By Isabel W. Brown

All About Housing

Leverett’s (Lev’s) claim to fame is that it’s the largest upperclassman house, housing more undergraduate students than any other. It’s composed of McKinlock Hall (recently renovated in 2014) and the 12-story F and G towers. HoCo co-chair Austin C. Ma ’24, a resident of the towers, says that tower rooms are impressively spacious with huge bedrooms, windows, and great views of the Charles. He shared that his “window is almost ceiling to floor!”

By Pei Chao Zhuo

This is true for both singles and suites in Leverett House; gigantic common rooms are great for hosting parties, meanwhile single bedrooms can each be described as the size of “two Canaday rooms” (I’m sure that means something to some of you freshmen). HoCo co-chair Audrey H. Kang ’24—who lives in the recently renovated McKinlock Hall—assures us that Lev’s rooms and facilities are in great condition and are very clean.

By Pei Chao Zhuo

Lev’s HoCo takes full advantage of the house’s many available spaces. With a beautiful courtyard, Leverites have tons of fun making their own apple cider during the house’s cider-making event. The Rabbit Hole is a popular common space where students can procrastinate their p-sets by spending hours at the pool table or performing culinary experiments in the kitchen. For performing artists, the Library Theater is home to Lev's stage, meanwhile musicians can practice their piano skills at the many—and regularly tuned—pianos stationed around the House. And if you don't feel like making the trek to Widener or Lamont, hole yourself up in the House’s personal library to get some work done, conveniently located in its courtyard.

Quirks & Perks

If you're an anxious freshman worrying about being labeled a Lev bunny for the next three years don’t. It’s true: Harvard’s largest house boasts a bunny—or hare—as its mascot with it’s green and yellow flag proudly displaying three bunnies on its shield. And it’s not a coincidence. Fun fact: subtracting one ‘t” from Leverett to make it “Leveret” will actually give you the term for a baby hare. If you’re a prospective humanities concentrator who appreciates a good pun, then maybe this will make you manifest getting Lev a little extra.

By Amy Y. Li

If walls could speak, McKinlock’s walls would be able to recite some of the wisdom that earned Amanda Gorman her spot at Biden’s inauguration. And if you’re a certified gym bro, find motivation in the Jeremy Lin photo staring down at you inside the Lev gym, daring you to quit your set halfway through. Add John Roberts—the nation’s current Chief Supreme Court Justice—, Pete Buttigeg, and Cornel West and you really can’t top this mix of notable house alumni.

By Amy Y. Li

Lev HoCo chairs are already hard at work. Kang shares that regardless of whether future semesters permit in-person or virtual events, HoCo remains committed to creating recreational and bonding events for the Lev community, promising to “try to make it as fun as possible”. If Harvard’s sorting hat grants you Lev, freshmen can look forward to weekly steins — with themes like Valentine’s Day, the Super Bowl, Jefes vs. Felipes — in addition to seasonal events like ice skating and Spring formal, and an annual finals week tradition known as “Donut Dash”, where caffeine-dependent students can enjoy free donuts while trying to de-stress among fellow House residents. Ma notes the creativity of past steins and mentions a delicious Oreo tasting event: “[the past HoCo chairs] went and bought like 16 flavors of Oreos. It was great.”

Your Questions, Answered

How would you guys describe your House’s community or spirit?

AK: A lot of people show up to steins and events, which is really fun. I think that one of the best things about upcoming Housing Day is that Austin and I are seeing how much people want to get involved! We’ll send out emails like “who wants to get involved with the Housing Day video and merch?”, and we'll get so many replies from people saying they are interested. I think having such a large house is great, because when the opportunity arises, there are all these people who are interested in taking part — there's always something for everyone.

ACM: We're a very friendly house. Being a large house, you’ll always run into someone just randomly walking around in the d-hall or something like that. But everyone's always so friendly. And this also includes all of our tutors and all of our dining hall staff. It's just a very, very friendly space, and… good vibes!

By Amy Y. Li

What is something freshmen can look forward to?

AK: I think they can look forward to getting involved. I think that if there's something freshmen want, they can just literally join HoCo and they can very easily get their voice heard. I would say that's the best thing about Lev. Something I noticed when I first came in as a sophomore was how much influence you can have over events, even as someone who is new to the house. I think that's what stood out a lot, especially post-pandemic. I think freshmen, if you want something from Lev, Lev can probably give you it. You just need to speak up about it and it'll happen.

What do you think makes Lev special?

AK: If there's something you want, you have more freedom to do it in Leverett than you do anywhere else. Austin and I are open to all ideas and we have the spatial and financial capabilities to do literally anything that students want to do! If you're looking for a house that you can really make your own, I think Leverett is a really good choice.

Kang leaves us with this: “No one has ever complained about living in Leverett."

Read more about the other Houses here!