Harvard Dorms - Page 6

Barbi · 04-09-2007, 08:48 AM

wow. That really gave me alot to think of. You have like, completly managed to change my mind in one post. thanks. except for the social aspect, where most freshman will be hanging out in the yard... so i am still not sure. but moving on to a different question---how many roomates should i ask for...I kinda want a single, but am not sure... plus it will make it more likely for me to be put in a union dorm... i don't want 1 rommate because then you for sure sleep in the same room...what does a three person suite may look like (one bedroom two, or just one big room?) and a 4 and a 5?

nceph · 04-09-2007, 09:04 AM

I am not exactly sure what difference it makes how many roommates you ask for. My D asked for I think 4 roommates and ended up with 1. I think her roommate had also asked for around 4. They do share a room, but it's a big one -- approximately 300 square feet. No harm in asking for what you want, but you should be prepared to get something very different.

The good news is that while my D and her roommate did not get the number of roommates they requested, they are extremely compatible as roommates. They are not best friends, but they get along very well. It seems most of the roommates in her dorm are equally well matched.

mathmom · 04-09-2007, 10:20 AM

Quote:

It seems most of the roommates in her dorm are equally well matched.

Historically that has always been a strength of Harvard's I think. I asked for a non-smoker who had traveled and spoke German. I got a young woman who didn't smoke from Bangladesh with a German mother, whose family was living in Paris. I'm sure the people in the housing office must have been congratulating themselves on that one! She was a great roommate.

twinmom · 04-09-2007, 10:23 AM

Mathmom - I wonder what she asked for!

GregB777 · 04-09-2007, 11:18 AM

I agree that the housing office really tries to pair compatible roommates. On paper, my Freshman roommate and I were perfect: both interested in biochem, both wanting to be doctors, and about on the same level intellectually, both already having done research. So they really do try. I specifically asked for one rooommate and for a lot of space, and one roommate I got in a dorm with a massive amount of space!

What they failed to take into account in my case was that my roommate was also a selfish jerk who thought about no one but himself, and did not respect me, my needs, or my space. That made it difficult living with him, but I can't blame the housing office for that!

For example, whenever I had a test the next day, I would ask him to please be quiet in our common room so I could sleep. He would agree, then invite his girlfriend over, play the radio and screw around. I would get out of bed and ask him to turn the radio off, which he would for 15 minutes, then he would put it back on again. This was typical of his behavior. We also had several chemsitry classes together. One time I missed a class and asked him if I could borrow his notebook to get the notes I missed. He refused!! He said he didn't "feel comfortable" lending his notebook out to anyone. (Mind you, I lived in the SAME ROOM as this guy!) What an ass.

However, let me emphasize that my experience, from what I learned from my friends, was atypical. It seemed that about 75% of my friends continued living with their Freshman roommates for all four years. That is a pretty good batting average by the Housing Office!

They sometimes pull funny stunts, though, like the two guys in my class who got roomed together. Their names were "Bond" and "Moore." For those of you who don't know, the actor who played James Bond in the late 80's was named "Roger Moore." I'm sure the housing people thought this was hilarious!

By the way, it is likely that if you have one roommate or more than one that you will share a bedroom at the very least, at least for part of the year. One friend of mine lived in a three-person suite in Canaday. They had two bedrooms and a common room. They drew straws for who got the single. That person got their own room for the first semester. Then the other two drew straws and one of those got the single for the second half of the year. The third person shared a bedroom the whole year. The bedrooms at Canaday are really small, so the double had a bunkbed, and barely enough room for two desks and dressers.

I myself lived in Thayer. It has one HUGE bedroom and a HUGE common room. The bedroom is big enough for two separate beds, dressers and closet. The common room is almost obscenely huge.

I don't remember the setups in the other Freshman dorms. I seem to recall Holworthy suites had bunkbeds too. I also seem to recall Grays had a heck of a lot of space, too. Oh, I remember Mass Hall--- two person "suites" that were very small single rooms. That is, two people in a very small room. However, your dorm advisor also happens to be the President of Harvard College, so I guess this a tradeoff!

