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Short answer What to do Getting around while sick at MIT Living situation at MIT Care near MIT When to get help right away Common questions from students Common questions Related questions SourcesA UTI needs a urine test and usually antibiotics. See your campus health center or urgent care soon, and go to the ER if you have fever, back pain or vomiting.
A UTI causes burning, urgency and frequent urination. It does not clear up well on its own.
What to do
- Get a urine test at your campus health center or urgent care
- Drink water and urinate when you need to
- Take antibiotics as prescribed if you are given them
- Go to the ER for fever, back or side pain, or vomiting
Getting around while sick at MIT
MIT runs on problem sets and lab hours, so the question is often whether to push through or rest.
You may be riding the Red Line at Kendall/MIT. A UTI is not spread by riding the T, so you can travel to a clinic. Plan bathroom stops.
Living situation at MIT
MIT undergraduates live in dorms and in fraternities, sororities and independent living groups, so illness can move through a floor or house quickly. A UTI does not spread to roommates. Drink water and get a urine test.
Care near MIT
Your first stop is usually MIT Medical. Call or check its website for hours and how to be seen. For emergencies, Mount Auburn Hospital in Cambridge or a Boston hospital across the Charles River or call 911. Pymander is free to text and is not affiliated with MIT. It is a medical AI, not a licensed doctor.
When to get help right away
Trouble breathing, chest pain, confusion, a stiff neck with fever, or being unable to keep fluids down are reasons to go to urgent care or the ER, or call 911.
Common questions from students
Can I ride the Red Line with a UTI? A UTI is not spread by riding the T, so you can travel to a clinic. Plan bathroom stops.
What should I tell my roommates at MIT? A UTI does not spread to roommates. Drink water and get a urine test.
Should I tell my professor at MIT? If you will miss class or an exam, email your professor and ask your campus health center for a note if you need one.
Is it a real doctor? No. It is a medical AI system, not a licensed doctor. In an emergency, call 911.
Common questions
UTI at MIT: what should I do?
A UTI needs a urine test and usually antibiotics. See your campus health center or urgent care soon, and go to the ER if you have fever, back pain or vomiting. A UTI causes burning, urgency and frequent urination. It does not clear up well on its own.
Can I ride the Red Line with a UTI?
A UTI is not spread by riding the T, so you can travel to a clinic. Plan bathroom stops.
What should I tell my roommates at MIT?
A UTI does not spread to roommates. Drink water and get a urine test.
Should I tell my professor at MIT?
If you will miss class or an exam, email your professor and ask your campus health center for a note if you need one.
Is it a real doctor?
No. It is a medical AI system, not a licensed doctor. In an emergency, call 911.