Attending a high-pressure college such as Massachusetts Institute for Technology is not without its difficult days – but thanks to one helpful student, her fellow attendees now have somewhere to hide away when they feel like things have become a bit too tough to bear.
The MIT student, known only as Nisha D., created a brilliant guide to the best spots on campus for a quick crying session, offering her peers her plethora of places where they can shed a few tears when times are tough and they are in need of an emotional release.
‘There are some mornings when it’s difficult to force yourself out of bed, and there are some nights when you probably just want to cry, which is fine,’ she writes, noting that this time of year – midterm season – is particularly tricky.
‘Crying is healthy from time to time and nobody will judge you for it,’ she continues. ‘So if you ever find yourself in need of a cry but don’t know a good place for it, I’ve got you covered.’
Hit the books! Massachusetts Institute of Technology is known as one of the most prestigious universities in the nation, but with such a high bar set, the pressure often gets to its students
Birds eye view! The campus may be small, but when tearful, it can feel impossible to get away. One cheeky student Nisha D. created a blog post of the best places to cry in peace on campus
Map it out! Another alumnus had a similar idea and created this map of spots to cry on campus
Nisha went on to share that when midterms and backwards sleep schedules become too much, she tends to suffer what she calls ‘This is fine syndrome’, a case where she tells herself everything is swell when in reality the pressures of college life become overwhelming.
In such cases she reveals she looks for a good place to cry, and she’s found just that in some strategically hidden yet public places.
With the help of the data from former student Casie Chen, who graduated last year, she pooled the responses of 176 students’ crying experiences to create a list of the most popular locations for students to relieve their heavy hearts and tear ducts.
And it turns out she wasn’t the only one to have the idea; working alongside her peer Casie, Nisha was able to compile a survey with nearly 200 responses, all of which she used while compiling her map, proving that crying (and in these spots) is more popular than one would think.
The most popular place on campus to cry was the Margaret Cheney Room, a space in MIT’s women’s center. The room, meant to provide a safe place against gender-based oppression, is like a place where female students cuddle on the couch after a miserable midterm or to bond over the stresses of class.
All about the ladies! The most popular room in Nisha’s research proved to be the Margaret Cheney room, a safe place for tears located in the campus women’s center
Yikes! A popular place for tears proved to be MIT’s medical building (above), likely the location of plenty of medical and emotional emergencies, as well as some sloppy nights
Sobs on! Another prime tearful location included the Ray and Maria Stata Center, which includes a giant amphitheater where students reveal they like to cry alone
The second hot spot is the MIT Medical building, no doubt a place for tears after medical emergencies, crazy nights of too much alcohol, and emotional break downs.
A following popular tearful destination is Building 66, the chemical engineering, where labs, exams, and engineering problem sets can become overwhelming for students pursuing their science careers.
One rather unexpected location is the Ray and Maria Stata Center, a whimsical shaped academic building filled with classrooms. But students confess they like to cry in the sprawling amphitheater, perhaps because it’s easy to be swallowed in the grand room.
Nadia reveals that she’s yet to have a good bawl in her young university career, but when that time rolls around – and it surely will – she’s set to cry from the comfort of her dorm.
‘I personally haven’t had a good cry yet, but when I do, it will probably be in one of the lounges on my floor at East Campus. The East Campus music room where you can probably find me crying/angrily singing,’ she revealed.
‘If you’d like to cry with me, feel free – I’ll bring tissues,’ added.
Don’t crack under pressure! The chemical engineering building’s hallway (above) in Building 66 is daunting, but a familiar place for tearful students studying the difficult field
Let the music move you! Nisha revealed that she plans to cry right here in her East Campus student Music Room lounge where she can angrily sing and cry in a comfortable space
Nadia left a link to Casie’s research, which reveals some hilarious crying campus experiences.
One question from the Casie’s poll asks: ‘What other public/semi-public places on campus have you cried in?’
‘Crying in classes (eyy); in the Stata center; in various hallways but particularly outside of 26-100; on a Saferide; on balconies inside E15; in two West Campus dorm lobbies; in the chapel,’ one open and detailed student listed.
‘None. I promised myself I wouldn’t ever cry and I won’t,’ a stony pupil shared.
‘In front of my professor,’ one hilariously confessed.
‘At office hours (in my defense my cat died, RIP Fig 2001 – 2015),’ another detailed.
While some students have found their secret hiding spots, the blog, posted on the MIT admission page will undoubtedly serve as a guide for incoming freshmen for years to come.