Still blushing about that time you tripped in front of your entire lecture class or ran to a meeting only to discover that a pair of underwear from your laundry was caught on your bag? Cringe-worthy memories have happened to me too, so know there’s no reason to hide under your bed forever. You’re in good company.
Check these 10 Embarrassing Moments From Students Like You.
1. Naked and Afraid… and Locked Out
“One morning, I went to take my shower as usual – wrapping myself in a towel and grabbing my shower caddy as I walked out the door. I took my shower, and as I collected by stuff to leave, I realized what was wrong—I didn’t have my room key. I tried to knock on my door, hoping my roommate would let me in, but she’s a heavy sleeper and didn’t hear me. After about five minutes, I surrendered and took the walk of shame to the lobby to get a temp card. I figured that I could just sneak down there and get back up without too much of a scene; what I didn’t plan for was that it was right when classes were changing – everyone was coming back from their 8:10 or leaving for their 9:45, which meant that no less than two dozen people who knew me well saw me dripping wet and looking sad in my bright yellow towel. ” – Lily Coltoff (yours truly).
2. Rice Going, Man
“My roommate was making Rice-a-Roni but somehow didn’t put the water in… it lit on fire in the microwave and set the smoke detector off, causing the whole building to be evacuated.” – Sam Davis, Freshman, Emerson College.
3. Exceeded Expectations
“I was washing my bras and panties in a coed dorm. I don’t put my bras in the dryer – I let them air dry – so I brought one of my moving boxes with me and put them in there, closing the flaps of the box and putting it on top of the dryer while my other clothes dried. When I walked back into the laundry room to get my clothes that were done, I saw two guys standing in the corner, giggling. What I hadn’t realized at the time was that the box I grabbed was the one labeled “food,” so they had opened it, hoping for… food. I grabbed my stuff and ran out, while the guys did their best not to burst out laughing.” – Casandra Davis, Junior, Temple University Ambler.
4. The Ultimate Injury
“Once, when I was playing Ultimate (Frisbee) with a bunch of my friends, I missed a pass and the frisbee ended up hitting me in the balls.” – Tyler Bagi, Senior, Millersville University.
5. #PlanningFails
“I was hanging out with friends in the study lounge of our residence hall one night when I had to go to the bathroom. Normally, the bathrooms on that side of the building follow a pattern where all the men’s bathrooms are on one side and all the women’s bathrooms are on the other. I knew this pattern. What I didn’t know was that it was different for the floor that we were on, so when I opened the door to what I thought was the men’s bathroom, I saw a girl at the sink brushing her teeth. I shouted and backed out as quickly as I could, and looked at the sign on the door. Turns out, Anderson 4 North doesn’t play by the same rules as the rest of the hall.” – Freshman, American University.
6. One Sassy Professor
“I got to my class a little early and my computer was dying, and since it seemed like the class before mine was leaving, I decided to run in and plug my laptop in then go to the bathroom. When I got back, my professor walked over to me to inform me that I had interrupted an exam. Oops.” – Freshman, American University.
7. I Guess it was Just that Hot?
“I was hooking up with my girlfriend for the first time. I went to change positions and the fire alarm went off. Talk about the walk of shame.” – Freshman, American University.
8. Hot Ramen, Cool Kids
“This isn’t necessarily embarrassing, but it was really funny…One week during my freshman year the whole South side of campus lost power, even in the dining hall where most people were getting their meals. This meant no hot meals or hot showers for anyone for about 4-5 days. On one of the last days, a few of my [friends] decided to make hot ramen by getting water in a pan and starting a small (controlled) fire on my dorm floor using hand sanitizer as the catalyst. The reward was hot ramen for everyone involved and many other jealous freshmen as we paraded the halls with our steaming prize.” – Richard Kassabian, Class of 2015, Kutztown University.
9. The Nickname that Lasted
“In high school, I was given the unfortunate nickname of Nitty Tits. I told my friends at college this once and immediately regretted it; they haven’t let me live it down. It’s been over a year.” – Senior, Tufts University.
10. So Much for Comfort
“There was this one time where I was really sick with a stomach bug. I had been spending a lot of time in the bathroom, but eventually got back to my room to rest for a bit. I went to get some pajamas out to change into to be more comfortable, and all of a sudden I had the urge to run to the bathroom again. Unfortunately, I didn’t move fast enough, and threw up in my pajama drawer.” – Maddy Ventresca, Senior, Massachusetts College of Art and Design.
See? You’re not the only one. Don’t you feel better now? Embarrassing moments happen all the time – you can’t avoid them, but you can take it in stride so that one day you may find yourself able to look back and laugh about it. Or post it in an article online… whatever makes you feel best. Enjoy the stories of your life, even if they cause you to cringe when they’re in the making.
