This American Life Episode 550: Three Miles In a well-developed response (at least three well-developed single-spaced paragraphs), please discuss the following questions: How does Melanie’s story “end” in the episode? What about Jonathan’s experience at Wheaton College? And Raquel’s experience at Bard College? How is the investigative reporter Chana Joffe-Walt impacted by this story? How did hearing their stories make you feel? What do you think the “take away” message is in Episode 550? What is your own plan for the future? Would anything you heard in this episode change your thinking and behavior?

1. [Type Your Name Here]
This American Life Episode 550: Three Miles
In a well-developed response (at least three well-developed single-spaced paragraphs), please discuss the
following questions: How does Melanie’s story “end” in the episode? What about Jonathan’s experience at
Wheaton College? And Raquel’s experience at Bard College? How is the investigative reporter Chana Joffe-
Walt impacted by this story? How did hearing their stories make you feel? What do you think the “take away”
message is in Episode 550? What is your own plan for the future? Would anything you heard in this episode
change your thinking and behavior?
In the end, Melanie did not achieve her goals. Melanie was selected as a finalist but unfortunately, she
did not make it to the Middlebury and ended up as a retail worker with her goals unfulfilled and was
embarrassed to tell people that. When Jonathan was accepted to Wheaton College in Massachusetts, he felt no
excitement as he believed that he was not worthy of college, due to his environment growing up. Moreover, he
got panicked when he came to know that he could not afford the books nonetheless, he never told anyone.
In order to attain what Raquel's peers could not, she had to get past the fact that she did not get to relish
all the luxuries those who attended Fieldston got. Other sufferings faced was that she was the only black student
in her classes and her boyfriend thought that he and other University High students are unfit for college. She
was at a clear disadvantage. Raquel struggled a lot but she put an effort unlike Jonathan and came to know
about the library and the inter-library loan system for free books and completed her graduation. Chana Joffe-
Walt despite being optimistic, lost his hope and came to a conclusion that all endings are not happy as fate has
other plans for many of us despite hard work and that the supermarket might be full of Melanies.
These stories are heart-wrenching but I am still hopeful that these individuals can do well in their lives
as they are young and exceptional. The message that I have perceived is that we must be strong and brave
enough to accept the realities of life even if they are not in our favor apparently. My future plans are to transfer
from this college and study to a university for a four-year honors degree. This episode has given me an
opportunity to understand that things do not work out the way we want but how we deal with them matters a lot.
It has brought a change in my behavior to confront the hardships of life with courage and bravery as life is
clearly a battle for all of us.