Here are the best places to cry over your assignments on York campus

The dreaded month of May has finally arrived, and for final year students, that only means one thing: An overwhelming feeling of looming dread has come upon us, also known as deadline season.

Everywhere you turn there’s final years desperately trying to conjure thousands of words out of nothing, cramming six months of content into six hours. Honestly, just attempting to keep it all together.

Deadline season is exhausting, and the stress will inevitably get to us all eventually. As someone with a dedicated crying journal (who has cried in some truly embarrassing places in this city), I am more than qualified for this. So if you feel like you’re close to a breakdown, here’s a list of the best places to have a private (or public) crying session either on campus or in town.

The library

A classic crying spot. And you’re spoilt for choice, as York has three libraries to pick from. However, I’d steer clear of Burton and Morrell as loud crying in a silent library would be truly embarrassing. Especially Burton – if I got shushed mid breakdown I think it would tip me over the edge into full hysteria.

Speaking of hysteria, the 24/7 exam season opening hours really add an unhinged vibe that you won’t find the rest of the year. I have been stuck in Fairhurst until the early hours of the morning more times than I care to admit. Everyone is stressed, everyone is struggling, so no one can judge you for letting it out. We’ve all been there.

Any of the campus lakes

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I had the Campus West lake in mind for this one, but really any of the East ones would fit as well. If you value an aesthetic background this is the place for you – especially if you sit on that square bench thing on Greg’s place for your true over dramatic romantic poet moment. Beware of the geese though, they can sense the despair.

The smoking area of any club

On a good day I want to cry the second I walk into a smoking area, and exam season just makes it worse. Smoking areas consistently give the illusion of a refreshing break from clubbing, but end up being even louder and somehow more crowded. For a drunk third year who feels guilty about going out instead of writing their diss, this is an overwhelming combo.

However, one upside is that everyone else is so drunk that they won’t notice or care if you have a mini breakdown in the corner. I have done this myself on multiple occasions, and it’s more likely that you’ll get a drunk pep talk from a kindly stranger than a judgy look.

The bus stop

I don’t know why the York campus bus stops have such a depressing aura, but they just do. Maybe it’s because I have the worst timing ever and somehow end up missing the bus by seconds every single time?

A close second to this is the bus itself, especially if you have to stand. However both of these options are extremely embarrassing because people will stare but not attempt to comfort you. Additionally, the very fact of being on the bus at this time of year means that you’re either heading to the library (awful) or leaving it (awful and guilt inducing). It’s not the vibe.

The Campus East wind tunnel

This is an excellent covert crying option. As an ex-East Campus resident who had to walk up the path every day, I rarely arrived to a West seminar without looking like I’d just had a sobbing fit moments before thanks to those winds. So if you want to secretly cry to yourself this is the place to go, because you can easily play it off and deny it to any concerned onlookers.

Any late night takeaway

Everyone has their favourite post club takeaway spot (mine is Deniz’s Best Kebabs by the way), and if you’re a real one you’ve been through the whole spectrum of emotions there. These are a great spots to cry, because the workers are usually lovely and you’ll get some food out of it! Cheesy chips make even the most difficult assessments better, trust me.

Also, Maccies is not included in this one. It’s always so crowded and noisy in there, and I truly cannot think of any worse place to have a breakdown – I speak from experience.

Your house or flat kitchen

Sure, you could cry in the privacy of your own room, but chances are your flatmates are just as stressed as you, so you may as well go through it together. A group crying/therapy session can honestly really help, because you’ve got both the support of your friends and the assurance that it’s not just you feeling overwhelmed. You’ll also be in close proximity to snacks, which is always a plus.

It may seem like the end of the world right now but I promise you’ll get through it – you’ve done it a million times before! Remember to eat properly and get some sleep (or at least try). There’s nothing wrong with feeling stressed or terrified, and a good crying session can work wonders sometimes. Good luck to everyone doing their assessments!