barely an inch away from mine, but it felt like a chasm. Our friendship never recovered and I spent the last 2 months of that year spending lunch in the library. I don’t know if she remembers, but that moment is woven into my being and I think of it often. I can see the indents of that experience in my personality.

Your story brought me back to a memory very similar to yours. That really made me shiver with the memory of when I did the same thing. I will never forget how heartless I was that day and how I still feel that regret.

My stepmom made me feel unloved, unwelcome and just too much. At home I mostly felt very lonely. But there are also happy memories: Elementary school: – Being on the playground with my best friend, playing with the sock puppets our teacher had lent us for the weekend, swinging on the swing set. – There were some hot summer days when my stepmom didn’t want to spend time in the kitchen. So when I came home from school we’d sit on the deck and could have honey pops for lunch. The warmth of the sunwarmed wood panels under my bare feet. The sweet, crunchy pops in my mouth and how fast I’d need to eat them so they wouldn’t get soaked and squishy. The cold, sugary milk. – Saturdays at my grandparents. Always the same routine. Going to the supermarket with my grandpa to get groceries, staying for a quick chat with his friends at the coffee shop (hot cocoa for me). Coming back to already cooked lunch. Followed by my grandpa retreating for his nap and my grandma cleaning the kitchen while I was allowed to watch some TV. Playing with my grandma until grandpa woke up. Having cake in the afternoon. Going for a walk. Time for dinner (Abendbrot). – How my grandma didn’t get annoyed with me or like I was too much when I stayed over and got a stomach bug 12: – Having a crush on someone for the first time. How I couldn’t handle talking to him. I never thought that I would actually lose all sense of time and place but when he looked me in the eyes… It was like they were magnetic. 13: – Being on a summer youth trip from church and just having so much fun. A big swingset under large leafy trees, where I would swing into the darkening evening sky with a friend by my side. Talking about that one guy we both had a crush on. How that connected us instead of making us compete…

Uff, this is making me feel all the feels, growing up as a child of first generation immigrants in Canada – spending cold, dark winter mornings sitting on top of the heating vent with a cup of warm milk and honey – running wild through the streets of our neighbourhood on our bikes and rollerblades, back when helicopter parenting wasnt a thing – summer days at the swimming pool with my beloved grandpa – feeling sick to my stomach when thunderstorms happened and waiting for my mom to get into bed with me – an insane family road trip from Canada to Disneyland that my dad insisted on even though we could barely afford a car – summer days spent holed up in the library reading book after book after book

My core childhood memories There are so many. I hope I don’t forget one day.

Getting stung by a bee when I was around five years old on Mason Street in our backyard. Now I’m severely allergic. Getting our new car in 1962, A red Chevy Nova. license plate RBV222. (I was about 5) Taking naps in my kindergarten or first grade class. My second grade teacher Mrs. Ryan, I adored her. My mom and dad having a lot of parties. Having a birthday party and playing a game putting a wooden clothes pin in a milk bottle while kneeling on a chair. Cleaning my room and shoving my clothes under my bed (and then of course cleaning it when mom found out). Playing in the neighborhood from morning till night. The best memories were Vena St, playing in the cul-de-sac. My neighbor Gary saying to me ‘que pasa Gorda’. Going to the dentist and kicking him even though my mom gave me a dollar so I wouldn’t. My brothers Cub Scout meetings and a boy with freckles and I called him freckle face strawberry. My parents ‘sleeping late’ and locking the door so we could stay outside playing until around four in the afternoon on Sundays. (they were either hung over or having sex I’m sure) Getter together at my grandparents house and playing with my 18 cousins! When we were supposed to be in bed we would watch the TV show mom and dad were watching through the heater grates in the hallway.

There are so many more, but these stuck out. I really enjoyed reading this article Jessica.

Reading through these I’m really struck by the different backgrounds. Some of us were raised with loving parents doing their best, and some of us were not. (And there is plenty of middle ground too). It just makes me think that in an age when we have learned to be so much more mindful of privilege, this is an invisible privilege. The difference in the way someone would feel walking through the world after being cherished for 18 years versus someone who did not feel safe or loved at home is profound.

I’m a therapist and I try to keep this perspective in all my work with patients. Being raised in a cherished, loving home is a privilege, and the absence of it causes scars sometimes for a lifetime

I grew up in an incredibly loving and supporting household and my husband did not. The difference between our fundamental outlooks on life is so striking and no doubt a result of those formative years.

This is so well put Margaret. Thank you

One of my corest-core memories: I was in 5th grade and we were instructed to wear green skirts for the school choir performance. My mom sewed me what I’m sure was a perfectly fine green skirt. But I was not perfectly fine with it – it looked different than the skirts at the store. I remember wearing it, feeling defeated as I looked at my reflection. My mom should sense my disappointment, I think, but was also likely irritated because – hello! She just made me a skirt. I could hear that in her voice as she asked if I liked it, off-handedly offering to buy a different one if I didn’t like it. I was (am) such a people pleaser and I still remember the anxiety as I said, “I don’t like it. Can we buy one?” She was not pleased. But she followed through, letting me select my dream (!) plaid, pleated skirt that was just so very store-bought looking. I adored it. Now as an adult I can understand my mom’s irritation but when I asked her about it a few years ago (“Do you remember this? Why didn’t you just have me wear the other skirt? Were you super annoyed?”) she was calm about it, saying it was frustrating for her (especially since finances were tight and random green skirts weren’t in the budget) but it was also the first time I pushed back on something in a strong way. She wanted me to know that I could be my own person and that my opinions mattered, even if it didn’t feel like it should be a big deal to others. And I think often the “minor” core memories might be like that – seemingly minor, but somehow shifted something in how we viewed ourselves or the world.

Your mom sounds wonderful!

That is awesome and selfless motherhood right there! She let go of her annoyance and ego to put you and your development first. I love when I can really do this and notice it. This one inspired me. Thank you.

Gosh what a lovely post and the comments are incredible too. – Riding in the car with my dad on the way home from private violin lessons every Saturday. We’d run into the gas station store for a cold slushie, then stop at the field to watch huge model rc airplanes take off and fly in the air. – Going to a night club with my older teenage sister (as we did every week) and watching her get into a physical fight with a crazy jealous girl from school. I think it was the same night she got up on stage and sang the humpty dance with her friends? lol – The phone call with my sister when I had just moved to Austin to live with my then boyfriend who wasn’t treating me right, and her saying “just leave! Get in your car and come here!” She was in California. A few days later, our mom flew out to Austin to help me pack up my volvo and drive with me to California for the next chapter of my life. I was in total despair from the breakup but lucky to have such a support system. – Driving cross country (again) to NYC with my then boyfriend (the same one I left a few years back in Austin!!). We stopped at a rest stop and couldn’t find Rufus, the cat, in the back of our van. We were both yelling “Rufus!!” “Rufus” in a panic. Eventually found him curled up inside a shelf.

Your first memory reminds me of my dad driving me to piano lessons. We always stopped at the gas station for a snack on the way back, too (I opted for Cheetos puffs – easy on my braces).

I have core memories both from traditions created by my parents and mundane childhood downtime! I think maybe that’s the key is successful parenting at some level – enforcing some traditions AND leaving enough room for children to be unabashedly children. Two of my core winter memories, for example, are (1) when my parents would bring us kids to NYC for the day to see the Rockettes and all the holiday magic and let us pick one toy each at FAO Schwartz (a barbie, always a barbie), and (2) putting on a white slip and dancing around our unfinished cement basement floor pretending to be an Olympic figure skater after watching Nancy Kerrigan and Katarina Witt upstairs with my parents. They are equally charmed memories for me.

Oh boy- I have a vivid memory of reading the end of Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince, curled up in my lime green egg chair in the attic room my dad made for me featuring skylights (!). 13 was a tough year for me (isn’t it for everyone). We were poor and I was chubby and all too aware of such. We were about to move again (my 6th or 7th at this point). I think all of my middle school sorrow was poured out through the tears following this book hero of mine’s death.

I love these Cup of Jo California writers – I definitely also have some core memories at Mervyns!

Ah! I was just coming here to say that! Mervyns in norcal (Cupertino) was a definite core memory (as was the JC Penny at Vallco shopping mall)…

Omg yes to Mervyns, rip to the one off Blossom Hill in San Jose. I remember my mom and grandma would take me and I’d be there for what felt like hourssss (it was probably like 30 min though haha) and just walking past and touching all the clothes on the racks.

I used to mispronounce it as Merv On’s. And we would go to Penny’s and Marie Calendar’s after!!

The Galloping Gourmet on my parent’s tiny bedroom television, curled beside my mother, her morning breath while she tickled my back/the smell of the Christmas trunk bursting with decorations and reeking of frankincense, tracing the frost on my window and waiting for Santa/the freedom of a boring summer with friends home before the streetlights, bike riding with my dog in his basket attached to the handlebars and whispering to him the places we whipped past/the long trudge to school past the wild roses which yes, I stopped to smell/fireworks so powerful they made my heart thump in rhythm/Raspberries right off the vine/ Field trips to big scary museums and fighting for the last seat on the bus. A thousand million shards of memories, mostly grateful and definitely cherished.

Gosh – so vividly written! I could imagine each shard of your memories on a page of a children’s picture book :)

I have a lot of good memories, but one that I would always tell as humorous now helps me make more sense of where my feelings of helplessness and unworthiness come from. I was playing in a wading pool one summer, probably around age 5? I decided to float on my back, and it was really peaceful and nice. Then I heard a sound. I opened my eyes, and my mom was standing there crying. She thought I’d drowned. I don’t remember anything after sitting up and asking her what was wrong. But at 57, going back to work on myself some more, I realize that I’ve always carried a feeling of not being worth saving, of not being enough. Honestly, if I had read this post even a day ago, I wouldn’t have put it together. But my assignment this morning was to write a love letter to myself, and there was a meditation about picturing myself hugging and caring for myself as a child. The universe always offers things up when you’re ready. <3

FRIDAY NIGHTS…….in grammar school. (I am old, it will always be “grammar school” to me.)

The anticipation of two whole days off. Saturday was always wonderful, Sunday a little less so, cause we had to go to Church, and early to bed for school on Monday. But Friday night was nothing short of delicious anticipation.

But actually I am extremely fortunate in that I have tons of good childhood memories.

This is such a sweet essay. My core memories include a wide range – fishing with my dad, watching my mom put on makeup and smelling all her perfumes, falling off the monkey bars in kindergarten, blockbuster Fridays (there’s a ritual!), neighborhood kickball games…. My husband’s core memories are not so nice. His childhood was difficult to say the least and his core memories revolve around fear, disappointment and loneliness. It breaks my heart. And it also makes me realize that as parents we can set up all the rituals and curate all the experiences in the world, but all that really matters is that we make our children feel safe and loved.

I have many happy memories and I rely on them now that I’ve lost my father to cancer and am losing my mom to Alzheimer’s. I grew up in the San Fernando Valley during the 60s and 70s. In elementary school, my parents didn’t allow much TV (or soda!) but once a year ‘The Wizard of Oz’ was on and we’d all watch together. It was magical and terrifying and we LOVED it. When the flying monkeys were on screen my little brother was so scared that he could only watch through a mirror. My parents adjusted the TV so that my brother could look at a mirror in the living room when he got nervous. When the scaries were over he’d sit between our parents and watch the ending.

We are 59 and 56 and I still bring that up. He bikes a lot and might mention that a ride was harrowing so I ask if a mirror would have made it less scary. It’s a fun game I play.

There are so many memories! I seem to remember a lot more than my husband. One is a feeling rather than one particular moment: whenever I had a nightmare or couldn’t sleep at night, I would go to my parents’ bedroom and slip into their bed. My sister and I could do that, but I realised later that some kids couldn’t, it was the 70s and some people thought it very harmful. That feeling of being in tucked in between mum and dad, their sleepy cuddles – it stays with me to this day. I knew that nothing could happen to me there, it was the safest space ever. I am so grateful for the love my parents gave me.

Living in fear from being beaten , choked unconscious or having comet cleanser shoved down my throat

Oh Bob….in a sea of people’s happy memories your comment stands out as a reminder we dont all have sweet memories of life growing up. I send you love xx

Hi Bob Diane I’m sorry that happened to you. You didn’t deserve that. I hope you and those around you give you gentle love and respect as you deserve

We had a bathing place at a lake when I was little. We were there every summer, it felt like all the time. And my aunts and uncles were right next to it. I learned to swim there – I remember that very clearly. Mostly I dove because I loved it and my mom wasn’t so enthusiastic because she wanted me to be able to swim soon. I remember exactly how it felt under water. I can see the underwater pictures in front of me… They were wonderful years at the lake. Vivid memories… :-)

Found myself going back to my childhood memories and see what experiences my son, who currently stays with me, would like to have; most of them i’d be alone playing or listening to music or even not so pleasant ones like interactions with my mom’s then boyfriends. It got me thinking the same thinking just as you’ve asked: “Is pure presence in the moment the secret?” I believe so, this may be the key to having a continous string of memories and in essence living your past in an almost vivid way of every moment whenever you remember something. But then again “It’s life’s little joke that we don’t get to choose what sticks.” 😄

I think about this a lot now that I have kids. I wonder, is it okay that sometimes we just stay home and bum around – play games and eat yummy snacks. I hope so. From photos, I can see that my parents took me to a lot of cool places growing up but some of my core memories are simple things like resting my head on my mom’s lap on the sofa, and my dad handing me his handkerchief when I was crying. He always has one in his pocket. The warm food my mom had ready when I got home from school, and the times my dad would take us out to eat. The comfort and safety I felt being with my parents.

-My grandmother is holding a cut crystal lowball glass of eggnog. It’s a Christmas party with grown ups, complete with a pile of coats that smell like strangers on the guest bed. She is wearing velvet, and I’m obsessed with how it reflects light. She is in her 90’s; I am in elementary school. (My mom had me in her 40’s, she had my mom in her 40’s. Our generational span over time is insane. My grandmother graduated from college in 1929.) She says to me, “KaHRaH (a New England accent through and through), if you ever need to weah a dress with no brassiere, just put band-aids on your nipples. That’s what we did with the beaded numbahs.” Is this an appropriate thing to say to a small child? Who cares? Did I feel like she was imparting deeply important and secretive information to me? Absolutely. Was she right? Several formal events in my life with backless dresses can attest: 100% – I have butterfly clips in my hair, Roxy board shorts and Vans sneakers on. Blink-182 is playing on the school bus radio. My former best friend has been saying awful things about me to all our friends. She is popular; I used to be. Half the bus won’t make eye contact with me. I pass her on my way off. I lean down. I say, “you’re a BITCH.” Her mouth drops open. I feel heat on my neck and sour waves in my stomach as I step off. When I get home, my mother is on the phone. She pulls the receiver away from her face. “Did you cuss out Brittany on the bus?” she asks. “No!” I say, “I just called her a bitch.” My mother thinks for a beat, then says into the phone, “You know, Brittany’s not very nice.” -The Mercury Cafe in Denver has red string lights swooping above its tables and I’m barefoot on the black chipped paint stage. I’m speaking into a microphone I wasn’t sure how to adjust for my height. The stanzas come down from my memory and tumble out of my mouth, and I remember them all, and they rhyme. I stop at the end. There’s a small, collective inhale. Then the loudest applause I’ve ever heard. A friend in the front row is crying. We’re 19; we are always crying. But it’s still cool. The host puts her hand up, and quiet falls, heavy and quick. The judges hold up their score boards: 10, 10, 10. A hat trick. It’s the final round. I give a friend my victory lap poem because his mom is visiting from Jersey and has never been to a poetry slam. I say to the waiter smoking outside, the one with a top hat with silk flowers stuck in the ribbon and crooked teeth: “I won! I won the slam! Do you want to make out?” He tosses his cigarette into the sidewalk and snubs it out. “With you? Of course I do.”

