Four years of immense stress, life contemplation, and nights laying in bed with a pint of Ben and Jerry's, promising yourself that everything will be okay. That's only the beginning of what it's like to be in college.

College is NOT one big party. As much as people want you to think so, or as much as your ex-best friend or ex-partner wants you to think it is, it is NOT.

Maybe freshman year...but then you realize you actually have to learn the stuff being talked about in your class because this isn't high school anymore. The knowledge you learn here will ACTUALLY help you in your future -- and get you a kickass job.

But, among the possible successes we could endure, we first have to climb the extremely tall college mountain. This mountain is not easy to climb. In fact, there's constant avalanches (homework and exams), wild mutant animals (classmates and professors), and you're ALWAYS thirsty (and I'm not talking about water.)

I've narrowed the list down to 10, although I'm sure we all could think of over 100, reasons that college makes me bawl my eyes out:

1. Finals.

2. The 8 a.m. class.

3. The important exam without a study guide.

4. Trying to park on campus.

5. Required attendance.

6. Being confident just to find out I shouldn't have been.

7. Re-evaluating life so much I should just be a garbage man.

8. Giving a speech.

9. Rising tuition.

10. Not being able to move out of my parents' house, afford my own apartment, get enough work hours a week to make decent money, have time for a social life, and get 8 hours of sleep a night.

College is Scar, and all college students are Simba.

We may try to live by 'Hakuna, Matata' but Scar is right, life is not fair.

For all you hard workers who don't get the recognition you deserve, for all you students who feel so stressed out that giving up seems easier than moving on, and for all of you who can see the top of college mountain, I praise you. And, I will always be rooting for you.