Midterms got you down? Situationship not texting back? Clubs rejecting you right and left? College life can get overwhelming and sometimes, you just need to find a secluded place to let the tears stream. So, next time you need a private place to break down after you get your economics midterm back, we’ve got you covered with our top 10 places to cry on campus.
1. Dahlgren Quad
Where else is a better place to cry than next to a noisy fountain? The splashing water inspires your teardrops, while the gurgles hide your sobs. Plus, you have the gorgeous Dahlgren Chapel right in front of you. They may call it the “Chapel of the Sacred Heart,” but it’s more like you’re pouring your heart out. Let your tears glimmer like the stained glass windows you fixate on through your blurry vision.
2. The bench next to the Observatory
This beautiful, old bench will welcome you every time you need it. It may be torture to get there, but it guarantees privacy for your sobfest. The hike is also nothing compared to what you have been going through. The Observatory bench is where to go when all else fails—when your Yates workout was not stress-relieving enough and Mercury’s retrograde is sabotaging your love life. In this sanctuary, you can just stare into the forest and forget that you’ll have to walk all the way back to your room with your puffy, red face, trying to avoid all of the Yates lovers.
3. The Healey Family Student Center Patio (post-closing)
If it’s past midnight, dark outside, and you just need some fresh air and perhaps a light sob, the Healy Family Student Center patio is the perfect spot. Especially on a warm summer or spring night, the space allows you to enjoy your night cry with a glimpse of the Potomac and Arlington’s glittering lights. Without the fear of being heard, you can weep the way you want. Who knows? A rat might become your company, distracting you from your sorrow as its shrieks demand all your attention.
4. The koi pond
The koi pond is a convenient classic for a crashout whenever you’re leaving your Copley dorm or class in White-Gravenor. It can be a little crowded depending on the day, but the tranquil views and tree-provided privacy make up for any possible audience. One additional bonus—you’ll be able to watch the fish swim merrily as you remember they’ll never have to deal with their idiotic boyfriend forgetting their birthday. Maybe you could just jump in for a full sensory reset. We’re not judging.
5. Your room
Your room can be a toss-up depending on your housing (maybe not for those in New South triples), but the comfort of your bed makes this a viable option. You have access to tissues and a sink (unless you live in Darnall Hall), as well as all your emotional support stuffed animals. The only foreseeable downside is having your roommate(s) either ignore you entirely or be another person to whom you have to recount your woes. Or, who knows, that could be an upside too.
6. The Leavey Esplanade
The Leavey Esplanade provides all the privacy you’ll need to cry your last failed midterm away. It’s the perfect place to reconnect with nature. You can sit under the ivy, breathe in the Hoya Harvest vegetables a few stories below, and contemplate your life decisions while taking in the view. Sob it out, and grab a matcha from Uncommon Grounds as your treat for taking the time to be in tune with your emotions.
7. The Byrnes Hall Quiet Area
Relatively new, this location lives in the back of Byrnes’ lobby under the wooden stairs to the main courtyard. The egg-shaped chairs are decently soundproofed, so you can let out a few shudders without anyone noticing, and you’re spatially surrounded by only a gray wall and your own body. At least for a short while, you can stay in your personal pocket of the universe until someone else’s egg gets too close for comfort.
8. The Red Square steps’ blind spot
If you’re trying to squeeze a little breakdown into your 10-minute break between classes, this spot might do the trick. At the bottom of the steps leading up to Red Square, there’s a bit of a blind spot by the entrance to the Beeck Center. Here, you can take a second, catch your breath, maybe scream into your hands, then lock in for your upcoming political theory lecture.
9. Alumni Square main tree
This is a bit of a deep cut, but we’re nearing the end of the list. Alumni Square is not only the best shortcut from Main Campus to Walsh classes, but it also provides a scenic background for a good ole meltdown. The tree with the Adirondack chairs next to it is the ideal spot to sit, contemplate, and really let it out. It would be perfect if it weren’t for all the daytime passersby, so this is a midnight-scaries-only spot (warning: we may be spying from Village B).
10. A fourth-floor Lau cubicle
This is the most depressing and least convenient on the list, but life happens. Especially on a Sunday night, when all the work you’ve been procrastinating needs to be done, and you’ve just realized that you have two midterms, a paper, and seven applications due this week, this might be the spot. When your eyes are watering, and you can feel a lump in your throat, it’s nothing to worry about. Why? Because no one can see your face! You can grab your hair, open your mouth wide as if to scream, and have a fully-fledged freak out. There’s one rule, though: no noise allowed.
