They say you shouldn’t hold in your emotions because when you bottle things up, you are bound to eventually burst.

Any college student knows about the stress and emotion that comes with living that lifestyle. There are a lot of firsts that come along with going to college. First time away from your parents, friends, and family. First time living on your own. First time embarking on a journey into the real world. First time discovering yourself. First time achieving real successes. First time finding real failures. And so on.

Stressful life experiences are what breaks you. But you can always bounce back. Sometimes, it just takes a little waterworks and hysteria to reach the point of emotional breakdown before you can come back to reality stronger than ever.

Whether your college career has been smooth sailing, or a complete and utter shit show, at some point you have probably broke-down crying from at least one of the following.

1. The stress of moving in.

Ah, move-in day. This is judgement day. This day holds the true feeling of change and excitement that you’ve been waiting for. You can finally spread your wings and fly out into the adult world all on your own. But, the truth is, it’s not always an easy transition.

Things go wrong. It’s expensive, stressful, and a lot of work to move your entire life from one place to another while starting new classes. And most schools only give you two weeks or less to move-in before the semester starts. So, as you’re starting a whole new chapter in your life all in the matter of a week or two while trying to reposition and settle yourself into a new atmosphere, you might have an emotional breakdown at some point.

2. Waiting for your financial aid or loan to be dispersed.

This always stressed me out more than anything when starting a new semester. For someone like me, who had to borrow student loans to cover not only tuition, but housing and living expenses, as well. This waiting game was a nightmare. The semester would already start, my rent would be due, and I still would be waiting for the money to drop into my empty bank account.

This is money I have to pay back to them on-time for the rest of my life. You think they would have the curtesy to straighten out my funds and give them to me before I have to hand it right back over to someone else. Along with the stress of passing school, the stress of paying for school definitely takes a toll on you.

3. When you fail an exam.

Despite the endless amount of homework, projects, and essays, exams are by far the most stressful. Sometimes you know when you half-assed a test, but other times, you actually do spend all week studying and working hard, and it’s like a jab in the heart when you fail.

This seems like the entire purpose of test-taking... to build you up just to let you down in order to prepare for let-down’s in the real world. I can’t say I haven’t cried once or twice over a bad grade. Even though it wasn’t the end of the world, sometimes you just can’t help but to be disappointed in yourself. That’s life.

4. Tears of joy from acing an exam.

On the other hand, when you work your ass off, or just get lucky, seeing that A on your test is an amazing feeling. The whole purpose of your college experience is based around these types of successes. It’s a rewarding feeling to know your hard work actually paid off.

5. Making an ass of yourself in front of the entire class.

As humans, we can’t help but to embarrass ourselves at times. Like when you don’t think something through and raise your hand with the wrong answer. Or completely ramble-off something stupid and think to yourself, “why the hell did I just say that?” Yeah, that’s a common feeling. One time I even cried by myself in the hallway because a teacher embarrassed me in front of the class.

It was my first semester in college and my nerves were already through the roof. My Psychology 101 teacher was a complete prick with a snobby and entitled attitude, and called on me when my hand was not raised. You know we all hate that. He called me out in front of everyone because I didn’t know the answer. Obviously, because my damn hand wasn’t raised. I could have just said, "sorry I don’t know," but I cracked under pressure and said something stupid. Both he and the entire class laughed at me and I was humiliated. And yes, I was a complete baby and cried about it.

6. When your social anxiety kicks in.

Some people don’t even realize they have mental health concerns until they get to college. This is probably because it brings so much emotion out of you. According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, “41.6% stated anxiety as the top presenting concern among college students.” Social settings in college can bring out both the best and worst in people. It’s all about who you surround yourself with. When you run out of money.

7. When you run out of money.

For broke college students, money is definitely a source of stress. With full-time schedules taking classes, studying, doing homework, projects, working non-paid internships, and attempting to have somewhat of a life, it is hard to work enough to actually make sufficient money. When I would be cramming and working hard at school, money would be so tight I would buy a whole pizza to last me for dinner throughout the week. It definitely leads to an unhappy and unhealthy lifestyle.

8. During the stress of cramming and pulling all-nighters.

You may have cried a time or two from the simple fact of delusion during your all-nighters. Whether you felt like you wouldn’t get something done in time, or you just completely gave up on it. This is known to cause serious emotional breakdowns.

9. Relationship/friend drama.

Friend drama sucks, but you usually get over it pretty quickly because it's natural to bicker with people you're constantly around, but relationship drama takes crying to a whole new level.

College romances can bring out more emotion than being in college itself. Sometimes, it can be great to have a companion to help you through your stressful times, but other times is just makes it worse. This is the time you’re supposed to gain your independence and work hard to better yourself. I’m not saying you have to be single in college, because of course it’s good to date. Just remember to focus on yourself first and foremost... not yourself with someone else.

10. When alcohol is involved.

We all know alcohol brings out the truth. And with that, it also brings out the tears. With all the stressors of college life, drinking on top of that is not always the best stress-reliever. Especially for those suffering from depression, anxiety, or overall emotional stress from school.

11. When you miss your family and friends.

Being away from your family and friends can be tough, especially for those who live far away. Going to school out of state can be fun, but when you can’t immediately drive to your parents’ house for comfort, it can be stressful. It’s best to always stay in contact and visit as much as possible so you don’t get homesick. We can’t help but get the feels when we see or hear something that remind us of our family.

12. When your time management skills were not so on-point.

I’ve been late to class numerous times, which can be kind of embarrassing, but that’s no big deal. Being late to an interview, job, or internship... now that’s the most embarrassing. I can’t say my life hasn’t completely been in shambles from f*cking up something to this level of importance before.

13. When you erase an entire paper the ONE time you forget to hit save.

We. All. Know. This. Feeling. FML, is all we can say. We pour our heart and souls, blood, sweat and tears, hours and hours of hard work into a stupid document and for some reason do not properly save it. And in a matter of seconds... BAM, it’s gone. Why? Why does this happen? You have every right to cry from this.

14. When you feel like you're going to fail.

Or when you actually fail a class. Failing a class is no joke. Especially when teachers don’t keep you updated on where you stand in their class and you have to basically live in fear, always wondering. It’s so stressful. Thankfully, I’ve never failed a class, but I’ve definitely cried from feeling like I was going to.

15. Graduation.

This very moment is a wild ride of emotions. It’s a bittersweet feeling that will definitely bring on the waterworks for a variety of reasons. You’re happy, you’re sad. You’re ready to be done, but you’re going to miss your friends. You’re ready to be an adult, but you’re also not. It’s such an emotional time in life. Just embrace it. Let your emotions run free, laugh a little, cry a lot. Enjoy the ride.