You all want to get Lowell. Admit it. If you say that you don’t want Lowell, it’s only because you’re saving yourself from disappointment. No one wants to set their eyes on #1 and risk ending up with #12. You all say “I’d be happy anywhere in the River” and “I’m just happy to be … Read more
On a snowy March morning two years ago, a flurry of bunny ear-clad shouting upperclassmen burst into my blocking group’s room in Grays Hall, singing the praise of “Lev House, Best House!: My response: “What’s Leverett again?” I mean, no one wants Leverett, but at least it’s not the Quad. Right? Wrong. For too long, … Read more
Kirkland easily takes the cake when it comes to community. As the smallest river house, it’s easy to maintain friendships with fellow residents. The structure of the dining hall makes you walk through all the tables before getting to the food, allowing you to greet everyone you know. And thanks to the small square tables, … Read more
Come spring at Harvard College, anticipation begins to build. What does the great housing lottery have in store? The arrival of Housing Day — an annual tradition during which first-years learn which of Harvard’s 12 residential communities they will live in for the next three years — arguably becomes one of the most exciting times of … Read more
There is something to be said about that quiet House tucked away in a corner on the Charles River between Winthrop and Kirkland. With a placid, diamond-shaped courtyard, you might even call Eliot House the hidden gem of Harvard’s housing system. The tight-knit community of ‘Eliotites’ — guided by HoCo, tutors, and House administrators — … Read more
There’s a meandering path that leads from Cowperthwaite Street to the main entrance of Dunster, which is charming in the summer and somewhat impractical in the winter. On those cold February nights when I finally reach the keycard reader and start fumbling for my ID, hands freezing, I’ll hear the click of the door already … Read more
To the uninitiated, a banjo might not be a harbinger of progress. America’s mountain music evokes a largely bygone era of agricultural subsistence, local autonomy, and a supposedly simpler way of life. Yet bluegrass, the slick younger cousin of string band, old-time, and a myriad of other musical influences, emerged just eighty years ago, and … Read more
Moving from Singapore to the U.S. meant that Freshman Year left a lot to be desired — many a times, I felt lonely and out of place. Adams’ Housing Day felt like getting accepted to Harvard all over again. Showered with drawstring bags, shirts, and merch (cigars? sunglasses??), I didn’t think it could get any … Read more
Currier is the best House to be sorted into — it exemplifies a true Harvard experience. Currier has the best dining hall, the best dorm life, and the best House life. Marked by a close-knit community, Currier personifies the idea that a Harvard House is a home better than home. If you walk down the … Read more
On a snowy December night, the Harvard Undergraduate Council hosted the inauguration of James Mathew ’21 and Ifeoma White-Thorpe ’21 — the president-elect and vice president-elect of the UC. The ceremony was the main event of the evening; speeches and swearing-ins marked a celebratory, symbolic transfer of power from the UC’s previous leadership to Mathew … Read more