The story about Brittany is really funny.

These are all brilliant, love the way you write.

Yes to poetry slams at the Merc!! Slams and swing dancing there are some of my core early high school memories.

The two that popped into my mind are not necessarily happy core memories but they certainly made an impression.

The first is when my mom closed the garage door on me. We used to leave the garage door open by about a foot so the cat could slide under to get food and water. I was going out to get something from the garage when I noticed Alex, my neighborhood nemesis, riding his bike up on our driveway. It felt like trespassing and I never missed an opportunity to tell him off, so I got down on my stomach, slithered myself under the garage, and popped my head up to tell him to get off our driveway. Just as I told him to get lost, I heard the garage door creak and the next thing I knew I was being crushed! It was terrifying! I started screaming frantically and Alex just stood there on his bike and laughed. My mom panicked and started slamming the garage door button, which only made it worse. Eventually she realized that the thing to do was to NOT push the button and the garage went up and I was free. I still blame my back pains on that incident to this day, but my family says it’s what I deserved for enjoying getting people in trouble.

The second one has to do with my dad. My dad had trouble keeping a job when I was a kid. He was a software engineer, but during one stint of unemployment he took a temporary job at a cookie factory. I remember I was old enough for part of me to feel like it was cool and another part of me to be embarrassed. The moment that sticks out to me the most is when a new friend asked me what my dad’s job was. “He makes . . . cookies.” Of course they thought it was awesome but I remember just secretly hoping they wouldn’t mention that to their parents.

Riding on my dad’s shoulders on our way to go fishing (him with rod & fishing bag in hand as well as the 4-y-o on shoulders) & he did this little skip jump. Me imploring him to do it “again, again” because it was fun & I thought he was pretending to be a galloping horse. The reality being he’d just jumped over a (venomous) snake that had been sunning itself on the path. The cool as a cucumber reflexes & the subtly protective way he went about it as to not cause alarm breaks me open every time I think about it.

-running through the orchard between my grandmother’s and her sister’s houses to swing on my great aunt’s tire swing -hunting a jaguar in our suburban Midwestern neighborhood. We KNEW it was real. (Spoilers: it was not) -hood sledding with my 15 cousins. One of my uncles lived on a farm and repaired cars as a side gig. One winter, he attached the hood of a car with string to the back of his truck and loaded the kids on the hood. Another kid would be on a cheap plastic sled tied to the hood with another string. He and my dad would drive all of over the cold, snowy fields dragging these kids along.

None of these were specific traditions, but they were born out of a commitment to traditions. Visiting my grandmother for a month each summer, spending Thanksgiving and Christmas with cousins where dozens of children ran wild for what seemed days, and summers filled with outside, imaginative play.

Hood sledding, shoot……I thought I had a perfect childhood but, no hood sledding. Never even heard of it. So I guess I had a perfect childhood minus the hood sledding. And now I have one more thing to add to my bucket list.

My dogs. All 3 of them. Saying goodbye to the first one when I was 4. Resting my head on her as she was wrapped in a comforter on the kitchen floor. My parents cleared the room out for her. Walking into the vets office and then leaving without her.

The lilac bush on the side of the garage. Walking by it purposely to smell it. The weeping willow in the back yard.

Late summer nights, catching and releasing fireflies, sparklers, and sleeping with the windows open.

Sorting through piles of loose photos in drawers.

My pop pops voice, scratchy and laced with his New York accent, calling my dads nickname. I can still hear it. Sometimes when I walk somewhere just the right combo of cigarettes and his aftershave/cologne/deodorant(???) and I think he’s there. Riding the staten island ferry with him and siblings.

I can only think of bad memories. I’m never able to remember any good ones from childhood but I’m almost certain I had some happy times. A few of my unpleasant ones: – I think I was 3 or 4 and I was in trouble with my mom. She said that what I had done was so bad that I couldn’t live at home anymore. I packed a bag while howling crying and she led me out the front door. I walked alone for what seemed like a long distance at the time before she came to get me but was in reality about 50 adult steps – I was about 5 when I saw my mom steal a lightbulb. I thought she had forgotten to pay so I started to say it at the checkout until I got her scary, angry look and fell silent. It was really confusing and I thought I had done something wrong – About 7 and a neighbour bought me a glorious Barbie set with loads of accessories. I loved it. But mom wouldn’t let me open it. Then a while later we threw a birthday party for the child of a family friend and when she opened her present from us, it was my Barbie set. I got the scary, angry look from my mom again so I didn’t say anything but I was distraught inside – About 8 and my whole school class were lined up outside the classroom with the teacher. My friend stuck up her middle finger behind the teacher’s back and then I told the teacher in front of everyone, believing it was what I was supposed to do. The aftermath made me realise that somewhere along the way, the other kids had understood that telling tales was no longer the expected thing to do but I hadn’t realised. When I told my parents what had happened, I saw embarrassment and pity in their faces

Oh Louise I just want to give you a hug.

Hi Louise. I’m sorry those things happened. little you didn’t deserve to be scared, dismissed, and not heard – not respected.

Thinking of little you and sending her a listening ear, explanations you deserve, and a big toy set.

My partner had a similar childhood to you. May all of you have those things now.

Sending little you a friendly hug

my heart and the hearts of so many others are with you, louise. i’m sorry you did not get the childhood you deserve. thank you for sharing these memories with us – too many of us can relate. i hope you love yourself now the way you deserved to be loved as a precious child.

Sending you a big hug, Louise. My childhood memories are too depressing to even write out in words and share in this post. Just want to say you’re not alone! 💛

You’re not alone, Louise. Some of our childhoods weren’t filled with happy memories. I too read about annual vacations and holidays and wonder why my childhood was unhappy at worst and apathetic at best. Why even in relaxed family moments, I felt so little joy. In the culture I grew up in, parents who put a roof over your head and gave you an education could do no wrong. It didn’t matter that they didn’t know how to express emotions and that you grew up unseen and unheard. But if you’re able to recall and hold on to a few good times among a vast number of unpleasant ones, you’d still be making progress. Dig deep for those happy memories. I hope you (and your inner child) find peace.

I remember my mom singing me a lullaby and saying prayers before bed and the gentle blanket of snow covering everything the morning my grandpa and I woke up in the mountains while we were scouting elk and the fuzzy wuzzy caterpillars in the lower hay barn and the smell of falling asleep in the crook of my dad’s giant arm on a warm sunny day.

A memory etched in my mind. Falling asleep in my grandmothers bed on a very hot summer night in Boston. The sirens and sounds of the city were scary outside. But, her Mother of Mary statue on her dresser and the talk radio show softly playing on her night stand made me feel safe. I miss my sweet grandma.

A few early memories: Bringing a glass jar filled with caterpillars and leaves, sticks etc. to preschool for Show and Tell, and then dropping it and seeing glass everywhere (the school was a little mad at my mom for sending me in with glass…), looking at my newborn sister through the glass pane in a door at the hospital. They thought she had Down Syndrome and had stopped breathing shortly after she was born. Turned out she is just fine. My grandparents, aunts, uncles always drinking Manhattans when we were at my grandparents’ house for get-togethers. They’d leave the cherry in their glass and I’d come around and eat them…an alcohol-soaked cherry does indeed have an effect on a four-year-old! :) I also remember the warm summer evenings with the sound of our neighbors playing Horseshoes at our old house in Baltimore, and sitting in the back of the neighbor’s station wagon and waving to the drivers behind us on the way to ballet class. We were so thrilled when someone waved back!

My aunt was my dance teacher, and she was fierce. One day she called me out, for what I do not remember. As she was speaking sternly to me, she suddenly stopped and said – Don’t cross your eyes at me when I’m speaking to you! I was dumbfounded! While I was attempting to blur her away, I found it incredulous she could see my crossed eyes! Like a toddler who puts on sunglasses and thinks they’ve disappeared. When my eight year old wants me to tell him stories, somehow I often think of this, and we have a good laugh!

Standing with my face as close as possible to my grandparent’s window AC unit. We didn’t have one and I loved the way the icy cold air felt on my face. At home I would lay my face next to the floor vent and feel the cold air. And at church I loved watching my skirt poof up whenever I walked over the larger floor vents there. I loved it! Ironically as an adult I absolutely hate wind of any kind, but thinking back I would love to have one more moment at my grandparent’s house in front of that window. Or many more moments honestly.

I vividly remember getting ready to turn 6, and all I wanted for my birthday party was a jungle theme, so my parents spent hours taping hundreds of 8-foot-long crepe paper streamers to the kitchen ceiling, so that me and my friends could run around shrieking and crashing into each other. It was magical. I’ll never forget it. (If this idea greatly appeals to you as an adult – and it did to me – then might I suggest visiting Descanso Gardens just outside of LA? Through the end of the year they’re featuring a modern art exhibit throughout the garden and in one of the buildings, and one part of the exhibit is a room full of feather boas hung from the ceiling. It felt like walking through the grown-up version of my crepe paper jungle, and I adored it.)

Playing “thumbs up, 7 Up” in second grade, as a break from schoolwork during a sweltering June heatwave in 1975, and having my face burn when I turned “down” the thumb of my crush

My brother and I rattling around the back of my mom’s old Lincoln, probably just doing errands- with classic 70’s music in the background, viewing the padding landscape through my yellow tinted, cheap sunglasses

Long days spent at the beach. Time before I was old enough to have a a summer job. Retreating from the chilly ocean with shriveled fingers, sitting in the beach blanket eating the sandwiches and chips my mom packed (I still have our childhood beach thermos!!)

My fourth grade teacher, Miss Rodgers, playing The Eagles Greatest Hits at lunch. She was young and hip. She wore dangly earrings and smelled of Shalimar perfume.

High school Friday night dance my junior year. It was the night before SAT’s; I saw my longtime crush, who was invited from another school, slow dance with someone who wasn’t me- feeling that achy sickness in the pit of my stomach, hot tears running down my face.

I’m glad I’m not the only one who experienced early (one-sided) sexual tension during Thumbs Up 7 Up.

My grandparents lived in a salt box home in a rural community by the ocean in Newfoundland. I still remember the way their screen door creaked as I opened it. We would arrive from St. John’s and I would get smothered in hugs and kisses from all kinds of relatives. Cousins would be dragging us to go and play.

I just recently bought my forever home in Toronto. I’m trying to figure out how to incorporate a creaky screen door.

Going to the museum with my dad, looking at the Egyptian exhibit (still a favorite), and eating a sandwich with sprouts on it. I had never had such a fancy sandwich before. And now I’m afraid to eat sprouts.

Reading a whole Agatha Christie cover-to-cover next to the wood burning stove. Pretending to be Sandy in Grease with a black leotard and a white crayon cigarette (glamour!). Walking down our town’s dirt side streets to get Laffy Taffy at the store after a sleepover. Listening to those Disney “turn the page when Tinkerbell rings her bell” albums on my Holly Hobbie record player. Stopping at Pizza Hut on family road-trips, no pizza or Coke has ever tasted so good. Whole summer days at my grandmas house: swimming, eating oranges or apricots off the tree, reading her old picture books, sleeping in my mom’s childhood bedroom. There are so many more— this is lovely to think about.

My dad was a fellow full of schemes and beer. Among the highlights–1) renting a goat for a weekend to clean up the debris of our vegetable garden in late summer. We brought the poor thing home in the back seat of our 1963 Ford Galaxie. It cried all night and bit my little brother. 2) digging a pond in the backyard, lined with lumpy concrete and bits of aquarium gravel for color, but eschewing filtration–therefore growing many, many mosquitos. 3) pulling up to the Weinerschnitzel drive thru and ordering a large pepperoni pizza, time after time. 4) blaming (imaginary) overhead ducks for the sound of his farts. That 1963 Galaxie became my first (mortifying, baby blue, reflective mountain scene window decal-bearing) car. Somewhere, it’s in a junkyard, having a good chuckle.

I love these so much, and your opening sentence about your dad is amazing

6, jumping on the trampoline with my first (and best boy) dog, Hickory. Also seeing him for the first time on a cold night in my daddy’s little pick-up when he came to get me from grandmama’s house. I wanted to “keep the puppy warm” so I sat in the floorboard with him all the way home.

11th grade, over it all, ratty jeans and whatever hair down to my bra strap, reading in the hall before class. My teacher stopped in the middle of the hall and told me how pretty I was. She was awesome.

12 grade, last day of Art — my teacher gave me 2 necklace charms. A fish “to always be faithful” and a palm tree “to go with flow but never forget to put down roots”. She was one of the most gorgeous women ever.

4, playing endless games of Old Maid with my mama and squealing when she’d put her finger on the Old Maid because I thought I’d caught her.

Hot tea from the microwave and a Little Debbie cake (or 2) at 10PM with my grandmama before she started getting dementia.

My cousin and I, thick as thieves, throwing a football in the yard during middle school because it was the only time he felt comfortable talking about big stuff.

Elementary school going to Destin, FL with my parents. Daddy’s work paid for it so everyone was in a really good mood. Not the usual for family trips. The sunsets were stunning and everyone was just … happy.

I loved this and have just taken some time to delve into my memory to see what still lingers. I think it’s one of the downsides of our constant attachment to phones and social media- we are always scrolling and filling our minds with something (often inane) so we don’t let our minds wander, daydream or just sit back and remember. I’m going to make an effort to dredge up long-forgotten memories and jot them down in a notebook as and when they occur. CoJ-thought provoking and life affirming. As always.

I remember snippets of my first day at kindergarten meeting my friend Hilary and her dad asking us to give each other a hug and take care of each other for the day.

What a sweet dad! I wonder if he’s done any more friendship matchmaking.

My 2 y/o always asks for a couple of bedtime stories as I tuck him in, and lately I’ve been telling him stories from when I was a kid. It’s funny which ones I remember and which ones he loves the most (current winner = the time I was walking home from school and decided to jump in a huge mud puddle and roll around in it till I was covered in mud from head to toe. bet my mom hasn’t forgotten that one either, lol)

I love that you’ve included your own stories with your son. Really pulls at the heartstrings.

Mia, my dad did this for me growing up (I called them “olden days stories – imagine how that made him feel ha!), and I absolutely loved the stories. I asked for them over and over again. As the child, I can tell you what a bonding experience it was and how strong of a connection I felt with my dad. He was a funny, silly kid like me! Don’t stop. <3

Here is a tip whenever you really want to remember a moment do this : Find five thing you can see 4 things you can touch 3 things you can hear 2 things you can smell 1 thing you can taste . Swear it works

When I started reading, I was sure I had no particular memories because I consciously leave the past in the past. But this little exercise surprised me with how much it brought back. Thanks I may use it at a gathering.

Yall need to read Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury. It’s like a whole wonderful book with a core memories vibe!

A have a very good memory and a TON from childhood, but here’s what just popped into my brain:

– each summer we’d drive from CT to our cabin in Maine, and my dad would build a plywood platform to put in the back of the minivan (in place of seats – WTF! Lol, the ’80s were weird). My mom would pad it with blankets and pillows, and we’d spend the 8-hour ride in our “fort” in the minivan. I remember each of us getting to choose one bottle of Clearly Canadian (I chose mixed berry) to drink for the ride, and we could choose ONE song to listen to on the radio. I can’t remember my song, but my older brother chose “Bad to the bone” and we then screamed the chorus for the rest of the ride.

