The walk of shame. The stride of pride. The slut strut.

Whatever you want to call it, we’ve all been there; Bra in the bag, a single sock, mascara running down the face, ducking behind buses and bushes trying not to be seen. It is a right of passage for many college students who – while embarrassed on the actual walk – take pride in the steps it took them to get there.

Good or bad, the Walk of Shame has become so common (even celebrated!) these days that designers are basing their new collections on it and companies creating ads around it.

We asked our writers to share some of their favorite Walk o’ Shame tales. Some made us laugh; others made us cringe. Most, though, made us wish we could have been there to witness the glory.

Kari - Florida State: My friend woke up in the chapter room of the fraternity house that threw an ENORMOUS lingerie party the night before, was too groggy/ still drunk to find her car, so she walked home instead. The street hosts about 5,984 different churches, so my lucky friend strolled past a bevy of proper southern ladies in their Sunday best (and in her skimpy Saturday night naughtiest).

Elizabeth - Baruch College: Some jeans of mine had a rip along the backside. The fella removing my pants managed to literally rip the pants off, leaving denim…underwear, basically. The only pants he had to lend me the next day were wind pants…with my heeled cowboy boots. They were too long for me and tripped me on the sidewalk on the way out. I fell on my face and his wind pants were bloody. What a walk of shame. He didn’t want the pants back. Go figure.

Sara - NYU: The day after Valentine’s Day, after having broken up with my boyfriend and going home with his friend (but only hooking up 3/4 of the way), his friend and I are standing on the subway platform and, sobering up, I say: “Oh my God, don’t tell [now ex-boyfriend].” He says, irritated, “It’s not like anything HAPPENED.”

Kelly - UMass: My college roommate went out one night, only to be woken up by a cop right by our dorm building, in a white t-shirt and a thong. No pants. With no recollection of how she got there. So bad.

Lauren - University of Michigan: I found myself in a strange part of town while visiting my friends one summer, so I called a cab early in the morning to get out of there. The boy initiated another round of fun … and then the cab driver honked. I had to get up in the middle (awkward!) and run to the cab with my bra in my hand. When I got into the cab the driver winked at me and took me right to the door to avoid any more embarassment.

Melissa - College of Westchester: I got caught by one of my other hook ups doing the slut strut. I couldn’t even pretend that I was in hooch gear for the day at 8 am because the dude saw me in those clothes the night before at a party.

K - NYU: The walk home in stilettos, tights, and a borrowed (A.K.A. taken from the boy) T-Shirt that said, I GAVE MY WORD TO STOP AT THIRD. And no, I didn’t read it before I put it on.

Noa - UC Boulder: I was home for the summer and stayed the night with a boy. When I got home in the morning (wearing his sweats) my parents were in the kitchen eating breakfast. I froze and then my mom looks at me and says, “You went to the gym early this morning….”

Carly - Grinnell: At Grinnell, we have a dance called Underwear Ball. If you think taking a walk of shame in regular clothes is embarrassing, try doing it in your skivvies. Thankfully, I have never had to experience that.

Victoria Witchey - My roommate’s boyfriend slept over after a cross-dressing party at his frat. We thought he’d be home free walking back to his dorm- we gave him flip flops and guy clothes to walk back to his dorm. Unfortunately, the not-to-bright dude left carrying the previous night’s patent red heels in his hands. Some buddies spotted him crossing campus and never let him live it down.

J, NYU - I walked home from a sketchy part of Brooklyn with paper clips and pins holding my shirt together (all the buttons were missing after a criz-azy romp the night before). I think a lot of people thought I was homeless.

Sarah, NYU: Mini dress, fishnet stockings and bright red heels past a Catholic church on a Sunday morning. Sorry, God.

Jen Steele: While walking back from Brooklyn, from my boyfriend’s house, I ran into an old boss… I’m pretty sure my raccoon eyes gave me away. You always see the people you least expect in those moments!

[Thanks to GoFugYourself.com for this classic photo]