Currier's Sophomore Tower Offers Bonding Galore

Daniels Tower, home to the majority of sophomores in Currier House, is the dowdy sister to the House's other three towers.

But despite its distance from the House's main entrance and somewhat more "utilitarian" appearance, the Daniels tower forms a social center that its residents widely praise.

"I think my life at Currier wouldn't have been half as fun without the sophomore tower," says Benjamin G. Edelman '02.

The appeal goes beyond cushy living arrangements--the tower does offer generously sized singles, but it also lacks private bathrooms.

Instead, the tower's real appeal lies in the myriad opportunities it provides for members of the House's youngest class to get to know each another.

While other Houses scatter their entering classes into isolating entryways, the sophomore tower brings its residents together.

"I know people who live in other Houses who, because they're all mixed in terms of class years, don't really connect for various reasons," said Wai-Kit Lo '02. "But when you have a sophomore tower, you get to know everyone even if only because they're the same year as you."

Currier has a "hallway culture" similar to that of most colleges. Walking down long hallways, taking the same elevator, and always traversing the same route to enter and exit Currier leads to an enormous amount of interaction.

After bumping into the same people you vaguely remember seeing at sophomore study breaks or in a 300-person core class, acquaintances are made and expanded upon.

"We have two blocking groups on our floor, and they just meshed," said Holly C. Holloway '02. "[But] I also feel like I really know over two thirds of the sophomores in Currier."

The warm, fuzzy sense of House community begins to build as your social circle widens, leading to this eventual transition: after the House lottery, almost everyone will have been disappointed to have been placed into Currier.

But thanks to the sophomore tower--not to mention the idyllic multi-level courtyard, faux-Japanese garden in the dining hall and the large common space known as the fishbowl--the same people, after their three years in Currier, will tell you how much they love their House.

--Breezy H. T ollinger