Does anyone else have more useful information?

The benefits of having a lot of roommates are many, as far as I can tell. First of all, there is a greater likelihood that you will find someone you like and who you can live with for the rest of your time. Second, you will almost never be isolated. Third, even if you hate one of your roommates, at least you will have a buffer because you have other roommates around--unlike if you have only one roommate and they suck, like I had. Negatives seem to be that it might be more noisy and probably more cramped.

Any way you look at it, it's the luck of the draw--- and is only for about 8 months, anyhow, just for Freshman year.

If you absolutely demand a single, they will probably try to accomodate you--- but then, you know, you'll be in one of the Union dorms.

The thing you must realize--and which is an absolute fact--- is that compared to almost any other college in America, Harvard dorms are like palaces. Will it seem smaller that what you're used to at home? Maybe. But it's still probably 250% better than any other Freshman dorm in the country.

I guess my main point is, don't stress it. You can't control every variable. Me personally, if I was doing it over again, would make sure to ask for a roommate who is considerate and easy-going. That is the most important thing I think: that your roommate is nice and considerate.

mathmom · 04-09-2007, 12:53 PM

My recollection was that she did ask for someone who had traveled or lived overseas as well. Since I'd grown up in the foreign service I fit the bill. My parents were living in Africa at the time.

meredithv · 04-13-2007, 03:11 PM

I, too, have heard that the Harvard housing office has fun. Perhaps an urban legend, but a few years ago there was supposedly a suite made up of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.

twinmom · 04-13-2007, 05:38 PM

On our tour, the tour guide told of five guys who could not figure out what their commonality was for days - until they realized that they were all exactly five foot eleven and one half inches tall.

meredithv · 04-13-2007, 06:30 PM

Well, I don't remember height being on the housing questionnaire, but I do believe Harvard is omniscient about some things...!

Once students get their room assignments, they should go to http://www.hcs.harvard.edu/~dorms/ to check out the former occupants! It is amazing fun to find a notable past alum, and also fascinating to look at the evolution of names from the 1800s. This gave me chills.

Admiral · 04-13-2007, 09:02 PM

Yeah, no kidding- my (twin) brother discovered he was staying in the same room that Tommy Lee Jones had (with Al Gore across the hall).

poshslicedbread · 04-16-2007, 12:56 PM

When I visited, I learned that two girls across the hall from where I was staying had both requested not to receive a lesbian roommate. They got each other.

firefox · 08-09-2007, 08:23 AM

^^ wait a moment here, do you mean that THEY are lesbians themselves? if so, why did they request to not receive lesbian roommates? this feels kinda funny but doesn't make any sense

DocT · 08-09-2007, 10:12 AM

I wasn't impressed with the Harvard dorms and I found that a lot of LACs that we looked at had significantly better dorms. One of the fun things that my kid found last year was having 5 students in 4 bedrooms. This caused a lot of scrambling the first few days with some of the parents unfortunately getting involved. The decision on who was getting singles etc was determined by drawing straws. It was decided that 1 student would have a single the entire year and the others would rotate.

Admiral · 08-09-2007, 11:35 AM

Quote:

^^ wait a moment here, do you mean that THEY are lesbians themselves? if so, why did they request to not receive lesbian roommates? this feels kinda funny but doesn't make any sense

I'm sure it could be very uncomfortable. You certainly wouldn't want to have a relationship with a roommate (can you imagine how awkward it would be for the rest of the year?). From what I've heard, it doesn't usually turn out well.

SomethingWitty · 08-09-2007, 07:45 PM

I'm not sure if I'm eligable to post here, since I'm not in the class of 2011 (if I do make the grades to apply without severe embarrassment and get accepted about 2 1/2 years from now, I could be in the class of 2014) but while looking into frosh dorms, I took a particular liking to Wigglesworth. It seems more cozy and clean than the others, and I like the layout of the suites. Is it really as nice as I think it is, or is it completely awful? I haven't seen anyone mention it.