The other powerful memory that I have is hanging upside down on my neighbor’s swingset. I loved it, and I thought that I was such a great gymnast because I could do some basic flips 😅

Being put to bed and falling asleep to the smells and sounds of my parent’s dinner parties. At the time, cigarette smoking was ubiquitous (the 80s) and so was the perfume Poison by Dior, neither terrific scents on their own, but when mixed with delicious food smells and loud laughter and clinking glasses…I don’t know why, but it was all somehow perfect.

This is so beautiful. I think the mundane, everyday moments are kind of wonderful. Mine are: sitting on our porch swing reading a book on a hot summer day; going on a gardening home tour with my mom; root beer and Uno on family camping trips; yearly birthday teas with my grandma; making collage art in my bedroom as an angsty teenager (and also dancing around like a mad person to angsty teen music); making scented candles with my sister; our family’s Christmas cookie bake fests; and walking into our house with a sports game blaring, the screen door open with a breeze floating in, and feeling an overwhelming sense of being at home. I still get that “at home” feeling when I visit my parents today. Sports are still on the TV, the volume is at max, and the backdoor is always open.

Randomly, one that really sticks is from preschool, so I was about 4? We were do an activity skipping in a circle. In the pocket of my cords I found what must have been a tissue left behind in the wash, then disintegrated into clumps. So while we kept going in the circle I slowly dropped pieces onto the carpet since I wanted it out of my pocket. Here I am thinking nobody can tell but by the end there was a mess on the floor and the teacher totally knew it was me and made me pick it up while the others started nap time. Perhaps that sticks since there was shame involved? I’m super curious about memories my children will retain, since nowadays we easily document everything. I show my 7 year old when my phone pops up memories from when he was 3. Years from now, what will his brain recall and how will today’s tech shape that?

Lying on my dad’s hospital bed with him listening to Enya when he was undergoing cancer treatment when I was 9-11. Looking back, the time was so peaceful and unhurried. My mom never rushed us.

Hands down the most vivid of memories for me is smell driven. Anytime I smell burnt rubber (from tires on pavement) or a blown engine (burning car oil) I am instantly transported to the racetrack where my siblings and I grew up. Every Saturday night for my ENITRE childhood my three siblings, my mom, and I would go to the local quarter mile oval paved race track to cheer our Dad on. Those smells are like a punch in the face of my memory bank. Lol

My childhood was very traumatic, but there is one memory that is full of joy for me. Myself, my brother, and the neighbor kids called it “Sand Hill”. For many years in my childhood the neighboring property to our house was dug into, but for some reason, no one was building a house yet, so there was a huge hill covered in dirt and sand, and we spent SO much time sliding down it on our butts. We would come home covered in dirt, and so happy. I remember crying when someone finally bought it and they built a house there.

Sorry if this has already been mentioned…but there is a book called The Power of Moments by Chip and Dan Heath that I’ve been wanting to read. It’s about how to create moments all throughout your life, not just with children. Could be an interesting read and offer some fun ideas for special moments in your life. Would love to hear if someone has read it and if it’s been useful!

A distinct “everyday” core memory: Sitting on the kitchen floor in front of the sink, where the only non-radiant air vent in the house gushed hot air onto our lower backs in the chilly winter months, and straining to watch the tiny 10″ tube TV located inconveniently across the room. Squishing to the side to make room for my sister or brother so we could “share the heat” until the blower eventually turned off. That vent had a distinct whirrrrr, and when we heard it rumble on from the other room, we’d race to claim our spots in front of it.

A “tradition”-based memory: Driving home from our aunt and uncle’s house after Christmas Eve dinner and feeling like the night was alive with magic, Santa flying somewhere high above us, but always being a little nervous that we would accidentally arrive home during his visit and somehow scare him away before he could leave us gifts!

For 47 years, my father owned a small sports bar in Calumet City, IL. My mother, a hairstylist, worked on Friday and Saturdays, so those were dad days. Every Saturday morning, he had no choice but to take us to the bar with him to prepare to open for the day. He would put cartoons on all the TVs while we poured fountain pops and stole cashews to munch on, surrounded by sports memorabilia and glowing Old Syle signs.

Somedays, he would make us pick up trash in the parking lot or sort boxes in the back room. That bar was a labor of love for my dad, and while it was a pain, it also gave me and my sisters so many wonderful memories. To this day, the smell of popcorn and stale beer makes me think of my childhood.

The old bar burnt down in 2021 in an electrical fire. When I called my dad, who was at the scene, he answered the phone saying, “Well, bring the marshmallows…” that truly sums up who my dad is. Everything happens for a reason though, my dad, 68, was planning to wait until he was 70 to retire, and with the bar gone, he cut out a bit early, making time for himself to finally get a knee replaced. They found two major heart blockages during his check-up, and he had an emergency bypass to clear them. If the bar had not burned down, there is a good chance my dad would have had a heart attack before they found those blockages.

I used the bar in my wedding video in 2013 and I am so glad we have this memory. You can catch it here a the 1:40 minute mark https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d9Snjk669rI

My dad’s favorite tagline “Such a Deal” was written all over the bar on his beer and food specials, and man…the childhood my parents gave us was truly such a deal.

Wow. This is so lovely and evocative. Hope your Dad is doing well now. You and/or your Dad should write a memoir!

Just watched the video, it was very sweet. Thank you!

Loved the vid! I LOVE the corner dive bar culture very much in the DNA of IL & Wisconsin.

Thanks, everyone! I appreciate your sweet words, and yes, dad is doing well and is finally getting that knee replaced in July! Hooray!

My Oma’s perfume, which she sprayed on before leaving her house. One time I was visiting and asked if she could spray my doll. For months after, I would smell my doll and think back to my Oma.

Walking through her garden with Opa, and him picking some roses. “Oma will like them.” The smell of roses always brings me back to that moment in the garden.

The crunch and smell of oak leaves I fall, reminders of raking paths in our backyard from house to forts with my best friend, her sister, and my sister. We four are forever friends. Jumping off a big rock, over an azalea bush, and onto the grass. A bush that by college became far too big to jump over.

Flying in an airplane away from my best friends to spend 8th grade abroad with my family. The sadness in my heart. But also realizing, while looking down at the clouds, that above every cloud is a bright blue sky and sunshine. I made some very good new friends that year.

Speaking of that year, sitting on my windowsill and talking to a new best friend late in the summery night.

The crickets on summer nights. Chirrrrup, chirrrup, chirrup, while I drift off to sleep, sun-kissed with the fan blowing on me.

Watching sunsets from my bedroom window over the valley.

Oh so many small memories. Thank you for the prompt!

I have very few memories of childhood to be honest. It is always crazy to me how specific some peoples’ memories are and how far back they can remember. I have been trying, along with my Mom, to remember the name of my 2nd grade teacher for weeks. I still have no idea.

I’ve thought a lot about this and I am certain my earliest memory is of my brother’s birth – so I am 2.5 years old. He was premature but healthy by mid-70s neo-natal standards, so my dad took me to see him in the hospital. He is a tiny pink human with his fist up to his mouth in an incubator. Just the flash of him and my dad leaning towards me whispering ‘look at his tiny hand’ makes up my entire memory – but it’s very vivid.

OMG the Y2K memory! My siblings and I always remember where we were at midnight. Our parents worked at IBM and had to go into the office at midnight to solve any customer issues and we got to come along. I felt like I was going to be there AT THE SCENE when the computers blew up! Our parents went to their office and we just wandered the hallways and stumbled onto a team work party. We freaked the team out and a man yelled “CHILDREN OF THE CORN!” The four of us remember this night so vividly and are always surprised talking to other adults now that say they don’t remember Y2K at all.

hahahahaha so so funny. I remember being SO freaked out. we went to visit my grandparents in England for New Year’s Eve and I thought, okay, this might really be it…. !!

We were on some island and I was 12 and my 13 year old sister got pulled over for driving me, our brothers, and two of my brother’s friends too fast in a golf cart. That is all I remember lol

I remember my parents throwing a New Years party, and all the kids were in my room, and we were climbing to the top shelf of my closet to hang out. I remember the adults bringing firewood because they thought the electricity wouldn’t work?! I remember thinking it might really be the end, too!

So many of my core memories are attached to scents. The smell of the hot valley pavement when visiting my grandpas house (my favorite house) where I spent every birthday until they sold it. The smell of my salty skin on the the way back from the beach, heading up the canyon to stop for a big vanilla ice cream cone. The smell of the pine trees in Tahoe ever summer. Sautéed onions, my Nana’s perfume, “Love Spell” being sprayed on all the girls PE clothes in the locker room so we didn’t have to wash them… the list is endless. I feel like I can smell my memories more than I actually remember them.

Beautiful article, loved this prompt!

My core memories run a gamut of sadness, ache, the unexpressed and the sheer joy of a joyful child who somehow survived it all. I was an emotional kid and always sent to my room when I had a tantrum. I can feel my little body up against the door of my bedroom, my feet kicking it, screaming. I can see my dolls staring down at me while I cried. I also remember waiting for my dad to come home from work. Some nights he did not as he had a long term involvement with someone else. Those sadnesses aside, I can also remember climbing the vinyl and metal stool in my grandma’s kitchen to stand beside her and help cook. I remember riding in the back of my dad’s car after dinner to get ice cream. I remember laughter with my cousins as we made up games with every changing rules. I remember the sheer chill of Lake Champlain in summer, jumping off the dock at my grandparents’ cottage and how my grandma paid us in Velamints when we beat her at cards. I remember prank calling my babysitter’s boyfriend and peaking at our Christmas presents and thinking my sister was just about the coolest human being on the planet. It’s taken me most of my adult life to understand that it’s fine to remember the ache with the joy and fine to admit that although there was a lot of pain, there was a lot of laughter, too. I wish the same for others who experience pain when they think back on their childhood-that you can somehow even access one tiny sliver of joy. Kids are hardwired to feel joy. It takes my breath away that I was able to glean joy from what on the face of it was a really sad growing up.

This post was so enjoyable to read and reflect on! I have many memories from my childhood and the vast majority are happy. That’s only somewhat surprising because my family did not have a lot of money, we almost never went on vacation, I never went to any summer camp and spent every day of every summer in a rural area doing so many random things. I just didn’t have any of the big experiences that I imagine will become my son’s core memories. I should probably take from this the understanding that I do not have to fill my son’s life with extravagant adventure in order for him to be happy.

One memory I have happened while riding in a car with my mom. I can’t remember my age, but I would say maybe around 10. I can remember where we were on the road, which happened to be where my mom’s mom was killed in a car crash when my mom was 8. This fact wasn’t actually that notable at the time because we drove on that road multiple times a day, every day, and I still do when I go to my parents’ house. I only just now made that connection while typing this comment. Anyways, I was rambling on about something (I talk a lot, as does my son) and I asked my mom what I could do that would make her stop loving me — like what if I commit some horrendous crime? This was just the chatter of a kid filling time and space and my mom took it as such and nonchalantly answered that there is nothing I would ever do that would make her stop loving me.

I have said a gazillion words to my mother in my life and she has said a gazillion more back to me, so I don’t know why I remember that exchange so clearly. I think it is because even though she told me she loved me all the time, something about that exchange really cemented the unconditional fact of her love. When I think about my mom and the kind of mom I want to be I know I want my son to understand and believe that I love him unconditionally, no matter what. As a result, I tell him that all the time — “I love you no matter what. Nothing you could do will ever make me stop loving you.”

My daily affirmations to him will probably not turn out to be one of his core memories. He might be more likely to remember being allowed to eat his first hot dog, or something. But, I still appreciate my memory and all of the inspiration and understanding it has given me as a mother!

I have a lot, and here are a few: 1. My parents had a Corvair and the back seat folded down. We were at the Drive In, they were watching Love Story and I slept in the backseat, after eating lots of popcorn! 2. Any song from 1973-1976 takes me back to summers at our pool, instantly. We belonged to just a pool, for $75 a summer, and it was right next to the country club pool. We were always envious, but maybe happier! 3. In 1st grade I had the bright idea to save my ice cream from lunch. I had packed, but was able to buy ice cream. I put the leftovers in my lunchbox and, well, you know the rest! 4. Our backyard had a tire swing, a sandbox my dad built, sometimes a tent, and often a badminton net. My dad also built a stile so we kids could cross over the fence to the neighbors behind, rather than climb the fence multiple times a day!

Here's my hot take...

10 funny stories (including Prince Harry!).

Who's up for Mamma Mia this weekend?

Including a fun game for preteens.

10 Successful Harvard Application Essays | 2022

With the top applicants from every high school applying to the best schools in the country, it's important to have an edge in your college application. Check out our updated list of 10 Harvard application essays below from students who made it in, and hear from expert college consultants about what made these work.

Sophia's Essay

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Successful Harvard Essay - “Black Eyeliner Does Not Make You a Nonconformist”

Several years ago, my mother told me I listen to “white people music.” And I suppose that’s true—rock 'n' roll tends to spring from the middle-class basements of young, white men. Though I did point out that its origins trace back to jazz musicians of the Harlem Renaissance. Also that one of the greatest guitarists of all time—dear Mr.Hendrix; may he rest in peace—was black.

My devotion to punk rock began in seventh grade, when Green Day’s “Boulevard of Broken Dreams” came up on my iTunes shuffle. I started to look into their other releases, eventually immersing myself into the complete punk discography. My mother, having grown up in a racially segregated New York, was more likely to listen to Stevie Wonder than Stevie Nicks.

But, she must have figured, to each her own. So while my compatriots indulged in the music of Taylor Swift, One Direction, and Lady Gaga, my tacky Hot Topic headphones blasted Green Day, Ramones, and The Clash. My young adolescent ears drank in the raw, chaotic beauty, an echo of the pain of the past. The thrashing, pulsating vitality of the instruments painted a picture, connecting me to the disillusioned kids who launched an epic movement of liberation some 40 years ago.

Punkers question authority. Aggressively contrarian, they advocate for the other side—the side that seemed smothered silent during the post-Vietnam era. They rejected the established norms. They spoke out and weren’t afraid.

I had always felt different from my peers. In my girls’s prep school, the goal was to be blond and good at soccer. I was neither, which automatically deemed me “uncool”. I had a few close friends but never felt like I was part of a whole.

Then came the punk philosophy, for the outliers, for those who were different. That was something I could be part of.

Instead of trying to conform to my peers, I adopted an anti-conformist attitude. Much like the prematurely gray anti-hero of my favorite book, I sneered at all the “phonies” around me. I resented anything popular. Uggs? Wouldn’t buy them. Yoga pants? Never. Starbucks?Well, I could make a few concessions.

But I felt more cynical than liberated. I wasted so much energy on being different than I lost track of what actually made me happy. I insisted I didn’t care what people thought of me, which was true. Yet if I based my actions almost solely on their behavior, how could I deny their influence?

Luckily, as I transitioned from a private school to a brand new public high school, I got to clean the slate. I bought yoga pants and found they were comfortable. I listened to a wide variety of music, even the eh kind that wasn’t 100% hardcore punk. And I was happier.

I revised my punk philosophy: Do as you like—whether it fits into the “system” or not.

The Beatles’s “Revolution” lyrics sum it up well:

You tell me it’s the institution

Well, you know

You’d better free your mind instead

What I think Lennon was getting at is questioning everything does not entail opposing everything.

