Playing House

PINING FOR THE QUAD

I have been struggling with this for weeks. I have listened to my friends joke about it and rail against it while I stood by silently with my secret. Today, though, I am coming out of the closet. My name is Nathaniel, I’m a freshman, and I want to be Quadded.

I hear the gasps and the fainting, but people are too quick to quibble about the Quad. Its residents positively gush about their great housing and more community spirit than you can shake a stick at. I’ll take that for a few walks through scenic Cambridge any day.

It is not an easy life being a Quadling, I know. Am I ready to deal with three years of “Oh… You live in the Quad?” or freeze to death on Garden Street next February? No problem—I’m used to it. I live in Greenough.

—Nathaniel S. Rakich ’10, a Crimson editorial editor, lives in Greenough Hall.

GOOD COMPANY

As a seasoned veteran of this most august of institutions, I have one little pearl of wisdom for the Class of 2010. As you sport your hilarious, phallic house t-shirts for the first and probably last time this morning, just remember that a House is more than a neo-penal slab of ugly concrete all the way down the southeast side of the river (Well, let’s at least hope so).

A House is where the heart is. My sophomore year I lived in Eliot. My entire blocking group has since disintegrated; some have transferred, while others I hear are finding God and tripping on peyote down in Mexico. But now I live with a bunch of cool cats in Dunster, and I couldn’t be happier. So as long as you’re with great friends, you should be euphoric.

—David L. Golding ‘08, a Crimson editorial editor, is an English and American literature and language concentrator in Dunster House.

HOUSE LOVE

Fall in love with your House. Yes, it really is that easy. And it’s not about convincing yourself that the rooms in Dunster are actually pretty spacious, or that waiting for a shuttle to the Quad is a great time to do reading. It’s about getting to Annenberg early when they still have t-shirts in your size, putting one on, and hugging the HoCo chair. After that, just stop thinking.

—Jillian J. Goodman ‘09, a Crimson arts editor, is an English concentrator in Quincy House.



BE HAPPY—AND BE QUIET

As much as I love the House system, I hate hearing about why Dunster sucks or why freshmen should fear the Quad.

House living breeds a certain kind of pride that all too often morphs into House jingoism and mudslinging. One of the longer conversations on my House’s open e-mail list was a 51-post thread that started with ideas for getting new residents excited about Leverett, and ended with an abortive (though semi-serious) declaration of war on Dunster.

Thankfully, no preemptive strike was made, but it did make me think: Why take your house fealty to such obnoxious levels? Part of enjoying your Harvard experience is embracing its innate positives, not the reasons why you’re so much better than everyone else. By all means, display your House pride boldly, but don’t be an insufferable goon.

—Kyle L.K. McAuley ’09, a Crimson arts editor, is an English concentrator in Leverett House.



TODAY IS JUST THE BEGINNING

Freshmen: don’t let yourselves fall victim to post-housing day depression. Though not every day comes with a thin white envelope in your door, a party in Annenberg, and a post-river run hangover, the fun is just beginning. Making the most of House life—especially your freshman spring—is worth the small effort it takes to walk to your future abode.

Soon after spring break last year, my blockmates and I were eating in Winthrop, heading to the river for stein club, and buying tickets to the Arbella Ball. These few months between housing day and summer break were the perfect residential limbo: I had all the benefits of hanging and dining in a river house while still enjoying my spacious Grays common room.

After a year in a House, the excitement you felt on housing day seems pretty distant. But whether you’re miserable in Adams or ecstatic in Cabot, it is up to you to take advantage of what House life has to offer.

—Emma M. Lind ’09, a Crimson associate editorial chair, is a history and literature concentrator in Winthrop House.