Housing Market 2020: Cabot
•
From spacious singles to designated party spaces (i.e. the Aquarium) to Cabot Cafe, Cabotians love the physical spaces in their House. But any Cabotian will tell you the House’s real selling point is their tight knit community and inviting atmosphere that never fails to make you feel at home.
All About Housing
If you’ve got your eye on a single, Cabot has your back. Former House Committee co-chairs Ashish Dahal ‘20 and Ian V. M. Saum ‘20 said all sophomores who want a single can get one. Many sophomores opt for a hallway single, but others go for a suite. Don’t worry though, because in Cabot you won’t have to choose between having a common room or being in a single — all suites in Cabot are n or n+1 housing.
Cabot’s buildings surround three sides of the Quad Lawn, giving many of the rooms a gorgeous view of the green (and the cute dogs that it is often full of!). Most buildings are connected by tunnels, so you can still stop by brain break during late night study sessions without ever having to step outside.
If the spacious singles weren’t enough, Cabot also has a myriad of common spaces. You can always find fellow Cabotians hanging out in the popular Cabot Cafe, open late on weeknights, as well as in the pottery studio, game room, an art studio, and many study spaces throughout the House. If you’re into fitness, Cabot’s gym is arguably one the best of any House on campus, with Dahal going so far as to say “It’s better than the MAC, I stand by it.” Of course, Cabot is well known for its Aquarium, a designated party room. Besides the Aquarium, Cabot houses the historic Library Suite. A former library, the spacious common room of this suite is lined with bookshelves connected to five singles.
Community
“Cabot is actually one of the best-kept secrets at Harvard — it actually has a really wonderful community and you get to know most people in the House. I think most people who are in Cabot legitimately really enjoy the House community,” Bobae C. Johnson ’21 says. From house-themed musicals to a dedicated meme page (“Cabot Memes for Fishy Teens”) and more, Cabot really creates a “microcosm of the greater Harvard community,” Dahal says.
Advertisement
Cabot hosts the annual Festivus, a winter holiday party featuring catered food from many different cultures and a fire for the symbolic burning of Grievances (a Seinfeld inspired event, according to Dahal) — a great way to purge all your negative energy from the semester. A highlight of Festivus is the talent show, where students can uniquely showcase their skills. Every year, one student typically sings a parody of a popular holiday song (Cabot-themed of course!). Last year, Saum and his blockmates recreated the iconic Mean Girls dance.
Cabot maintains its tight knit community with regular Steins, coffeehouses, and even a monthly “Formal Hall” event. Every month, the HoCo chairs put out a spread of hors d'oeuvres and drinks for students to enjoy, each with a different theme ranging from Jeopardy to Saum’s personal favorite: murder mystery. Who doesn’t love an excuse to dress up fancy with all your friends? Steins are also a well-loved event, with each one having a different fun activity. “What we like about our steins is that we always try to have a fun, inclusive event,” Dahal says. “We just want the steins here in this House to always be very popping.” The most popular is Karaoke Stein, but trivia night Stein and video game Stein (nicknamed “Super Stein Bros”) are also big hits.
Perhaps Cabotians’ favorite aspect of the community is how supportive it is of new initiatives. “Cabot is incredibly supportive of any sort of activity you might want to get kick-started,” Johnson says. “Cabot Cafe was just a student idea that was tossed around that is now still in business 6 years later; Queer Cabot was created only a couple years ago and is now one of the bigger communities in Cabot!” For example, Saum and his friends recently started a Wine Society in Cabot. Another example is CabLift, a new fitness group for Cabot students.
Your Questions, Answered
What is one thing you want freshmen to know about your House?
AD: It’s not that far. I can get from Lowell to Cabot in a four-minute bike ride flat. The distance is not that big of a deal. And honestly, the best part of being in the Quad is you get to explore Porter Square and a lot of the other restaurants that are on this side of Cambridge.
IVMS: Community is great, walk’s not that far, we’re all so happy to have you in Cabot.
What should freshmen who get your House look forward to?
AD: There are several traditions in Cabot that are so much fun. We have a big holiday party, called Festivus, inspired by Seinfeld. People from all the other Houses always want to come, but they can’t because it’s Cabot only. They should really look forward to integrating into a community that really fulfills their needs. For a lot of people, they may want to get more involved in the arts. We have an art studio and a community group called Third Space here in Cabot. If you’re into wellness, we have a Wellness committee, or if you’re interested in theater, you can join Theater Board.
Advertisement
IVMS: The community. All my best friends live in Cabot, I’ve made my best friends in this house. The people, the vibe, we all love Cabot here, and we think everyone who gets Cabot will too!
If you had to describe your House in 3 words what would they be?
AD: Quirky, wholesome, and fun.
IVMS: It’s the best.
Talk about your Housemasters/tutors. Are you close with them?
AD: We have some of the best tutors, by far, of any House, I’m going to stand by that. The tutors are not just the proctors you have in the freshman dorms, they’re genuinely like a fun older sibling you can look up to and go to for mentorship advice. The network of tutors really helps to make Cabot a true home.
If you had to liken your House to a fruit, what fruit would it be and why?
AD: Mango, because it’s sweet. Cabot is incredible, great suites, great people, good housing, good community, there’s really nothing you can’t like about Cabot.
IVMS: Grapes, because find me someone who doesn’t like grapes.