What I think Lennon was getting at is questioning everything does not entail opposing everything. Defiance for the sake of defiance is unproductive at best, destructive at worst. I believe in life’s greater Truths, like Love and Justice. These Truths are what should govern my actions—not what’s popular and what isn’t. Striving to act on these ideals has helped me stay true to myself, regardless of what’s considered “conformist."

Perhaps I’ve failed the punk movement. We’ll have to wait and see. In the meantime, I’ll do what makes me happy and change what doesn’t. I’ll wear Doc Martens instead of Uggs; I’ll partake in a grande pumpkin spice latte; I’ll watch Gossip Girl; I’ll blare my favorite guitar solo over the speakers in my room.

And that’s as punk as it gets.

Professional Review by The Art of Applying

From the snarky title and fiery opening, I was immediately drawn in. I and many people on our team at The Art of Applying® grew up as one of the few students of color in our honors classes, being told we liked “white people things.”

When you write about very specific personal experiences you’ve had, you can strike an emotional chord and connection with people who have similar experiences, and you can simultaneously intrigue people who have had vastly different experiences.

The student’s response to her mother’s assertion and the level of knowledge the student demonstrates about punk rock’s origins and political context show that she doesn’t just enjoy punk music passively as a fan; she was curious enough to research and learn about its historical roots, and confident enough to offer a contradictory viewpoint about what punk music is and who it is and isn’t for.

I enjoyed reading the journey of how the student’s interest in punk rock blossomed from an interest into a passion and eventually an identity. Don’t just tell us the beginning and the end of a personal growth journey; show us the messy middle too.

The student concisely depicts a vivid image of her outsider status in her private school without villainizing the other students. She also uses humor and wordplay well when she makes a concession for enjoying Starbucks.

A turning point in the essay comes when the student starts questioning whether her staunchly nonconformist identity is serving her. This shows an even deeper level of self reflection and personal growth.

While including quotes and lyrics in your essay can divert attention from your own words to a famous person’s, the student effectively uses the lyrics as a launching point for further reflection.

It ends in the same confident, energetic voice I grew to love throughout the piece, and the final sentences read like a glorious mic drop.

The conclusion is strong in that we see a person who has embraced all sides of herself rather than stubbornly clinging to a rigid image of nonconformity.

This essay is an excellent example to learn from if you want to write about how one of your passions spurred personal growth, struggles with fitting in, changing your mind about who you are, and/or getting clear on your values.

Taras' Essay

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Successful Harvard Essay: More Boluses to Dissect

Finally, I had found a volunteer opportunity at the Long Marine Lab, a marine biology research facility at UC Santa Cruz! I envisioned swimming with dolphins, or perhaps studying behavioral patterns of decorator crabs. But when I discovered the nature of my work on the first day of volunteering, my excitement turned to disappointment: I’d be picking through albatross boluses, the indigestible materials they cough up before going to sea. Sure enough, after three hours of separating fishing line from brown muck, I began to dread what I was in for. At that point, I had no clue of just how interesting the opportunity would turn out to be, and it would remind me of how easily I become engrossed and fascinated by all sorts of random stuff.

It didn't take long for my boredom with the boluses to shift toward curiosity.

It didn’t take long for my boredom with the boluses to shift toward curiosity. In the first place, the project itself was fascinating. The idea was to research the behavior and diet of albatrosses at sea. These birds can fly for months without touching land! When the birds have chicks, they cough up whatever they’ve eaten at sea to feed their young. When the chicks become old enough to fly, they cough up the hard, indigestible materials left in their stomachs. These boluses contain squid beaks that can reveal the types of squid eaten and the area where the squid were caught. We volunteers would pick through the boluses, separating out anything that looked interesting.

As I got better at dissecting these blobs, I started finding crazy stuff, and my colleagues and I would often discuss important findings. There was, of course, the search for the biggest squid beak, and the fish eyes were always interesting. But most shocking was the plastic. Beyond the normal Styrofoam and fishing line were plastic bottle caps, lighters, even toothbrushes. Occasionally, Asian writing revealed distant origins. Once, I picked through a bolus permeated with orange goo, eventually to discover the round mouthpiece of a balloon. The origins of these artifacts were sad, but also fascinating. I learned of the Texas-sized trash heap in the middle of the Pacific, the effects of which I was witnessing firsthand. I gained a heightened awareness of the damage inflicted on the oceans by humans, and their far-reaching impacts. Perhaps most importantly, I realized that even the most tedious things can blow my mind.

If dissecting boluses can be so interesting, imagine the things I’ve yet to discover! I play piano and can see myself dedicating my life to the instrument, but I can’t bear to think of everything else I’d have to miss. I’d love to study albatrosses, but also particle physics or history, and preferably all three. At this point in my life, I can’t imagine picking just one area. At the same time, though, I love studying subjects in depth. I tend to get overwhelmed by my options, since I can’t possibly choose them all. But at least I know I’ll never be bored in life: there are just too many subjects to learn about, books to read, pieces to play, albatrosses to save, and boluses to dissect.

Professional Review by Prep Expert (Akbar Rahel)

While many applicants write essays full of detail and superlatives, emotional honesty is a critical component of a great essay.

What immediately distinguishes the first paragraph of the essay is the emotional honesty: Taras admits how “excitement turned to disappointment” and how he “had no clue” about how the opportunity would turn out. Too often, applicants fail to recognize that admissions officers are just normal people reading essays—people who also experience a range of emotions such as disappointment and confusion. While many applicants write essays full of detail and superlatives, emotional honesty is a critical component of a great essay.

Moreover, on a simple, albeit important level, he situates readers in the very first sentence by mentioning that his research was a volunteer opportunity at Long Marine Lab. Too many applicants attempt to keep a reader in suspense when, in fact, it is always better to provide context for an experience. Admissions officers don’t want to feel like they are deciphering the seemingly mundane who, what, when, and where. Nobody has time to untangle an essay.

Moving on, Taras succeeds in clearly demonstrating a sincere passion for his research by sharing interesting details of his work, such as understanding boluses. Whether writing about birds, Model UN, or any other possible topic, details are what help applicants show the admissions committees a level of intellectual vitality.

While an overall vibrant essay that captures a reader’s attention because of the unique topic, some aspects could have been improved. For example, exclamation points may come across as contrived enthusiasm to many readers—and strip away some of the decorum of an essay. Moreover, in the last paragraph, Taras mentions particle physics and history as possible interests, which did not align with the essay (and could have hurt chances for admissions in the final “shaping” of an incoming class).

Yukta's Essay

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Successful Harvard Essay: Yukta

Garishly lined with a pearlescent lavender, my eyes idly scanned the haphazard desk in front of me, settling on a small kohl. I packed the ebony powder into my waterline with a shaky hand, wincing at the fine specks making their way into my eyes.

The palette's colors bore in, the breadth of my imagination interwoven into now-brittle brushes.

The girl in the mirror seemed sharper, older, somehow. At only 12, I was relatively new to the powders and blushes that lined my birthday makeup kit, but I was determined to decipher the deep splashes of color that had for so long been an enigma to me.

After school involved self-inflicted solitary confinement, as I shut myself in my bedroom to hone my skills. The palette’s colors bore in, the breadth of my imagination interwoven into now-brittle brushes. Much to my chagrin, my mom walked in one day, amused at my smudged lipstick, which congealed on the wispy hairs that lined my upper lip.

“Halloween already?” she asked playfully.

I flushed in embarrassment as she got to work, smoothing my skin with a brush and filling the gaps in my squiggly liner. Becoming a makeup aficionado was going to take some help.

“What’s this even made of?” I asked, transfixed by the bright powder she was smattering on my cheeks.

“You know, I’m not sure,” she murmured. “Maybe you should find out.”

Hours down the internet rabbit hole, I learned that the shimmery powder was made of mica, a mineral commonly used in cosmetics. While the substance was dazzling, its production process was steeped in humanitarian violations and environmental damage. Determined to reconcile my burgeoning love for makeup with my core values, I flung the kit into the corner of my drawer, vowing to find a more sustainable alternative. Yes, I was every bit as dramatic as you imagine it.

Now 17, I approach ethical makeup with assured deliberation. As I glance at my dusty kit, which still sits where I left it, I harken back on the journey it has taken me on. Without the reckoning that it spurred, makeup would still simply be a tool of physical transformation, rather than a catalyst of personal growth.

Now, each swipe of eyeliner is a stroke of my pen across paper as I write a children’s book about conscious consumerism. My flitting fingers programmatically place sparkles, mattes, and tints across my face in the same way that they feverishly move across a keyboard, watching algorithms and graphs integrate into models of supply chain transparency. Makeup has taught me to be unflinching, both in self expression and my expectations for the future. I coat my lips with a bold sheen, preparing them to form words of unequivocal urgency at global conferences and casual discussions. I see my passion take flight, emboldening others to approach their own reckonings, uncomfortable as they may be. I embark on a two-year journey of not buying new clothes in a statement against mass consumption and rally youth into a unified organization. We stand together, picking at the gritty knots of makeup, corporate accountability, and sustainability as they slowly unravel.

Deep rooted journeys of triumph and tribulation are plastered across the surface of my skin — this paradox excites me.

I’m not sure why makeup transfixes me. Perhaps it’s because I enjoy seeing my reveries take shape. Yukta, the wannabe Wicked Witch of the West, has lids coated with emerald luster and lips of coal. Yukta, the Indian classical dancer, wields thick eyeliner and bright crimson lipstick that allow her expressions to be amplified across a stage. Deep rooted journeys of triumph and tribulation are plastered across the surface of my skin — this paradox excites me.

Perhaps I am also drawn to makeup because as I peel back the layers, I am still wholly me. I am still the young girl staring wide-eyed at her reflection, earnestly questioning in an attempt to learn more about the world. Most importantly, I still carry an unflagging vigor to coalesce creativity and activism into palpable change, one brushstroke at a time.

Professional Review by Prepory

This student takes a household item as common as makeup to build a narrative that is as universally accessible as it is unique. This object is inflected with facets of both her personal and cultural identity that give the reader immediate contact with the student’s personality. She takes us on a sweeping journey through her investigation of the world around her, and embarks on a coming-of-age story without losing sight of the essay’s main topic. This student strikes a balance between the narrative and creative writing elements that are integral to successful personal statements. The writer gives us glimpses of insight into her personal development across multiple years, using makeup as a medium for self-reflection and discovery. She masterfully leverages the colors and elements of her makeup collection to craft vivid descriptions, situating imagery as the cornerstone of this essay’s approach and success. She takes up an object so easily tied to consumerism and superficiality and uses it to champion the societal and ethical battles for which she advocates.

We also see that the writer of this essay has a clearly defined voice. While many students struggle with the temptation to elevate their writing through ornamentation, this writer is able to maneuver a vibrant writing style that remains engaging, rhythmic and measured. Through each moment of this essay, we learn what the author cares about: conscious consumerism, creativity, and activism; we also learn how she thinks: curiosily, selflessly, and with feminist undertones. The opening sentences of this essay employ a successful strategy for personal statement writing, rich with adjectives detailing a small scene, that is expanded upon to make a larger commentary about the author and where she stands in society. Last, the student’s essay compliments her larger admissions profile in which the reader learns about years of advocacy, sustainable practices, and intentions to positively impact her community.

Eda's Essay

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Successful Harvard Essay: Homeless for Thirteen Years

I sat on my parents’ bed weeping with my head resting on my knees. “Why did you have to do that to me? Why did you have to show me the house and then take it away from me?” Hopelessly, I found myself praying to God realizing it was my last resort.

For years, my family and I found ourselves moving from country to country in hopes of a better future. Factors, such as war and lack of academic opportunities, led my parents to pack their bags and embark on a new journey for our family around the world. Our arduous journey first began in Kuçovë, Albania, then Athens, Greece, and then eventually, Boston, Massachusetts. Throughout those years, although my family always had a roof over our heads, I never had a place I could call “home.”

Instantly, I knew that it was fate that was bringing this house to me.

That night that I prayed to God, my mind raced back to the night I was clicking the delete button on my e-mails, but suddenly stopped when I came upon a listing of the house. It was September 22, 2007 —eight years exactly to the day that my family and I had moved to the United States. Instantly, I knew that it was fate that was bringing this house to me. I remembered visiting that yellow house the next day with my parents and falling in love with it. However, I also remembered the heartbreaking phone call I received later on that week saying that the owners had chosen another family’s offer.

A week after I had prayed to God, I had given up any hopes of my family buying the house. One day after school, I unlocked the door to our one-bedroom apartment and walked over to the telephone only to see it flashing a red light. I clicked PLAY and unexpectedly heard the voice of our real estate agent. “Eda!” she said joyfully. “The deal fell through with the other family—the house is yours! Call me back immediately to get started on the papers.” For a moment, I stood agape and kept replaying the words in my head. Was this really happening to me? Was my dream of owning a home finally coming true?

Over the month of November, I spent my days going to school and immediately rushing home to make phone calls. Although my parents were not fluent enough in English to communicate with the bank and real estate agent, I knew that I was not going to allow this obstacle to hinder my dream of helping to purchase a home for my family. Thus, unlike a typical thirteen-year-old girl’s conversations, my phone calls did not involve the mention of makeup, shoes, or boys. Instead, my conversations were composed of terms, such as “fixed-rate mortgages,” “preapprovals,” and “down payments.” Nevertheless, I was determined to help purchase this home after thirteen years of feeling embarrassed from living in a one-bedroom apartment. No longer was I going to experience feelings of humiliation from not being able to host sleepovers with my friends or from not being able to gossip with girls in school about who had the prettiest room color.

I had been homeless for the first thirteen years of my life. Although I will never be able to fully repay my parents for all of their sacrifices, the least I could do was to help find them a home that they could call their own—and that year, I did. To me, a home means more than the general conception of “four walls and a roof.” A home is a place filled with memories and laughter from my family. No matter where my future may lead me, I know that if at times I feel alone, I will always have a yellow home with my family inside waiting for me.

Professional Review by Potomac Admissions

Honest. Heartbreaking. Powerful.

Those were the first three words that came to mind after reading Eda’s essay.

By being so honest, Eda showcases her genuine growth and maturity over time.

What we love about Eda’s essay is its refreshing vulnerability. Too many college essays are “too” picture-perfect. Eda doesn’t censor the truth, even if admitting her inner thoughts may potentially paint her in a negative light. For example, she starts the entire essay with a scene of her weeping on her parents’ bed, blaming them for her misfortune. By being so honest, Eda showcases her genuine growth and maturity over time.

Her personal voice is also strong throughout the essay. When she talks about falling in love with “that yellow house,” an image of said house is automatically conjured up in our minds. When she speaks of the heartbreak she experienced upon learning “that yellow house” was sold to another family, we felt pain in our hearts too. Her deliberate choice to “PLAY” the voicemail she received for us and include her subsequent internal thoughts further pulls us into reliving her journey with her.

Yet, she goes beyond merely telling us of her journey. She highlights just how atypical her journey has been. Instead of enjoying phone conversations about makeup or shoes, she is talking to agents about fix-rate mortgages and down payments… all at the age of 13. Though she does not explicitly state this (she doesn’t need to): it is clear that Eda has had to grow up fast, becoming a stronger individual as a result.

Her understanding of the word “home” evolves from a physical roof over her head to a more abstract one. Home is wherever her “memories and laughter” exist. In the end, she comes to terms with the sacrifices her parents have made. Learning to be proud of her upbringing showcases Eda’s evolution.

