My name is Catherine, but everyone calls me Caty. As a fifth year super senior, I have experienced many things and learned many lessons while pursuing my degree here at good ole ULM.

From awkward to amazing, each moment has been different and eye opening. I hope maybe each reader can take away something from my journey and apply to his or her own.

We’ve all been told college is the best years of our lives. But everyone seems to forget to tell us they are also the most awkward.

High school awkwardness has nothing on the awkward situations students can find themselves in while attending college. The sad (yet great) part is, most of them are avoidable.

One of the most embarrassing and scarring moments for a student can be getting kicked out of class. Not only is it publicly humiliating but…never mind…actually the public humiliation is enough to make it one of the most awkward things that could happen.

Trust me. It’s happened to me before.

I was sitting in class (cell phones were a huge “no-no” for this teacher) and had my phone. I glanced down at a text message and when I looked up, the teacher was staring at me (more like into my soul) as I realized I had been caught. She told me to leave and I could not believe I was getting thrown out class.

I eventually realized I knowingly disrespected this teacher’s rule, and I had deserved to be kicked out. I NEVER brought my cell phone back to that class again. Lesson: You won’t get kicked out of class, and scarred for life, if you follow the rules.

Another avoidable awkward moment: waking yourself up in class because you were snoring.

Now I’m not going to say this has happened to me before, but I’m not going to say it hasn’t either. Not only does this anger teachers, but snoring publicly really makes it hard to make new friends.

How is this avoidable? Go to bed on time. Turn off Facebook and get some sleep.

Lastly, one of the most awkward moments a person can encounter: falling in public. Curbs, stairs, slippery floors and poorly made shoes all make this campus extremely prone to the infamous public fall.

If you find yourself in this situation it’s best to quickly stand up and laugh with the people who will most likely be laughing, too.

How is this avoidable? Don’t text while walking, pay attention to where you’re going and maybe take a ballet class to enhance your gracefulness.