Housing Day
Freshmen Banned from Houses Wednesday
Members of the Class of 2016 will be barred from the College’s 12 upperclassmen Houses on Wednesday night, as administrators attempt to prevent the prohibited tradition of River Run.
Kirkland House
Kirkland residents act like Yale students during Harvard-Yale weekend: they just can't stop telling you how great their House is and how much better they are by association. Sure, we'd like them to tone it down a bit and maybe stop making out with each other, but unlike the Yalies, Kirkland students genuinely have a lot to brag about. From the great location to the homey vibe, Kirkland looks like it's straight out of a Harvard catalogue, causing us to wonder why Mark Zuckerberg decided to leave early.
Adams House
This year, Adams House seems to be pushing as its main perks its dining hall and gold digs. But as anyone who knows and loves this occasionally war-mongering House will tell you, there's a lot more to Adams than meets the eye. A perennial favorite, centrally-located Adams is the House of gargoyles, gilded walls, and a whole lot more (the list, as you'll see, goes on and on).
Housing Day Videos: A Cheat Sheet
While Flyby's annual house rankings settle the best in housing, d-halls, spirit, and overall quality, there's always one other unspoken category: the housing day video.
Cabot House
Every day between now and Housing Day, Flyby will release two new House rankings. The top two Houses will be revealed on Wednesday, March 13. Check back daily for updates! The phrase, "I can see the SOCH from my House!" is not generally considered a good thing among Harvard undergraduates. Throughout the history of Flyby House Rankings, Cabot House has been nowhere near the top five. In fact, the House has typically ranked in the bottom two—so what's changed? Not much, as it turns out. After our careful research, it comes down to this—Cabot has simply been underrated. Yes, it's in the Quad. But Cabot's large singles, abundant facilities, beloved House Masters, and overall pleasant atmosphere make it one of the more appealing Houses on campus.
Winthrop House
Every day between now and Housing Day, Flyby will release two new House rankings. The top two Houses will be revealed on Wednesday, March 13. Check back daily for updates! Built in 1914 as freshman dormitories, Standish and Gore Halls were later united to form Winthrop House. In the years since its inception, Winthrop has certainly accumulated its fair share of famous alums, from J. Robert Oppenheimer '26 to Barnett "Barney" Frank '61-'62 and plenty of Kennedys to boot. Situated less than five minutes from the Yard, and directly facing the Charles River, Winthrop is one of the best-located Houses, and residents are pretty much guaranteed an incredible view from their bedrooms at least one year of their three-year stay. Though the rooms themselves may not be the best, Winthrop's architecture is, at the very least, nice to look at from the outside.
Lowell House
Every day between now and Housing Day, Flyby will release two new House rankings. The top two Houses will be revealed on Wednesday, March 13. Check back daily for updates! Lowell House is perhaps best known for its beauty. Few Houses rival the visual impact of the bell tower or the picturesque calm of the courtyard.
Pforzheimer House
Every day between now and Housing Day, Flyby will release two new House rankings. The top two Houses will be revealed on Wednesday, March 13. Check back daily for updates! This year, Pfoho relinquishes its crown as the highest ranked House in the Quad and descends to number 8 in Flyby's Rankings. But fear not, freshmen—those placed into Pfoho will have little to lament. Instead, they will celebrate spacious bedrooms, a magnificent lawn, well-equipped facilities, consistent shuttle service, and a vibrant House community.
Currier House
Every day between now and Housing Day, Flyby will release two new house rankings. The top two houses will be revealed on Wednesday, March 13. Check back daily for updates! When you imagined your life as an upperclassman at Harvard, you did not imagine Currier House. It's not even partly neo-Georgian, and unlike Mather it's not on the river. Currier is no freshman's top choice. But those who live there learn to love it, and for (some) good reason.
Dunster House
Dunster House was built in 1930, and has the history (and housing) to match. Sure the nine minute walk from Dunster to the Yard isn't exactly ideal and the housing is at best subpar, but Dunster makes up for its flaws with fantastic House spirit and a dining hall that serves the best you can expect from HUDS. And if you're the type of person that values looks, Dunster House with its iconic red dome is one of the most beautiful buildings at Harvard.
Tuesday Night Procrastination, Courtesy of the Internet
Now that classes have begun and you're in round-the-clock procrastination mode, Flyby presents a quick roundup of all the interesting things on the Internet that you missed while scrolling through Facebook.
Housing Day, Sights and Sounds
Check out this multimedia project, a conglomeration of photographs, voices, and sounds from Housing Day on Thursday. There's a pretty good chance that you'll spot a glimpse of yourself in at least one of these photos, so take a look!
On Housing Day, Delight, Disappointment, and a Kitchen Mishap
Hundreds of upperclassmen gathered in Harvard Yard to partake in the annual Housing Day ritual of welcoming freshmen to their new upperclassmen Houses.
Midterms Thwart Housing Day Joy
While much of the student body revels in Housing Day celebrations on Thursday, some students will sit out the festivities, stuck in classrooms racking their brains during a midterm.
Housing Day: A Holiday
Although House life has come to be seen as a defining part of the Harvard experience, the actual traditions of Housing Day, when all freshmen are placed in their future homes, are less than a decade old.