Eda is someone who will overcome whatever challenges thrown her way, making her a strong college applicant.

Lisa's Essay

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Successful Harvard Essay: Playing it Dangerous

In hazy stillness, a sudden flurry of colored skirts, whispers of “Merde!” Sternly, my fingers smooth back my hair, although they know no loose strands will be found. My skin absorbs heat from stage lights above—if only that heat would seep into my brain, denature some proteins, and deactivate the neurons stressing me out. A warm hand, accompanied by an even warmer smile, interrupts my frenzied solitude. I glance up. My lovely teacher nods, coaxing my frozen lips into a thawed smile. A complex figure, filled in with doubt, yet finished with shades of confidence: My body takes its place and waits.

One, two, three, four; two, two, three, four. On stage, the lights and music wash over me. Never having had a true ballet solo before, my lungs are one breath away from hyperventilating. Trying to achieve a Zen-like state, I imagine a field of daisies, yet my palms continue sweating disobediently. It’s not that I’ve never been on stage alone before; I’ve had plenty of piano recitals and competitions. Yet, while both performances consume my mind and soul, ballet demands complete commitment of my body.

I've had plenty of piano recitals and competitions. Yet, while both performances consume my mind and soul, ballet demands complete commitment of my body.

Gently slide into arabesque and lean downward; try not to fall flat on face—Mom’s videotaping. In terms of mentality, I would hardly be described as an introvert; yet, a fear of failure has still kept me from taking risks. Maybe I was scared of leaping too high, falling too far, and hitting the hard floor. As I moved up in the cutthroat world of dance, this fear only increased; the pressure of greater expectations and the specter of greater embarrassment had held me contained. Now, every single eyeball is on me.

Lean extra in this pirouette; it’s more aesthetic. But is it always better to be safe than sorry? Glancing toward the wings, I see my teacher’s wild gesticulations: Stretch your arms out, she seems to mime, More! A genuine smile replaces one of forced enthusiasm; alone on the stage, this is my chance to shine. I breathe in the movements, forget each individual step. More than just imagining, but finally experiencing the jubilation of the music, I allow my splits to stretch across the stage and my steps to extend longer and longer, until I’m no longer safe and my heart is racing. Exhilarated and scared in the best way, I throw myself into my jumps. I no longer need to imagine scenes to get in the mood; the emotions are twirling and leaping within me.

Reaching, stretching, grabbing, flinging ... My fear no longer shields me. I find my old passion for ballet, and remember the grace and poise that can nevertheless convey every color of emotion. Playing it safe will leave me part of the backdrop; only by taking risks can I step into the limelight. Maybe I’ll fall, but the rush is worth it. I’ll captain an all-male science bowl team, run a marathon, audition for a musical, and embrace the physical and intellectual elation of taking risks.

Professional Review by MR. MBA®, Val Misra

Lisa creates a winning essay by successfully invoking real emotions in the reader through her creative, descriptive prose that conveys vivid imagery, heartfelt feelings, and wholesome introspection. I instantly likened Lisa’s allegory to a bird trapped in a closed cage; the cage serves as a metaphor for what we all face in our lives, our fears. Lisa’s first ballet solo is brilliantly illustrated as her ‘Aha! moment’ where she sheds her fears (opens her cage) and, with careful self-reflection, chooses to embrace future risks (flies only forward).

In paragraphs 1-3, Lisa captivates us instantly through her beautiful, rich language and imagery, as she portrays herself immobilized by stress and a fear of failure and family/public opinion. I empathize and want to learn more! Her warm humor shines perfectly: wanting to deactivate her brain neurons and reminding herself not to fall face-first lest she gets scolded by her mother/family - wonderfully done! Lisa uses her “lovely teacher” as her grounding, comfort zone and supporter, a theme many can share. Her anxiety is relatable, and she uses this to explicate her general risk averse nature.

In paragraphs 4-5, Lisa’s solo is radiantly depicted as her defining moment where she dances and realizes her transformation- fears turn to passion and excitement. She is poetry in motion in the moment, smiling, shedding her fears, and embracing risk like a warm glass of milk. A poignant question is posed, “But is it always better to be safe than sorry?” Through introspection, Lisa expresses her desire to pursue risks that will advance her personally. Acknowledging she may not always succeed, “the rush is worth it”. Lisa ends with concrete examples of leadership roles and activities that she will pursue at college- admissions officers favorably view students eager to step outside their comfort zones and embark on new adventures/challenges at college. To make this essay stronger, Lisa could have highlighted precisely how she will tackle any fears that may crop up during new obstacles at college, tying to lessons learned through her ballet.

Superbly written in a distinct narrative form, this essay crafts an experience that is vibrant, funny, deep, and relatable.

Superbly written in a distinct narrative form, this essay crafts an experience that is vibrant, funny, deep, and relatable. Lisa’s brand values seamlessly flow throughout the essay: creativity, determination, overcoming obstacles, self-reflection, growth through risk and, of course, passion! We are left with a glowing lesson in motivation in the hope of ridding oneself of such negative feelings to go on and achieve greater things - ‘playing it dangerous’.

Michelle C.'s Essay

At KEY we take a long-term, strategic approach centered on each individual student’s best interests. Working with our college-bound students beginning in Grade 8, we guide them in establishing a strong foundation of academics to build their unique profiles of co-curricular and extracurricular activities, academic direction, and professional skills. We aspire to give each of our students the best opportunity to thrive within their current education environmentand beyond. For a free consultation about our services and more, please visit: https://www.keyeducation.com/university .

Successful Harvard Essay

“You should scrub off the top layer of your skin whenever you lose a round,” my debate teammate once advised me.

“That’s not practical,” I replied.

“Neither is your refusal to wear clothes you’ve lost important debate rounds in. Your wardrobe has very little to do with your success.”

Half of me disagrees with him. I still bring three BIC Round Stic pencils with 0.7 lead to every test because my gut tells me this fastidious procedure raises my scores. I’m still convinced that labs receive better grades if written in Calibri. And I still won’t rewear clothes in which I’ve lost crucial rounds.

Yet the other half of me is equally dismissive of my own superstitions. I love logic, never failing to check that steps in a proof lead to a precise conclusion without gaps in reasoning.

Fortunately, I often abandon my penchant for pragmatism to accommodate for my unwarranted superstitions. And since I only feel the need to act logicalcally in selective situations, I am perfectly content with the illogical nature of my other habits:

Raised with my great-grandmother, grandparents, and parents all under one roof, I never lacked a consultant to help me transcribe Korean holiday dates from the lunar calendar onto my schedule. Yet whenever all four generations of my family celebrates with a traditional meal of bulgogi, my untraceable and admittedly nonexistent Italian blood flares in protest; I rebelliously cook myself linguine con le vongole that clashes terribly with my mom’s pungent kimchi.

If I plot a graph of “hours I spend in physical activity” versus “week of the year,” the result looks like an irregular cardiac cycle. The upsurges symbolize my battles with colossal walls of water in hopes of catching a smooth surf back to Mission Bay shore. The ensuing period of rest mirrors the hours I spend researching in that one spot in my debate team’s war room that isn’t covered in papers (yet), or at the piano sight-reading the newest Adele song. Then the diastolic tranquility is interrupted by the weekends when I’m sprinting through trenches to avoid paintballs swarming above my favorite arena at Paintball USA.

I find comfort in the familiar. I treasure the regular midnight chats with my brother as we indulge in batter while baking cupcakes for a friend's birthday, keeping our voices hushed

I find comfort in the familiar. I treasure the regular midnight chats with my brother as we indulge in batter while baking cupcakes for a friend’s birthday, keeping our voices hushed to avoid waking our mom and facing her “salmonella is in your near future” lecture. Yet, some of my fondest memories involve talking to people with whom I share nothing in common. Whether my conversations are about the Qatari coach’s research on Kuwait’s female voting patterns, or about the infinite differences between the “common app” and the Oxford interviewing process, or even about my friend’s Swedish school’s peculiar policy of mandating uniforms only on Wednesdays, I love comparing cultures with debaters from different countries.

My behavior is unpredictable. Yet it’s predictably unpredictable. Sure, I’ll never eat a Korean dinner like one might expect. But I’ll always be cooking linguine the moment I catch a whiff of kimchi.

Professional Review by Key Education (Bryan)

Most often, it is the down-to-earth topics that make for the most successful Common App essays. My students have written on subjects as mundane as cleaning, loading the dishwasher, eraser shavings, finding a piece of driftwood, or looking after not one, but two Shiba Inus. And so, it was a delight to read Michelle Choi’s essay. Choi took an idea that the rest of us probably give very little thought to – superstitions – and effectively used it as a focusing lens to explore different parts of her life.

By drawing these connections between seemingly unrelated and different aspects of her life, Choi demonstrated her ability to introspect while giving the reader a richer picture of who she is. Choi is not just another high achiever. Her superstitions – and that ever-present struggle between being logical and superstitious – is what makes her appealing. One can’t help but to like her. As I often remind my students, quirky is cool.

These various connections give the reader insight into what drives Choi as someone who is profoundly curious and quirky, someone who takes a different approach to things.

With Choi’s hook, the reader’s attention is immediately captured. One could be forgiven for probably cringing a little at the thought of scrubbing off a layer of one’s own skin. And besides that, what was Choi even going on about? Her opening compels the reader to want to keep on reading. Very early on in her essay, we know that debating is a core part of her identity. As she guides the reader through the rest of her essay, she skillfully connects her superstitions to other important aspects of her life, including her cultural heritage, family, surfing, music, paintball, baking, conversations with random strangers, and examinations of different cultures around the world. These various connections give the reader insight into what drives Choi as someone who is profoundly curious and quirky, someone who takes a different approach to things, whether it be intentionally combining Korean and Italian cuisine (I picture the likes of Gordon Ramsay already shuddering at the clash of flavors) to playing pop on the piano (perhaps a refreshingly different take than Mozart or Beethoven).

If I could offer one suggestion, it would be that after reading Choi’s essay, I was craving a little more. Perhaps she could have expanded slightly: what did she learn from this process of being unconventional? How did it influence the way she saw the world and influenced her actions? And in what ways did she apply this learning? That said, even with her essay, Choi does what many other students don’t with their Common App essay; she takes that a unique approach using a down-to-earth topic as a focusing lens to draw connections to various parts of her life.

Tony's Essay

As an admission essay specialist , Dan Lichterman has been empowering students to find their voice since 2004. He helps students stand out on paper, eliminating the unnecessary so the necessary may speak. Drawing upon his storytelling background, Dan guides applicants to craft authentic essays that leap off the page. He is available for online writing support within the US and internationally. To learn more and schedule a brief complimentary consultation visit danlichterman.com.

Successful Harvard Essay: Beauty in Complexity

Gazing up at the starry sky, I see Cygnus, Hercules, and Pisces, remnants of past cultures. I listen to waves crash on the beach, the forces of nature at work. Isn’t it odd how stars are flaming spheres and electrical impulses make beings sentient? The very existence of our world is a wonder; what are the odds that this particular planet developed all the necessary components, parts that all work in unison, to support life? How do they interact? How did they come to be? I thought back to how my previously simplistic mind-set evolved this past year.

The very existence of our world is a wonder; what are the odds that this particular planet developed all the necessary components, parts that all work in unison, to support life?

At Balboa, juniors and seniors join one of five small learning communities, which are integrated into the curriculum. Near the end of sophomore year, I ranked my choices: Law Academy first—it seemed the most prestigious—and WALC, the Wilderness Arts and Literacy Collaborative, fourth. So when I was sorted into WALC, I felt disappointed at the inflexibility of my schedule and bitter toward my classes. However, since students are required to wait at least a semester before switching pathways, I stayed in WALC. My experiences that semester began shifting my ambition-oriented paradigm to an interest-oriented one. I didn’t switch out.

Beyond its integrated classes, WALC takes its students on trips to natural areas not only to build community among its students, but also to explore complex natural processes and humanity’s role in them. Piecing these lessons together, I create an image of our universe. I can visualize the carving of glacial valleys, the creation and gradation of mountains by uplift and weathering, and the transportation of nutrients to and from ecosystems by rivers and salmon. I see these forces on the surface of a tiny planet rotating on its axis and orbiting the sun, a gem in this vast universe. Through WALC, I have gained an intimate understanding of natural systems and an addiction to understanding the deep interconnections embedded in our cosmos.

Understanding a system’s complex mechanics not only satisfies my curiosity, but also adds beauty to my world; my understanding of tectonic and gradational forces allows me to appreciate mountains and coastlines beyond aesthetics. By physically going to the place described in WALC’s lessons, I have not only gained the tools to admire these systems, but have also learned to actually appreciate them. This creates a thirst to see more beauty in a world that’s filled with poverty and violence, and a hunger for knowledge to satisfy that thirst. There are so many different systems to examine and dissect—science alone has universal, planetary, molecular, atomic, and subatomic scales to investigate. I hope to be able to find my interests by taking a variety of courses in college, and further humanity’s understanding through research, so that all can derive a deeper appreciation for the complex systems that govern this universe.

Professional Review by Dan Lichterman

Tony’s essay opens with stargazing at the ocean’s edge where we experience his boundless curiosity towards the natural world, sentience, and life itself. This wide-eyed wonderment is rendered artfully, yet what actually enables this essay to succeed is its ability to ponder deep concepts without getting lost in the clouds.

The story itself revolves around an event that seems far removed from the incomprehensibility of the universe: a randomized selection has assigned Tony to study wilderness arts when he preferred the path of law. He is bitter that a decision impacting his studies has been determined by chance. We see vulnerability in his admission that he was beholden to an “ambition oriented paradigm,” rather than studying what interested him most. However, what we discover through the rest of the essay is that Tony’s decision to remain in wilderness arts is one that has transformed him completely, changing his perspective from a “simplistic mindset” to one that is addicted to “understanding the deep interconnections embedded in our cosmos.”

The strength of Tony's language helps us appreciate the breadth and excitement of his unforseen awakening.

The strength of Tony’s language helps us appreciate the breadth and excitement of his unforseen awakening. From visualizing the “carving of glacial valleys” to reveling in the complex mechanics of natural systems, the essay showcases how much more Tony appreciates our world thanks to an event that had once seemed unfairly arbitrary. Observing Tony’s thirst for life’s interconnectedness, we grow confident that his evolving perspective will guide his studies into exciting unexpected realms.

Yueming's Essay

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My Ye-Ye always wears a red baseball cap. I think he likes the vivid color—bright and sanguine, like himself. When Ye-Ye came from China to visit us seven years ago, he brought his red cap with him and every night for six months, it sat on the stairway railing post of my house, waiting to be loyally placed back on Ye-Ye’s head the next morning. He wore the cap everywhere: around the house, where he performed magic tricks with it to make my little brother laugh; to the corner store, where he bought me popsicles before using his hat to wipe the beads of summer sweat off my neck. Today whenever I see a red hat, I think of my Ye-Ye and his baseball cap, and I smile.

Ye-Ye is the Mandarin word for “grandfather.” My Ye-Ye is a simple, ordinary person—not rich, not “successful”—but he is my greatest source of inspiration and I idolize him. Of all the people I know, Ye-Ye has encountered the most hardship and of all the people I know, Ye-Ye is the most joyful. That these two aspects can coexist in one individual is, in my mind, truly remarkable.

