<p>Thank you, gadad! The information was very helpful!</p>
<p>Lynda - My daughter studied abroad in France. PM me if you need info.</p>
<p>TessaR - USAirways is the most convenient airline for us (we live in their biggest hub and Boston is also a hub) so we often book a package deal on their website that includes lodging at the Doubletree Guest Suites. Its on the other side of the river and east of campus. Its about a 15 minute walk to campus or you can take their courtesy van.</p>
<p>Tessa - Harvard parents can book rooms at the Harvard Club of Boston, which is 3 miles up Massachusetts Ave. from campus with a bus running straight to campus for a dollar and change (or on the subway system, with the Hynes Convention Center T stop a block and a half away). Rooms with two queen beds usually go from the high $100s to the low $200s, which is cheap by Boston standards. And the Club, circa 1913, is an interesting period piece. (617) 536-1260</p>
<p>Tessa - we found the approach that worked best for us was to stay in the Residence Inn in Woburn and drive in and park at the Alewife stop and take the subway in the rest of the way. For the actual Move-in Dayyou can drive right to campus, in fact right up to the dorm, unload the stuff, and then park on campus (a faculty lot is thrown open for the day to parents of move-ins).</p>
<p>It requires you rent a car, but that also provides the mobility to tour around other parts of Boston and New England. The hotels are much cheaper that far out and this particular hotel is located right at the confluence of two major freeways, making drives to the airport and just about anywhere else pretty simple.</p>
<p>Coureur laid out some of the benefits of having a car. The downside is that Boston and Cambridge are tough to drive and park in if you don’t already know your way around – traffic is often heavy, there’s not much logic to the street network (the streets around Harvard Square are a good example), and parking tends to be scarce and expensive. Meanwhile, the public transit system is good and makes it pretty easy to get around town. I travel to Boston regularly and can find my way around because I used to live there, but I only get a car if I’m planning to travel to the suburbs or beyond.</p>
<p>For visiting friends and colleagues I often recommend the Morrison House. It’s a B&B in Davis Square, two stops (and about a mile) from Harvard Square on the Red Line. Their rates are reasonable; moreover Davis Square has a pretty good vibe and is a good base to explore the rest of the Boston area from.</p>
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<p>I agree, which is why I seldom drive into downtown Boston or Cambridge. That’s why I recommended driving to Alewife and parking there and taking the T the rest of the way to Harvard (except on Move-in Day when you’ll want to drive right up to the dorm). </p>
<p>Driving in Boston is not that bad if you can stick to the peripheral freeways. It’s when you drive straight into the heart of the beast that things really get crazy.</p>
<p>HI all! I have missed hanging out on this thread for awhile now and was glad to catch up this morning. My S is an entering freshman. We just got the bill, so I guess this is really happening. Someone helpful here had tips about mailing stuff directly to the school (I will be flying with him in August). Do you know when we can start mailing and how to address packages? Any advice on that front would be much appreciated.</p>
<p>BTW, my S tried for Dorm Crew but was waitlisted…</p>
<p>I believe once he receives his housing assignment (around first week of August), he will also receive his mailing address (example: Johnny Harvard, XXX Harvard Yard Mail Center, Cambridge, MA, 02138). You can then begin shipping the boxes. </p>
<p>If they are heavy, he can borrow a dolly from the mail center with his student ID to ferry the boxes to the dorm. It is not far from the mail center (located at the Science Center, lower level) to any of the freshman dorms though.</p>
<p>We shipped all boxes via USPO or UPS, it was efficient and straightforward on H’s end.</p>
<p>P.S> For UPS shipping you must include the street address of the mail center too, which is 1 Oxford Street.</p>
<p>Thanks very much! That is so helpful!</p>
<p>You’re welcome. Feel free to PM me if you have any other logistical questions. The FDO (freshman deans office website, googleable) is invaluable for many frosh issues, too.</p>
<p>Does anyone know how/when students sign up for freshman seminars?</p>
<p>Information regarding the freshman seminars can be found at [Freshman</a> Seminars General Information](<a href=“Freshman Seminar Program”>Freshman Seminar Program)
Students may sign up for seminars as of August 1. Given the limted size of the classes, they advise students requesting 3 - 5 seminars. Students will be advised about admission to a seminar on August 30. That same day, the student must indicate if they accept admission or opt out.</p>
<p>So my son got his dorm assignment yesterday and it is Canady. From what I can find it is not considered to be a very desirable dorm but I am sure it is still quite nice. Any past Canady parents out there who can clue me in? Thanks so much!</p>
<p>Welcome! My S was in Canaday and made very close friends there. In fact, he was assigned the perfect roommates and they blocked with four girls from their entryway. And Canaday is close to Annenberg, so in snowy weather your S will be close to the food. On the down side, don’t bring too much stuff.</p>
<p>When you get that request for a letter describing your S, make sure you answer it. You should state how messy (or not) your S is and if he has a passion (sport, computer, music type, etc.) </p>
<p>Extracurriculars are key. Encourage your S to participate even if he feels overwhelmed by academics and the fact that one of his roommate has a Nobel prize, another a Grammy and the third is an Olympian.</p>
<p>My S got Wigglesworth. His roommates are from all over the world. This is suddenly seeming MUCH more real!</p>
<p>Thanks so much! My S said it looks like there are four boys for three rooms in a suite. Do the kids just get there and then decide who shares a room or is that pre determined by the school? We are lucky in that my S will play on the varisty sport team so he will have a built in community but he is hoping of course that he and his roomates get along or will be friends also.</p>
<p>See: [Harvard</a> College Freshman Dean’s Office Guide to the First Year](<a href=“http://isites.harvard.edu/icb/icb.do?keyword=k3806&pageid=icb.page91804&pageContentId=icb.pagecontent216223&state=maximize&view=view.do&viewParam_name=2015PracticalMatters.html#a_icb_pagecontent216223]Harvard”>http://isites.harvard.edu/icb/icb.do?keyword=k3806&pageid=icb.page91804&pageContentId=icb.pagecontent216223&state=maximize&view=view.do&viewParam_name=2015PracticalMatters.html#a_icb_pagecontent216223)</p>
<p>Choosing a Bed</p>
<p>The residential staff requires that students wait for all suitemates to arrive before choosing individual beds or “setting up house.”</p>
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<p>Yes. The girl and her mother in the room across the hall from my daughter did not wait but immediately began picking beds and drawers and putting her stuff away. This triggered a huge fight when the late-comers finally arrived, mostly between the mothers rather than the girls themselves. </p>
<p>Not a good way to begin your Harvard experience.</p>