<p>My S got Winthrop which is also ranked right near the bottom. The location is good for him, however, as he an athlete and it is close to the tennis center. I am not sure why it is ranked so low. It sounds like maybe the rooms are not very nice. Any Winthrop experiences to share?</p>
<p>My daughter was Winthrop and she loved it. River House with a great location. Incredible House spirit - won the Strauss Cup (intramural championship) four years in a row and counting. Dining hall food was pretty good. The only “problem” is the lack of n+1 rooms.</p>
<p>What does n+1 mean – I’ve assumed it is a single?</p>
<p>A single would be n=1. N+1 means there is enough room in a suite every for student to have a single plus there is a common room.</p>
<p>Prior to about 2009 Winthrop offered seniors n+1 suites. But that was reduced to squeeze in more residents, making some Winthrop students unhappy - especially those who were rising seniors at the time who had been counting on the extra room during their senior year.</p>
<p>My S also got Winthrop and seems okay with it… but not thrilled with the “expect a bunk bed sophomore year” warning. N=1 is a bit misleading… that’s what S has now in freshman dorm but it doesn’t mean all suitemates have a single. He shares a tiny bedroom with one suitemate (bunkbed) and the other suitemate has a single… but they do also have a common room for their desks/futon. I guess technically someone could take the common room as their bedroom and everyone would have their own room… but I’m sure that rarely happens. Very curious to see how sophomore housing works out!</p>
<p>My son has Cabot with his 7 block mates and is very excited about it. Does anybody can answer how far is this dorm from Lamont library? can they use shuttles for 24 hours so they can go back to their dorm from the library at 3am to shower/sleep? where are shuttle stops? Is it safe to ride bike for commute from the dorm and classes?(this is my S’s idea) Thank you!</p>
<p>@finchsong!</p>
<p>Cabot is about a mile away from Lamont, as if most of the Quad. It’s about a 15-20 minute walk, which I did quite a bit of back in the day. A bike ride should probably be quite safe. The shuttle does run most of the time, but it stops around 3:30 or 4, so if you’re at Lamont after that, you might have to wait until the morning to get back to the quad with the shuttle. On weekends, the shuttle runs even later into the early morning. In emergency/inconvenient situations, you can call a number and they’ll send a special shuttle. </p>
<p>Here’s a link to the shuttle schedule and more info on shuttle service: [Passenger</a> Transport Services | Transportation | University Operations Services | Harvard University](<a href=“http://www.uos.harvard.edu/transportation/passenger_transport_services/]Passenger”>http://www.uos.harvard.edu/transportation/passenger_transport_services/) </p>
<p>When I was there, they gave out a business card-sized schedule to the quad residents; these days, there’s an app for that.</p>
<p>Thank you very much WindCloudUltra! </p>
<p>I did not know they can use app for checking shuttles. That will be really helpful in cold /dark winter night.
Yes…My S needs to be more diligent next year since he lives in Canaday now and every classes are in 5 min. walk…</p>
<p>Thank you Guitars for your kind words. Congrats to your S as he graduates and starts the next stage of his life. Did you say he’s going on to law school?</p>
<p>It is hard to believe that our newbies are soon moving on to their next adventure. S is in Hollworthy this year and absolutely loves it! His block of 8 (all guys–7 of them from his dorm plus one from his a cappella group) is going on to Adams plus another block of eight from his entryway (all girls) is also going on to Adams.</p>
<p>Well, we ordered my son’s graduation annoucements thru The Coop. A bit pricey, but it was very convenient. I can’t believe it’s been 4 years already. I must admit that these college years went by much faster than the high school years. Now on to law school… and more rice and beans for our family :)</p>
<p>My son and his block mates were put into Mather. When I spoke to him right afterwards, he seemed a little disappointed. ( I am pretty sure he wanted a more beautiful, old Harvardy house, perhaps a bit more conveniently located, too.) But when I spoke to him again, he seemed more excited, especially about having a single for the next three years. Does anyone have kids in Mather or know anything else about living there? Thanks!</p>
<p>^dvk, almost all students come to love and have great pride in their House. Matherities, sort of like the Quad residents, become particularly proud of their House partially in response to the outside perceptions of living there. It has a reputation for being an extremely open and friendly House, which, given the number of singles might seem counterintuitive. </p>
<p>In short, I am sure that he and his block-mates will become Mather-mad shortly-- if not already (the annual Mather-lather which happens the Saturday night of Visitas is as the kids now put it “epic” and should solidify his connection to his House. </p>
<p>BTW, the Master is a wonderful. That is an important past of House life as the Master sets the tone for the House.</p>
<p>Thanks so much, etondad, for your helpful comments.</p>
<p>I’m sure she’s biased, but my daughter said that “so many cool kids” got either Dunster or Mather.</p>
<p>My son graduated last spring and he was disappointed back in 2008 when he was assigned to Phofo on the Quad but it turned out to be a great place to live. The walk to the Science Center isn’t really that much longer than it is from the most distant river house - he rarely took the shuttle. Pfoho has a great pair of Housemasters (Nicolas and Erika Cristakis, both of whom are well known beyond Harvard) and the Resident Dean (Lisa Bowes) is epitome of what an RD should be. Tell the kids to relax and enjoy their short time at H - it goes by way too fast!
My kid is lucky as he quickly found a good full time job in Cambridge (next to MIT) that utilizes his concentration and he will be going to Harvard Business in the fall of 2013. It won’t be the same as being an H undergrad but I think he is looking forward to being part of Harvard again.</p>
<p>FYI - we just received our graduation announcements that we ordered thru the COOP. They are ok. I was expecting a little better quality considering the price. For those of you that have not yet ordered, you may want to look at Balfour also and compare.</p>
<p>Another note… son has decided to attend Harvard Law. He’s going down to the law center today and making his deposit. It’s been a long deciding process. We’re glad and grateful it’s finally over and the decision has been made.</p>
<p>OneDown&OnetoGo:</p>
<p>I actually voluntarily moved to Pfoho senior year at the behest of a very persistent friend. Loved it, and am very happy to have lived both in a river house and quad house. I left before Nick and Erika moved in, but I did get to briefly know them; I think Nicolas probably uses FB a bit too enthusiastically often for an adult (esp one who regularly gives superstar talks at TED among other places) -_^. </p>
<p>In any case, congrats to your son! I’m guessing he’s 2+2? A close friend from Pfoho is also doing the 2+2, but he differed for a additional year, so he’ll probably be starting HBS at the same time as your kid!</p>
<p>Living outside of Cambridge we have come to know a whole lot of my S’s friends (we do the “can I come over for a home cooked meal and chill out for an evening” w or w/o him for his friends) and the majority of them are in Dunster (where he is going) or Mather ( a whole lot of his fiends are there…) so that is great to hear that D & M have gotten a good reputation in the housing assignments for cool freshmen (The Crim had both at the bottom --Duster the lowest–of the “House rankings” just prior to housing day…).</p>
<p><a href=“a%20whole%20lot%20of%20his%20fiends%20are%20there…”>quote</a>
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<p>So … typo or Freudian?</p>
<p>Ha! As I was trained as an analyst, I’ll have to consider that! lol!! Thanks for the smile!</p>