Ye-Ye was an orphan. Both his parents died before he was six years old, leaving him and his older brother with no home and no family. When other children gathered to read around stoves at school, Ye-Ye and his brother walked in the bitter cold along railroad tracks, looking for used coal to sell. When other children ran home to loving parents, Ye-Ye and his brother walked along the streets looking for somewhere to sleep. Eight years later, Ye-Ye walked alone—his brother was dead.

Ye-Ye managed to survive, and in the meanwhile taught himself to read, write, and do arithmetic. Life was a blessing, he told those around him with a smile.

Years later, Ye-Ye’s job sent him to the Gobi Desert, where he and his fellow workers labored for twelve hours a day. The desert wind was merciless; it would snatch their tent in the middle of the night and leave them without supply the next morning. Every year, harsh weather took the lives of some fellow workers.

After eight years, Ye-Ye was transferred back to the city where his wife lay sick in bed. At the end of a twelve-hour workday, Ye-Ye took care of his sick wife and three young children. He sat with the children and told them about the wide, starry desert sky and mysterious desert lives. Life was a blessing, he told them with a smile.

But life was not easy; there was barely enough money to keep the family from starving. Yet, my dad and his sisters loved going with Ye-Ye to the market. He would buy them little luxuries that their mother would never indulge them in: a small bag of sunflower seeds for two cents, a candy each for three cents. Luxuries as they were, Ye-Ye bought them without hesitation. Anything that could put a smile on the children’s faces and a skip in their steps was priceless.

He would buy them little luxuries that their mother would never indulge them in: a small bag of sunflower seeds for two cents, a candy each for three cents.

Ye-Ye still goes to the market today. At the age of seventy-eight, he bikes several kilometers each week to buy bags of fresh fruits and vegetables, and then bikes home to share them with his neighbors. He keeps a small patch of strawberries and an apricot tree. When the fruit is ripe, he opens his gate and invites all the children in to pick and eat. He is Ye-Ye to every child in the neighborhood.

I had always thought that I was sensible and self-aware. But nothing has made me stare as hard in the mirror as I did after learning about the cruel past that Ye-Ye had suffered and the cheerful attitude he had kept throughout those years. I thought back to all the times when I had gotten upset. My mom forgot to pick me up from the bus station. My computer crashed the day before an assignment was due. They seemed so trivial and childish, and I felt deeply ashamed of myself.

Now, whenever I encounter an obstacle that seems overwhelming, I think of Ye-Ye; I see him in his red baseball cap, smiling at me. Like a splash of cool water, his smile rouses me from grief, and reminds me how trivial my worries are and how generous life has been. Today I keep a red baseball cap at the railing post at home where Ye-Ye used to put his every night. Whenever I see the cap, I think of my Ye-Ye, smiling in his red baseball cap, and I smile. Yes, Ye-Ye. Life is a blessing.

Professional Review by Crimson Education

Yueming’s essay is the perfect example of an application essay that does exactly what it’s supposed to do: it fills out the picture of who Yueming is and allows the admissions committee to learn things about him that are not contained in the rest of his application. Yueming uses the story of his Ye-Ye’s baseball cap to show the reader what is important to him and to demonstrate key personality traits that he’d contribute to life on campus.

Yueming uses the story of his Ye-Ye's baseball cap to show the reader what is important to him and to demonstrate key personality traits

Even though most of the text is devoted to Ye-Ye’s biography, the essay is not just about him. Ye-Ye’s whole story is a prelude to the final paragraphs, which reveal the most important aspects of Yueming’s personality. Just like in life, our ancestors’ past is a prelude to a future generation’s history, which is still emerging. This subtle parallel, unnoticeable at first glance, allows the reader to understand the profound development of Yueming’s personality and his talent for looking deeper into the essence of things.

Yueming shows his ability to learn from the experience of others, and he highlights his own resilience and the positive mindset he gained from Ye-Ye. These qualities are undoubtedly essential for a future Harvard student and demonstrate his ability to embody “life is a blessing” on campus and beyond.

Charles' Essay

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James was not fitting in with everyone else. During lunch, he sat alone, playing with his own toys. During group activities, the other campers always complained when paired with him. What was wrong? As camp counselor, I quietly observed his behavior—nothing out of the ordinary. I just couldn’t fathom why the other campers treated him like a pariah.

After three days of ostracism, James broke down during a game of soccer. Tears streaming down his cheeks, he slumped off the field, head in his hands. I jogged toward him, my forehead creased with concern. Some campers loudly remarked, “Why is that creep crying?” Furious indignation leaped into my heart. They were the ones who “accidentally” bumped into him and called him “James the Freak.” It was their cruelty that caused his meltdown, and now they were mocking him for it. I sharply told them to keep their thoughts to themselves. I squatted beside James and asked him what was wrong. Grunting, he turned his back to me. I had to stop his tears, and I had to make him feel comfortable. So for the next hour, I talked about everything a seven-year-old boy might find interesting, from sports to Transformers.

I had to stop his tears, and I had to make him feel comfortable. So for the next hour, I talked about everything a seven-year-old boy might find interesting, from sports to Transformers.

“I have a question,” I asked as James began to warm to me. I took a deep breath and dove right into the problem. “Why do the other campers exclude you?” Hesitantly, he took off his shoes and socks, and pointed at his left foot. One, two, three … four. He had four toes. We had gone swimming two days before: All the campers must have noticed. I remembered my childhood, when even the smallest abnormality—a bad haircut, a missing tooth—could cause others, including myself, to shrink away. I finally understood.

But what could I do to help? I scoured my mind for the words to settle his demons. But nothing came to me. Impulsively, I hugged him—a gesture of intimacy we camp leaders were encouraged not to initiate, and an act I later discovered no friend had ever offered James before. Then, I put my hand on his shoulder and looked him straight in the eyes. I assured him that external features didn’t matter, and that as long as he was friendly, people would eventually come around. I listed successful individuals who had not been hindered by their abnormalities. And finally, I told him he would always be my favorite camper, regardless of whether he had two, five, or a hundred toes.

On the last day of camp, I was jubilant—James was starting to fit in. Although the teasing had not completely disappeared, James was speaking up and making friends. And when, as we were saying our good-byes, James gave me one last hug and proclaimed that I was his “bestest friend in the whole wide world,” my heart swelled up. From my campers, I learned that working with children is simply awesome. And from James, I learned that a little love truly goes a long way.

Professional Review by College Confidential

Charles Wong takes the all too common experience of watching someone be excluded and explains how he combats it. In his personal account of being a camp counselor, Charles not only communicates that he cares deeply for others, but also displays his thought process for how he solves problems in general. Instead of just declaring these personal characteristics, he shows them through a personal account. The pointed decision to “show” not “tell” is an excellent essay tactic.

Charles not only communicates that he cares deeply for others, but also displays his thought process for how he solves problems in general.

First, Charles begins with his description of the situation. His tone is casual and straightforward. He incorporates crucial details, but his writing is not superfluous. His essay is concise and easy to follow. While this approach may seem to lack sophistication, it reflects Charle’s raw, real thoughts. The reader can feel his concern; Charles walks us through his genuine dilemma. Additionally, the acts of kindness he describes—the pep talks, the hugs—offer insight into his character. The decision to include these details paint Charles as a kind and bright personality, something of value on any college campus.

Moreover, Charles does more than just describe how he solved this particular problem, but expands it to life in general. He grasps meaning from a seemingly mundane experience and explains how it changed his entire mindset. This ability to consciously grow suggests Charles’s drive to to learn from all life has to offer; he is a student in more than just the classroom.

Sean's Essay

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I have always envied the butterfly.

Its graceful poise as it glides through the air; the blissful flutter of its wings as it courageously embarks upon life’s journeys. Its ambitious and adaptive nature — a change-maker and discoverer, a trendsetter in the animal world, a leader amongst other species. Charles Darwin said, “it is not the strongest of species that survives, nor the most intelligent. It is the one most adaptable to change.” I envy the butterfly’s adaptive approach to change, making them the silent leaders of the animal kingdom.

It was at age nine, on a family trip to the Boston Museum of Science, that I was first drawn to the breathtaking butterfly. As I stepped into the butterfly’s endless capsule of nature, the flamboyant and audacious nature of the butterfly was captivating — their vibrant colors flaunted proud and shame-free, central to their persona but not defining of their personality. Their extraordinary courage in self-expression brought a little boy great inspiration. As someone who has questioned and struggled with my identity and accepting my queerness throughout life, the butterfly exemplified what it meant to be bold, courageous, and proud to a young boy who was lacking in all of those.

The butterfly exemplified what it meant to be bold, courageous, and proud to a young boy who was lacking in all of those.

I vividly recall one butterfly standing out among its comrades. Being an uncreative third-grader, I named my new friend Bloo due to his radiant cerulean shades descending from darkness to light as they progressed from the wing’s base. I watched Bloo soar, using his wings to glide far above the dainty and fragile stereotypes placed on him by society. I admire the profound growth Bloo must have achieved to get here, at one point a timid and powerless inchworm evolved into a carefully-crafted canvas of power. Bloo exemplified the strength and pride that I needed to begin accepting my identity. Looking back on this brief encounter with Bloo, I recall how he taught an insecure child self-acceptance. From here, I began to internalize the butterfly’s power. I began to molt into a new skin with fledgling wings.

As I progressed through life with these newly-discovered wings, I became increasingly drawn to observing butterflies in nature. They have proven much more than just precious gems found amongst clouds or prize trophies for kindergarteners to catch in their nets. The butterfly has shown itself as the hidden alpha of the animal kingdom — a leader and trendsetter amongst organisms both small and large, a fearless change-maker enabling them to outsurvive the rest for the past fifty-six million years.

With the wings and strength of the butterfly latched to my shoulders, I proudly embraced the challenge posed by this delicate yet powerful creature — to be a leader and a change-maker. Recognizing many social injustices in my community, I was inspired by the butterfly to become a voice of change. Driven by the butterfly’s creativity, I developed a social justice discussion program to take place at my high school, and became a local leader and fighter against corrupt politics in the 2020 election cycle. Bloo reminds me that time moves quickly and I must never settle nor lose focus in the crusade for justice. I hope to use this fragile time to advocate for equality in medicine, combining my passion for science with advocacy to leave a lasting legacy.

Today, the lessons taught by the butterfly are never far from my mind, whether I'm sitting in my English classroom discussing Beowulf, dreading the prospect of my upcoming integral exam, or even studying Darwin in Biology.

All these years later, as I ponder my defining characteristics and core values, I recognize that it is my time to become the butterfly — to embody Darwin’s words and face life with the courage to create change as I break free from my cocoon and enter the long-awaited adult world.

Professional Review by HS2 Academy

This piece is quite touching, as it deftly crafts a delicate and nuanced picture of Sean’s lifelong connection with the butterfly. It is playful (“my new friend Bloo”) while also profoundly introspective. It starts out effectively with a thought-provoking hook. After all, how many people would think to envy a butterfly? But the essay quickly picks up pace and shows how the butterfly truly is a perfect symbol for Sean’s own metamorphosis into a true leader and agent of change.

The essay works on so many levels because it utilizes an extended metaphor that aptly describes many parallels with Sean's life.

The essay works on so many levels because it utilizes an extended metaphor that aptly describes many parallels with Sean’s life. Oftentimes, many college essays utilize figurative language, but the connection with the narrative of that student’s life tends to be rather superficial. The idea of a butterfly emerging from a cocoon may seem a bit cliche as an image of a student’s transformation, but Sean’s essay goes deeper, in part because of a parallel with Sean’s own struggles with their queer identity. Phrases like using his wings to “glide far above the dainty and fragile stereotypes placed on him by society” powerfully capture Sean’s own journey from an insecure child to an advocate for social justice and equality in medicine.

We learn that Sean has truly found inspiration in the butterfly, rising above struggles with self-identity to become a principled leader with a genuine desire to fight injustice. The qualities Sean demonstrates—determination over adversity, passion for equality and justice—would be a welcome addition to any college community.

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Opinion Guest Essay

The Forgotten Lessons of the Recovered Memory Movement

Credit... Illustration by Mike McQuade; photograph by Getty Images

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By Ethan Watters

Mr. Watters is a journalist and author whose work focuses on psychiatry and social psychology.

• Sept. 27, 2022

Most students in psychology and psychiatry programs today are too young to have any firsthand memory of the moral panic engendered by the recovered memory movement in the 1980s and early 1990s. This was a time when therapists proudly advertised their ability to help clients unearth supposedly repressed memories of childhood sexual abuse; the accusations that followed shattered families and communities across the country.

The belief that such memories could be repressed and then recovered through special techniques was widespread among mental health professionals for well over a decade. In books and on television, therapists portrayed themselves as the first generation of healers to understand both these mechanisms of repression and how to unlock them without contaminating the story that emerged. The results were dramatic: Patients often recovered abuse memories that began in infancy and lasted for decades. Some came to believe not only that they had repressed memories but also that their minds had fractured into many personalities to manage the pain and betrayal.

With a few decades’ perspective, it’s clear this level of confidence led to disastrous results. In 2005 a Harvard psychology professor, Richard McNally, called the recovered memory movement “the worst catastrophe to befall the mental health field since the lobotomy era.”

At the height of the controversy in 1994, I co-wrote a book, “Making Monsters,” on the topic with the sociologist Richard Ofshe. In writing it , we hoped to help stop the practice that was harming so many. We also wanted to create a historical record that might help prevent the profession from going down another rabbit hole.

Just what happened to lead so many well-intentioned people down such a road is not a simple story. Understanding the power of recovered memory therapy requires an examination not just of the memory retrieval techniques used by individual therapists but also of how the movement created a tide of popular belief that bordered on mass hysteria. Recovered memory stories were, for a time, pervasive and inescapable. These stories influenced both patients and therapists as they hunted for hidden histories of abuse.

Considering the speed at which ideas spread on the internet and social media, a deep understanding of how cultural trends and psychology interact is more important than ever. We tend not to want to believe that we or our healers are susceptible to social contagions — which is why the recovered memory movement remains a cautionary tale with much to teach us.

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Home — Essay Samples — Life — Memories — Necessity and Importance of Memories for Growth

Necessity and Importance of Memories for Growth

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2023-24 Guidance for Artificial Intelligence Tools and Other Services

Ap african american studies policy.

Generative AI tools must be used ethically, responsibly, and intentionally to support student learning, not to bypass it. Accordingly, the AP African American Studies Individual Student Project must be the student’s own work. While students are permitted to use generative AI tools consistent with this policy, their use is optional and not mandatory.  

Students can use generative AI tools as optional aids for exploration of potential topics of inquiry, initial searches for sources of information, confirming their understanding of a complex text, or checking their writing for grammar and tone. However, students must read primary and secondary sources directly, perform their own analysis and synthesis of evidence, and make their own choices on how to communicate effectively in their presentations. It remains the student’s responsibility to engage deeply with credible, valid sources and integrate diverse perspectives when working on the project.  

AP Art and Design Policy

The use of artificial intelligence tools by AP Art and Design students is categorically prohibited at any stage of the creative process. 

AP Capstone Policy

Generative AI tools must be used ethically, responsibly, and intentionally to support student learning, not to bypass it. Accordingly, all performance tasks submitted in AP Seminar and AP Research must be the student’s own work. While students are permitted to use generative AI tools consistent with this policy, their use is optional and not mandatory. 

Students can use generative AI tools as optional aids for exploration of potential topics of inquiry, initial searches for sources of information, confirming their understanding of a complex text, or checking their writing for grammar and tone. However, students must read primary and secondary sources directly, perform their own analysis and synthesis of evidence, and make their own choices on how to communicate effectively both in their writing and presentations. It remains the student’s responsibility to engage deeply with credible, valid sources and integrate diverse perspectives when working on the performance tasks. Students must complete interim “checkpoints” with their teacher to demonstrate genuine engagement with the tasks.   

