Topic Sample Sentence The loss of a friend Two memories stand out in my mind when I think about Jane: the day I first met her, and the day her mother called me in tears to tell me about my best friend's death. The relationship or a specific memory one has of a friend Bobby and I have always been two of a kind: clever, precocious, and never able to know when to quit joking around. One's bravest or most frightening moment Compared to that moment on that day, all the nerve-wracking booster shots and terrifying math tests I'd ever taken were suddenly like sunshine and rainbows. One's passion for baseball or sports; memories of one's father I was no older than three when my father put that first baseball in my hands. Memories of one’s mother My mother may not know how to bake a cake from scratch or how to sew a dress by hand, but anyone who could see the way she kicks a soccer ball or skillfully maneuvers a van backed with six screaming kids on a daily basis would have no doubts about her motherly abilities. A major break-up I knew he would hate me for it, but the only thing that would have been more unfair to Christopher than breaking up with him would have been staying together. Memory of a special place Whenever I need to calm down or take a break, my mind travels to a little creek in the woods behind the house I lived in as a child. Identity crisis; a notable failure or disappointment in one's life Throughout middle school, I had built my entire identity around my good grades, but my sense of purpose would be terribly shaken as soon as I entered my freshman French class. Surprising event; traumatic event; learning experience When a casual friend invited me to go camping in the fourth grade, I never would have expected things to turn out the way they did. A book that changed one's life; the start of a hobby I'll never forget the first time I read A Tale of Two Cities. When a child taught someone a lesson Kids can say the darndest things, and my little cousin Mike is no exception. Words that stung; a time when someone said something insensitive No words every hurt me quite as much as "I'll see you next month." Family memory; family vacations Those family trips to the sunny beaches of North Carolina will stick in my mind for the rest of my life. Something one would like to change about oneself; a big mistake I never used to think that there were any problems with the way I treated people—until one day when I hurt my best friend in a way that could never be repaired.