There’s nothing quite like a Cambridge break-up. Not because the heartbreak is deeper, but because the bubble doesn’t burst when the relationship does. You don’t get space, you don’t get peace, and you certainly don’t get the chance to disappear. Your ex isn’t drifting off to another city, becoming just a profile picture you can ignore. No – they’re right here. Possibly in your supervision group. Possibly your neighbour. Definitely haunting every route from Sidgwick to Mainsbury’s.

“Cambridge breakups are a different beast… you’ll see them everywhere”

Cambridge breakups come in an assortment of flavours, and figuring out yours can help you plot your escape. Not all breakups are created equal. If you’re lucky enough to have a mutual split, congratulations! You’ve joined the elite club of Cambridge exes who can exchange polite smiles, and maybe even share a Sidge panini without a meltdown. Honestly, the rest of us are quietly jealous… and kind of in awe.

But remember: Cambridge breakups are a different beast. In the real world, you can block their number and vanish without a trace if it all goes south – unless fate or a regrettable LinkedIn scroll intervenes. In The Bubble? Nope. You’ll see them everywhere, and often while you’re clutching a half-priced Itsu at 9pm, pretending that you have your life together.

So, how do you manage a messy breakup when your ex is within a three-minute radius at all times? There is no magic cure here, but some survival strategies to help you start navigating the post-breakup maze.

Option one: Operation Avoid

This option is for when things ended badly, or are still fresh. Maybe they called it off without closure, or you ended it suddenly. The important thing is: wanting distance is completely okay. Avoiding them isn’t petty, it’s self-care. So choose your spaces wisely. Mute what you need to mute. And focus on what soothes you: a fresh study routine, a new library haunt, or perhaps a pub you never visited together.

“You’ll run into them on King’s Parade looking like you just survived a tornado”

While avoiding your ex in Cambridge can feel like trying to walk through Market Square without being handed a flyer (a feat nearly impossible), tactical moves do exist. If your ex frequents Sidge site, make the UL your scene. Swap your usual post-club Taco Bell for Van of Life. Yes, these might feel like small surrenders, but sometimes serenity is worth the detour.

Author’s note: Setbacks are inevitable. You’ll run into them on King’s Parade looking like you just survived a tornado. You’ll spot them in the Regal right when you’ve convinced yourself to “just have one drink” in your library outfit. This town’s small, and let’s be real, Mash isn’t exactly the most underground spot. So, learn to roll with it. (And a friendly warning: avoid eye contact to your heart’s content, but don’t turn around so aggressively that you bang your head on a stranger’s VK bottle — trust me, it’s not a good look.)

Option two: the exercise of wills

This option comes into play when avoidance fails, which happens more often than not, and you find yourself trapped in the unspoken Cold War. After all, you can only ignore each other for so long when you’re tangled up in the same course, college, or friendship group (a divine punishment for venturing into “-cest” territory, perhaps?) Expect awkward eye contact across the Marshall, passive-aggressive silence, and the tension of sitting two rows apart at brunch. Welcome to the “Exercise of Wills.”

The golden rule? Stay civil, because being publicly frosty is not the vibe. I’m not suggesting you rekindle a friendship, but trust me, the drama that comes from prying eyes and whispered gossip only makes your breakup everyone’s business. Take the high road. Nod politely. Say hi, if you must. Remember, you’re not doing it for them, you’re doing it to keep your moral high ground (and save yourself from the social fallout).

The secret third option

Here lies the hidden third option: acceptance.

“You can avoid them, you can endure them, or you can outgrow the awkwardness entirely”

I know – radical. But when you’re heartbroken in a university the size of a shoebox, it might just be your best bet. Reader, I’ve lived it, and while I wouldn’t wish the Sidgwick Stare-Off or the Unexpected Brunch Encounter on anyone, I’ve learned this: you can avoid them, you can endure them, or you can outgrow the awkwardness entirely.

Yes, you will see them. Usually, when you’re on three hours of sleep, holding a bag of Percy Pigs. But the sting softens. Eventually, they become background noise. Start by reclaiming your spaces. Switch up your routine. Join that society you always thought was too niche (they probably need members anyway). Get a bit dramatic if it helps. Bangs? Maybe. Frivolous earrings? Absolutely. Romanticise your bounce-back.

The truth is, your breakup will follow you – in the UL locker room, buttery queues and regrettably, in college bar sightings. But the goal isn’t to erase the awkwardness. It’s to rise above it. Instead of battling the geography of the bubble, lean in. Accept they’ll be around. One day, seeing them in the library won’t feel like a personal attack. It’ll just be Tuesday. This path takes time, caffeine, and a lot of emotionally charged chats with your best friends – but if you stick with it, you’ll come out the other side with emotional resilience and the ability to handle intense eye contact like a seasoned pro.

One final piece of advice

Break-ups are tough everywhere – endings are so strange! – but in the multiverse of Cambridge, where you can’t take three steps without bumping into a mutual of sorts, they sting a little sharper. Everyone has a messy story. It’s part of the strange, intense fabric of university life here. The bubble may be small, but your ability to rise above the mess? That’s massive.

Right now, it might feel suffocating. Every encounter, every crossed path might carry the weight of your entire relationship. But with time, the edges soften. The routines settle. The grief subsides, and in comes acceptance, even gratitude. Eventually, you’ll look back and laugh at how desperately you re-routed through town just to avoid them. Break-ups in the bubble are undeniably messy, yet they are also an intrinsic aspect of so many Cantabs' experiences. Like so many of the experiences we have while at Cambridge, relationships – and their endings – can feel uniquely intense. Yet this intensity of emotions is what ultimately makes a break-up in the bubble something worth remembering. So, while you carefully choose how to manage your break-up in the short-term, know that the intensity will come to an end sooner than you think, and trust that you will make it through.