Required Checkpoints and Attestations   for AP Capstone

To ensure students are not using generative AI to bypass work, students must complete interim checkpoints with their teacher to demonstrate genuine engagement with the tasks. AP Seminar and AP Research students will need to complete the relevant checkpoints successfully to receive a score for their performance tasks. Teachers must attest, to the best of their knowledge, that students completed the checkpoints authentically. Failure to complete the checkpoints will result in a score of 0 on the associated task.  

In AP Seminar, teachers assess the authenticity of student work based on checkpoints that take the form of short conversations with students during which students make their thinking and decision-making visible (similar to an oral defense). These checkpoints should occur during the sources and research phase (IRR and IWA), and argument outline phase (IWA only). A final validation checkpoint (IRR and IWA) requires teachers to confirm the student’s final submission is, to the best of their knowledge, authentic student work. 

In AP Research, students must complete checkpoints in the form of in-progress meetings and work in the Process and Reflection Portfolio (PREP). No further checkpoints will be required. 

College Board reserves the right to investigate submissions where there is evidence of the inappropriate use of generative AI as an academic integrity violation and request from students copies of their interim work for review.  

Please see the AP Seminar and AP Research course and exam descriptions (CEDs) for the current policy on AI and other tools along with guidance on administering mandatory checkpoints.

AP Computer Science Principles Policy

AP Computer Science Principles students are permitted to utilize generative AI tools as supplementary resources for understanding coding principles, assisting in code development, and debugging. This responsible use aligns with current guidelines for peer collaboration on developing code.    

Students should be aware that generative AI tools can produce incomplete code, code that creates or introduces biases, code with errors, inefficiencies in how the code executes, or code complexities that make it difficult to understand and therefore explain the code. It is the student’s responsibility to review and understand any code co-written with AI tools, ensuring its functionality. Additionally, students must be prepared to explain their code in detail, as required on the end-of-course exam. 

The Best Memory Foam Mattresses, Chosen By Sleep Experts

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Side sleepers, folks with back pain and couples can all benefit from the doughy, cradling feel of memory foam beds. The best memory foam mattresses relieve pressure and contour to your body, but also curb movement so you can sleep undisturbed. Another perk? They skew on the affordable side, too. Our overall favorite is the Nectar Premier because its medium-firm feel and cooling gel-infused foam appeal to a variety of sleep needs.

The best memory foam mattresses include our favorite from Nectar.

But, there are several other mattresses on this list worthy of consideration. Our sleep experts tried out hundreds of beds —innerspring , hybrid and memory foam mattresses included—to find the 10 best all-foam options that strike the right balance of quality, comfort and affordability. If you love sink-in comfort, you may want to pick up a memory foam pillow while you’re at it. Read on for the best memory foam mattresses for sleepers of all kinds.

• Best Memory Foam Mattress Overall: Nectar Premier (Queen)
• Best Memory Foam Mattress Alternative: Helix Midnight (Queen)
• Best Soft Memory Foam Mattress: WinkBeds The GravityLux (Queen)
• Best Budget Memory Foam Mattress: Siena (Queen)
• Best Luxury Memory Foam Mattress: Tempur-Pedic Tempur-Adapt (Queen)
• Best Cooling Memory Foam Mattress: Cocoon Chill (Queen)
• Best Memory Foam Mattress For Stomach Sleepers: Plank Firm (Queen)
• Best Memory Foam Mattress For Back Pain: Casper Original (Queen)
• Best Memory Foam Mattress For Couples: Tuft & Needle Original (Queen)

Best Memory Foam Mattress Overall

A five-layer mattress with marshmallowy softness, nectar premier (queen).

Firmness: Medium (6.5) | CertiPUR-US Certified: Yes | Trial: 365 nights (one year) | Warranty: Lifetime

• Affordable; less than $1,000 for a queen when on sale
• Made with temperature-regulating foam
• Generous trial period and warranty
• Feels softer than advertised to some

The 5-layer Nectar Premier Memory Foam Mattress offers sleepers a cool and cozy experience. Its quilted cover wicks away moisture while 3 inches of gel-infused foam regulates temperature and cushions pressure points. A 3-inch middle layer of dynamic response foam gives the mattress some bounce yet keeps everything aligned. At the bottom is 7 inches of stability foam, and a shift-resistant cover keeps everything in place as you sleep.

Customers rave about the comfort of the mattress. What’s more, Nectar occasionally includes free premium bedding with purchase in addition to offering frequent markdowns, making the Premier even more appealing. It’s hard to beat the under-$1,000 price tag, but for a little more luxury, you can upgrade to the ultra-cooling, extra-thick Premier Copper for $300 more.

What our experts say: “I thought waking up a few times throughout the night was normal—until I switched to this Nectar mattress,” says deals editor Kara Cuzzone. “Now I regularly sleep through the night and my lower back and leg pain are completely gone. This bed strikes the perfect balance between soft and supportive, and I love that it prevents motion transfer so my partner's tossing and turning never wakes me up.”

The 2024 Forbes Vetted Best Product Awards are here: Explore our 150 top-recommended items across categories after extensive research and testing.

Best Memory Foam Mattress Alternative

A hybrid mattress with a memory foam feel.

Helix Sleep

Helix Midnight (Queen)

Firmness: Medium (5 to 6) | CertiPUR-US Certified: Yes | Trial: 100 nights | Warranty: 10 years

• Soft and contouring without sinkage
• Pressure-relieving; good for side sleepers
• Shorter trial period (100 nights)

The Helix Midnight is considered the best mattress for side sleepers since its medium firmness and hybrid design of springs and foam cater to the specific needs those who like to rest in that position. The Midnight’s upper layers consist of two pieces of memory foam that contour to your body while providing pressure relief along your shoulders and hips. A reinforced perimeter offers sufficient edge support, while individually-wrapped springs limit motion transfer (good for couples). If you need additional lumbar support, the upgraded Helix Midnight Luxe adds zoned support coils, a layer of copper gel-infused cooling memory foam and a quilted pillow top.

What our experts say: “As someone who typically prefers anything but memory foam, I was surprised by the Helix Midnight’s pressure-relieving, yet supportive feel,” says senior strategy editor Katie Simpson. “You definitely get a contouring sensation when you first sink in, but the coils underneath keep you propped up. For those who want to dabble in memory foam, but are hesitant to commit to a completely all-foam construction, the Midnight is a great in-between.”

See our full Helix Midnight mattress review for more info.

Best Soft Memory Foam Mattress

A plush foam mattress that's handmade to order, winkbeds the gravitylux (queen).

Firmness: Soft (4), medium (5) or firm (7) | CertiPUR-US Certified: Yes | Trial: 120 nights | Warranty: Lifetime

• Comes in three firmness levels
• Excels at motion isolation; good for couples
• More breathable than traditional memory foam
• Edge support somewhat lacking

If the sound of sinking into a cushioning, cradling bed at the end of a long day sounds appealing, then getting your hands on a handmade-to-order soft memory foam mattress like The GravityLux might be the right move. For those who are hot sleepers, this mattress stays cool with its AirCell Memory Foam and temperature management unique to each individual sleeper. And yes, you can still enjoy the soft feeling of memory foam while receiving support; this seven-layer model is designed to contour to the shoulders, legs and midsection for optimal comfort. You won’t have to worry about disturbing your partner on late night bathroom runs anymore, either, as the company touts the bed is great at motion isolation.

What our experts say: Sleep and mattress editor McKenzie Dillon says, “The WinkBed Gravity Lux is a quality memory foam mattress with a plush, cushy feel that cradles your curves. It’s great at isolating motion thanks to its all-foam design, making it a good pick for couples who toss and turn. Side sleepers should opt for the medium or soft model, while back and stomach sleepers should consider the firm model.”

Best Budget Memory Foam Mattress

Meet nectar's budget-conscious cousin, siena (queen).

Firmness: Firm (6.5) | CertiPUR-US Certified: Yes | Trial: 180 nights | Warranty: 10 years

• Budget-friendly; less than $500 when on sale
• Firm feel makes it ideal for stomach sleeper
• Good edge support and motion isolation
• Not a good fit for most side sleepers

Siena may not be a household name, but it’s a brand under the Resident umbrella — also home to Nectar. Its flagship mattress launched in March 2022 as a bonafide budget option, but don’t let the rock-bottom price deceive you. This 5-layer mattress is similar in quality and performance to its mid-range competitors. Its firm support appeals to stomach sleepers, heavier individuals and those who prefer not to sink into their bed. You also get 180 nights to try it out. In other words, that’s half a year to test this budget mattress in the comfort of your own home.

What our experts say: “Stomach sleepers, here is your mattress,” says our contributor Alison Barretta. “Despite Siena’s self-assessment as a medium-firm bed, I found it decidedly firm when sleeping on it. Edge support here is also excellent and couples should get on well with it, too, thanks to its low motion transfer.”

Best Luxury Memory Foam Mattress

A top-of-the-line bed featuring nasa technology.

TEMPUR-PEDIC

Tempur-Pedic Tempur-Adapt (Queen)

Firmness: Medium (5 to 6) | CertiPUR-US Certified: Yes | Trial: 90 nights | Warranty: 10 years

• Great pressure relief and motion isolation
• Cool-to-the-touch cover
• Ideal for slow-moving memory foam fans
• Expensive; over $2,000 for a queen
• Shorter trial period and warranty

Tempur-Pedic is a well-established brand in the sleep industry, having honed its comfort layer technology through years of experience. This expertise is evident in the quality construction, glowing reviews, and premium pricing of its mattresses. The Tempur-Adapt lineup consists of three mattresses, but the most affordable is the Legendary Relief model, which features a knit cover that’s cool to the touch plus two panels of NASA-developed Tempur Material. The first comfort layer of this 11-inch mattress is designed to provide a soft feel, while the second piece (which sits beneath) provides support and adapts to your pressure points for “personalized comfort.” A Hybrid version with springs is also available if you’d like more bounce.

What the experts say: Dillon says, “The Tempur-Adapt is one of my favorites from the Tempur-Pedic collections because of its value compared to the brand’s pricier options. It has that traditional, dense memory foam feel that people have come to love, with effective temperature regulating capabilities to keep you sleeping cooler than you would on typical memory foam. While the brand rates its firmness a medium, I think it falls around a medium-firm.”

Best Cooling Memory Foam Mattress

Sealy's cooling comfort at an affordable price.

Cocoon by Sealy

Cocoon Chill (Queen)

Firmness: Medium-firm (6) |CertiPUR-US Certified: Yes | Trial: 100 nights | Warranty: 10 years

• Costs less than $500
• Made of heat- and moisture-wicking materials
• Only 10-inches thick, may not be as durable as other options

The Cocoon by Sealy Chill Memory Foam Mattress consists of four foam layers that come together to help you get the sleep of your dreams. There’s a cooling cover infused with the brand’s Phase Change Material that absorbs heat and wicks moisture away for a dry, cool sleeping surface. Not only is this mattress ideal for hot sleepers, but it also provides support throughout the night by catering to your individual body shape and position. Just keep in mind that this mattress has a thinner profile at 10 inches tall, so some may find it doesn’t provide quite enough support. However, it’s frequently on sale and the most affordable premium cooling mattress you can buy, plus you get free pillows and sheets with purchase.

What the experts say : Speaking on her experience with the mattress, Dillon says, “For the money, the Cocoon Chill is one of the best cooling memory foam mattresses you can get your hands on. Its cover has a subtle cooling sensation and helps wick away moisture (a.k.a. night sweats). People over the 230-pound range should consider upgrading to the Cocoon Hybrid Mattress for enhanced support—it costs $200 to $300 more, depending on the discounts Cocoon is running.”

Best Memory Foam Mattress For Stomach Sleepers

Custom comfort with two firmness options, plank firm (queen).

Firmness:  Firm or extra firm | CertiPUR-US Certified: Yes | Trial:  120 nights | Warranty:  10 years

• Very supportive
• A queen size is often on sale for around $1,000
• Offers two firmness levels
• Not good for side sleepers

Brooklyn Bedding is behind the Plank mattress, which is designed to be firm and supportive—both key features for stomach sleepers. The Plank Firm is just over 10 inches thick with four memory foam layers and a flippable design. One side of the bed is considered firm and the other is extra firm. This allows sleepers to choose the support and firmness level that works best for them by turning the mattress over to the other side. While either side excels at providing spine alignment for stomach sleepers, heavyweight sleepers should opt for the firmer side since they tend to sink into the mattress more. The plank also features a quilted top and bottom, and if you sleep hot, you can add a cooling cover for about $100 extra.

What our experts say: ”This is one of the firmest mattresses I’ve ever tested,” says Forbes Vetted senior mattress and sleep editor Bridget Chapman. “Despite being an all-foam bed, it’s really supportive and a great option for a lot of stomach and back sleepers since it offers a lifted feel.”

Best Memory Foam Mattress For Back Pain

This bed in a box offers relief in all the right places, casper original (queen).

Firmness: Medium (5 to 6) | Trial: 100 nights | CertiPUR-US Certified: Yes | Warranty: 10 years

• Zoned support to relieve back pain
• Excellent motion isolation; ideal for couples
• Not as cooling as other Casper mattresses

Casper was one of the first companies to offer a bed-in-a-box, and today, its Original Memory Foam Mattress is still a popular choice among those with back or joint pain. The Casper Original has three ergonomic zones to keep your spine in proper alignment all night, so it’s softer under your shoulder, but firmer around the hips, waist and lower back. It also has a comfortable, neutralized feel that’s much more responsive than typical memory foam (a bonus for tossy-turny sleepers).

What our experts say: “This was the first bed in a box I ever tried and it did not disappoint,” explains the Forbes Vetted digital editor. “The memory foam gave me the support I needed but still provided a cushy softness.”

Best Memory Foam Mattress For Couples

A budget-friendly option that accommodates all sleep positions, tuft & needle original (queen).

Firmness: Medium-firm (6 to 6.5) | CertiPUR-US Certified: Yes | Trial: 100 nights | Warranty: 10 years

• Priced under $1,000
• Made with cooling materials to prevent overheating
• Good motion isolation and edge support
• Thinner than other options, may lack support for heavyweight sleepers

The Tuft & Needle Original Mattress is a standout with more than 34,000 5-star reviews. Although inflation has led to a gradual rise in price — a problem not unique to T&N, by the way — it’s still among the most affordable memory foam mattresses on the market. It’s crafted from two layers of open-cell foam with cooling gel for temperature regulation, and the company’s proprietary T&N Adaptive Foam is designed to provide the perfect balance of support and flexibility. For this reason, reviewers say the Tuft & Needle Original Mattress is a good compromise for couples with different sleep styles, as it’s comfortable in any position. This mattress is on the thinner side, at 10 inches tall, so be cognizant of that if you need it for more support.

What our experts say: “I sleep alone, but I found the Tuft & Needle Original responsive whenever I switched positions,” says our contributor. “Plus, there’s minimal sinkage. Both of these qualities should bode well if you sleep with a fidgety partner. It’s also priced right if your guest room needs a refresh.”

The Best Cat Carriers To Keep Your Pet Secure And Comfortable

The 4 best cast-iron skillets, based on testing by a trained chef, why trust forbes vetted.

At Forbes Vetted, we’ve published a large library of sleep and mattress articles that contains other memory foam-related guides like the best soft mattresses and the best Tempur-Pedic mattresses .

• All of our memory foam recommendations were approved by sleep editors Bridget Chapman and McKenzie Dillon , who are certified sleep science coaches and mattress testers. Collectively, they’ve tested hundreds of mattresses.
• Mattress editor or not, our team loves sleep. We relied on feedback from our editors and included some of their favorite memory foam beds in this guide.
• In keeping up-to-date on the the latest in sleep technology, we regularly revisit this article, including a recent update in April 2024 to eliminate a mattress that’s no longer available (the Dreamfoam Chill).

How We Chose The Best Memory Foam Mattresses

To find the best memory foam mattresses for an array of sleep styles and nighttime needs, we looked to reputable mattress brands that excel at producing all-foam beds and consulted our team on their favorite models.

• Our mattress and sleep down narrowed down their list to top-rated memory foam models that offer excellent pressure relief, motion isolation and support.
• We weighed our personal experience and considered which beds our editors and writers love; many of the beds above have been tested by our team.
• We prioritized beds with stellar customer reviews of at least 4 stars out of 5.
• We vetted each mattress to ensure they offer a risk-free trial period and minimum 10-year warranty.
• We analyzed additional features like firmness level, cooling technology and CertiPUR-US certification to cater to a variety of sleep needs.

A Buyer’s Guide For The Best Memory Foam Mattresses

Price: how much is the average memory foam mattress.

Memory foam mattresses are among the most affordable you can buy. They typically start at $300 and go up to around $2,000 for a queen. For a quality memory foam bed, expect to spend in the $700-$1,500 range.

Brand: What’s A Good Place To Buy A Memory Foam Mattress?

While you can shop in a traditional brick and mortar store for memory foam mattresses, you can also shop online thanks to an abundance of bed-in-a-box options. We like the quality and performance of online brands like Nectar, Helix, WinkBeds, Tempur-Pedic, Casper and Tuft & Needle, which each offer lengthy trial periods and warranties so you can test the mattress out in your home before fully committing.

Warranty: How Long Is The Warranty On A Memory Foam Mattress?

Most memory foam mattress warranties last at least least ten years. Some bed-in-a-box brands have lifetime warranties that cover defects in construction, materials or overall quality.

Material: What Type Of Memory Foam Is Best?

The three most popular types of memory foam are synthetic, gel-infused and copper-infused. Synthetic foams provide the sink-in, pressure relieving feel the material is known for, while gel-infused and copper-infused foams help promote more airflow. If you’re a hot sleeper, we recommend opting for the latter.

Weight: How Much Can A Memory Foam Mattress Hold?

Most emory foam mattresses can support up to 250 pounds on each side (500 pounds total). Some memory foam mattresses (typically firmer ones) can support more than that, though, so we recommend heavyweight sleepers or couples check out those with more sturdy support.

Firmness: Do They Come In Different Firmnesses?

Yes, memory foam mattresses come in varying comfort levels to suit different sleeping positions. Soft to medium-firm mattresses are best for side sleepers, while medium-firm to firm beds are a better match for stomach sleepers or those with back pain.

Also, keep in mind that a mattress’s feel depends on body weight too. For example, a medium-firm mattress may feel softer than advertised for someone who weighs over 250 pounds. That said, most memory foam beds feels softer than an innerspring or hybrid mattress since they don’t contain coils, so if you’re looking for ample support—especially if you’re switching from a traditional innerspring—a firmer option may be best.

Support: Are Memory Foam Mattresses Supportive?

This ultimately depends on your preferred sleeping position. Each position requires a unique combination of cushioning and support to keep you comfortable at night.

• Side sleepers benefit from a softer memory foam mattress that contours to the body and relieves pressure on the hips and shoulders. Memory foam mattresses excel at this since they’re built to mold to your body and evenly distribute weight.
• Back sleepers typically need a medium-firm to firm memory foam mattress that provides more sturdy support to prevent the hips from sinking. If the hips sink too deeply into the mattress, your spine can fall out of neutral alignment, which may lead to back pain in the morning.
• Stomach sleepers also require a firmer memory foam bed that minimizes sinkage around the midsection to keep the spine in proper alignment.

Thickness: How Thick Should A Memory Foam Mattress Be?

A high-quality memory foam mattress should be at least 10 to 12 inches thick. This is enough for most sleepers to feel comfortable and supported.

What Is The Best Memory Foam Mattress?

Just like any type of mattress, there isn’t a one-size-fits-all option when it comes to memory foam. Every sleeper has unique needs and preferences that all play a factor when selecting their ‘best’ memory foam mattress. However, the best memory foam mattresses have the same qualities in common: exceptional pressure relief, great support and a durable construction that won’t sag over time. Our best overall pick—the Nectar Premier —offers all of these qualities in addition to cooling gel layers.

What Type Of Memory Foam Mattress Is Best For Back Pain?

A medium-firm memory foam mattress is usually best for those with back pain; it provides a just-right level of support with enough cushioning for key pressure points. You want to make sure the mattress is made from dense foam, but nothing too firm which could actually cause more pain and stiffness. If you suffer with chronic aches, our best mattresses for back pain story has more options worth browsing.

What Are The Disadvantages Of A Memory Foam Mattress?

Some people don’t like the body-molding texture of foam and feel like they’re being “swallowed” by the bed. While firmer foam mattresses don’t sink in as much as softer ones, hybrid and innerspring mattresses offer a more buoyant feel. Further, memory foam has a reputation for trapping heat, and while many big brands have developed cooling materials, some people still prefer coil-based mattresses that promote airflow. Finally, a memory foam bed may not provide adequate support for heavier people. If you and/or your partner weigh over 250 pounds, our list of the best mattresses for heavy people has a handful of excellent options.

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Article updated on June 2, 2024 at 1:40 PM PDT

Best Memory Foam Mattresses for 2024

Want a comfortable and supportive mattress? Our team of sleep experts has tested and picked the best memory foam mattresses.

Our Experts

With 5+ years of mattress testing experience, we use our different sleeping position and body type perspectives to offer well-rounded, honest reviews.

What to consider

A firm mattress will offer more support while a soft mattress will be more pressure relieving. Medium mattresses fall in the sweet spot right in between. The right firmness level for you depends on your sleeping position.

Sleeping position

Side sleepers should consider a medium to soft mattress that cradles the hips and shoulders. Back and stomach sleepers should consider a medium to firm mattress that keeps the spine in a straight alignment. Switch between positions? A medium firmness level can accommodate all sleeping positions.

Coils and latex foam give a bed more bounce, while memory foam and poly foam make a bed feel more cushy and pressure relieving. The feel of your mattress will depend on the types of materials it has on the inside.

Construction

There are essentially two mattress types, hybrid and all-foam. Hybrid mattresses are constructed with steel coils and foam, but all-foam mattresses are just as their name implies.

Hybrid mattresses tend to be best for people who want extra support and durability. Sleepers over 230 pounds in particular should consider a hybrid over an all-foam mattress because it’s more supportive, durable and long-lasting.

Performance

Motion isolation, edge support and temperature are important features for couples or people who sleep hot to consider. Hot sleepers should consider a mattress that boasts special cooling features. Couples want minimal motion transfer and a strong, supportive bed perimeter.

Company policies

All online brands offer a free trial, free shipping and a warranty, but some brands are more generous with their policies than others.

Memory foam mattresses have become more popular in recent years due to their ability to shape themselves to the body and provide support. Several types exist, including many traditional memory foam mattress options and hybrid versions. Some are made to be more dense while others are plush and soft. You'll also need to pick the best firmness for your sleep position. Looking for the best memory foam mattress for your bedroom or your guest room? We've put a bunch to the test to help you narrow it down, considering firmness, composition and the money you'll have to shell out.

Here at CNET, we've likely tested over 50 memory foam mattresses so far. Our list includes a variety of categories, including the top memory foam mattress for side sleepers, for back or stomach sleepers, and for budget shoppers, as well as the best one overall. Read on to find the one that meets your particular needs.

What's the best memory foam mattress overall? 

A look at the Nectar Premier in our test facility. 

While all the memory foam beds on our list are good picks, the Nectar Premier mattress wins the title of overall best memory foam mattress. It's a comfortable memory foam mattress that feels similar to the popular Tempur-Pedic mattress, but it's a lot more affordable. It has a slow-rising feel that gives your curves and joints a little hug, and extra features that help it regulate temperature better than regular memory foam beds. 

On this list, you'll find the memory foam mattresses that stood out to me as the most comfortable, most supportive, most accommodating or the most affordable. Here are my picks for the best memory foam mattress options that you can purchase online.

Video: Best memory foam mattress of 2024

Watch CNET video producer and certified sleep science coach  Owen Poole  review the best memory foam mattresses.

Best memory foam mattresses of 2024

Nectar premier, best memory foam mattress overall.

Best flippable memory foam mattress

Bear Original Mattress

Best affordable memory foam mattress.

Amerisleep AS2

Best memory foam mattress for back or stomach sleepers.

Saatva Loom & Leaf

Best luxury memory foam mattress.

Leesa Legend Chill Hybrid

Best memory foam mattress for hot sleepers.

Best memory foam mattress for side sleepers

DreamCloud Hybrid

Best hybrid memory foam mattress.

Other memory foam mattresses we've tested

There are hundreds of mattresses to choose from, but luckily our CNET Sleep editors have been around the bedding block. They have collectively tested over 100 beds, from the most popular to lesser-known models, and have the knowledge to help you pick the best fit for you. The mattresses above are great options, but there are a few more beds we've tested that could have easily made this list. 

Lucid 10-inch Memory Foam mattress : Budget shoppers can look into the Lucid Gel Memory foam mattress, a bed sold through Amazon with thousands of positive ratings from users. It's one of the most affordable bed-in-a-box beds I've ever tested, and it's still comfy enough to give you a good night's sleep. You have three firmness options to choose from and six heights. 

TempurPedic mattress : You've likely heard about this brand before, as TempurPedic made its name in the mattress industry long before beds ever came to the internet. They offer several mattresses from entry-level to luxury. They also have many cooling memory foam options. They're expensive beds, but you're paying for the trusted brand name and traditional memory foam feel that the brand is known for. 

How we test memory foam mattresses

CNET editors choose the products and services we write about based on editorial merit. When you buy through our links, we may get a commission. 

During testing, we sleep on the beds and try out all three different sleeping positions : side, back, stomach and combination. We also test for motion isolation, edge support, temperature, comfort and more. We have even cut open a few mattresses to see what the construction is like on the inside. 

The best memory foam mattresses are comfortable to switch positions in, offer a pressure-relieving feel, isolate motion and are very accommodating for different sleeping positions. We also take durability into account, considering whether or not it will be long-lasting enough for every body type. 

Find out more on  how we test mattresses .

How to choose the best memory foam mattress

• Firmness:  This should be a main consideration, regardless of the kind of mattress you're buying. Different firmness levels accommodate different sleeping positions. If you're a side sleeper, the best memory foam mattress will feel soft and plush. For stomach and back sleepers, the best memory foam bed is a more firm memory foam mattress. 
• Feel : As I mentioned earlier in this roundup, not every memory foam mattress is built alike. Some memory foam beds feel light and airy, while others feel dense and slow to respond. If you're a combination sleeper, I recommend you go with a light memory foam so it's easy to switch positions. If you like to get really nestled and cozy while you sleep, you may like a dense memory foam mattress better. 
• Temperature regulation : One complaint against memory foam is that it retains heat, making sleepers feel hot and uncomfortable while they sleep. Part of it is because of memory foam's dense cell structure and warm air getting trapped inside, as well as the fact that you sleep within the memory foam rather than on top. Look for memory foam with different temperature regulating techniques, such as infused gel, gel beads, infused copper, infused graphite, phase change materials and proprietary technology. 
• Price : Memory foam ranges in price, from very cheap (there are cheap memory foam mattress options out there that cost as little as $200) to premium and top-tier (Tempur-Pedic mattresses can cost more than $2,000). That means almost anyone can find a memory foam mattress within their budget. 

Types of memory foam

Not all memory foam materials are alike. Some are more airy while others are very dense. Some are infused with gel or copper for temperature regulation while others are more traditional.

Traditional : Traditional memory foam is found in older beds like the OG TempurPedic mattresses from the 90s or very cheap memory foam. While it's great and provides pressure relief, it also gets hot because the dense foam traps your body heat inside. If you're a hot sleeper, this is something to consider. 

Gel-infused : Don't worry, it's not literal gel you're sleeping on. Gel-infused memory foam often has little blue or green dots infiltrated throughout the foam to help regulate temperature. The gel works to draw heat away from you and more evenly disperse it throughout the bed for a cooling memory foam feel. 

Copper-infused : Beds like the Layla mattress are infused with copper gel to work the same way regular gel-infused mattresses do. Copper is a conductor that can absorb heat from your body and distribute it away from your body. 

Plant-based : There aren't many plant-based memory foam mattresses on the market. People like Amerisleep use plant-based materials as a substitute for petroleum and manufacture it using a zero-emissions process. This way, the memory foam is more environmentally friendly than most other memory or poly foams. 

Proprietary : You will find a ton of different brands using a specific name for their memory foam, such as Puffy's Cloud-Air foam for example. This means the brand put a specific twist on the memory foam to make it more comfortable or more accommodating. The most common types of proprietary memory foams are open-celled for more airflow or gel-infused for cooling abilities.

Who should buy a memory foam mattress?

The best qualities of memory foam are that it's pressure-relieving, stops movement across a mattress and offers a comforting hugging feel. People who will like memory foam beds the most include those who suffer from joint pain, back, side and combination sleepers, couples who share a bed and people who generally like a nestling mattress feel. Side sleepers may also love soft memory foam because of how well it cradles the shoulder and hip joints. 

Who shouldn't buy a memory foam mattress?

Memory foam mattresses can sometimes turn people off for several reasons. You shouldn't get a memory foam mattress if you change positions often as the foam can provide some resistance as it's slow to bounce back to shape. It's also not ideal for hot sleepers . Memory foam is a dense material that traps heat more than other foam beds. Gel memory foam and other tech help it sleep cooler, but people who sleep warm may want to consider a  latex foam mattress  because they're so breathable. 

Memory foam mattress FAQs

What is the best memory foam mattress.

There are many different memory foam mattresses on the market, but some of the best include Layla, Puffy, Loom & Leaf, Bear, Amerisleep, GhostBed and Nectar.

How long do memory foam mattresses last?

If your memory foam mattress is only made out of foam, it will probably last you around seven years. If it's made with inner springs or coils in the bottom layer, it will last you around 10 years or more. Just make sure you're taking proper care of your mattress, such as rotating it every six months and keeping your bedding clean.

What is the best thickness for a memory foam mattress?

Nine to 10 inches is an ideal thickness for a memory foam mattress that offers ample support, but you can also go even thicker if you're looking for maximum durability and support. Thin memory foam mattresses are OK for the short-term, but may not last as long as you would hope. They tend to be more susceptible to wear and tear, sags and imprints. 

Are memory foam mattresses good?

Memory foam mattresses are great at providing pressure relief to your joints because the material gently hugs your curves, but some memory foam beds can give you a sinking feeling that causes resistance when you try to switch positions. If you're a combination sleeper in the market for a memory foam bed, try to find one that's more light and airy so it responds to pressure more quickly. 

What are the disadvantages of memory foam mattresses?

Memory foam mattresses trap heat, making hot sleepers even hotter. They also sometimes provide resistance to combination sleepers when they switch positions.

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