Currier House

As part of our Housing Market series, we'll be posting reviews and rankings for each of Harvard's 12 residential Houses over the next few days. Click here to read more about the series.

If you're the type of student who enjoys taking a short shuttle ride back from your afternoon activities to your retirement home, then Currier is the House for you. Most residents of Currier House report that they don't mind living in a series of dimly lit concrete towers, because their dining hall allegedly serves the best food on campus. One aspect of Currier House life, however, stands out—most Currierites reside in singles, whether off of hallways or in suites.

Dining Hall: Currierites often report that their dining hall serves HUHDS' tastiest food, but even if this were verifiably true (doesn't all HUHDS food taste the same?), the subterranean dining hall lets in very little natural light. Though the food at mealtimes is known to be some of the best on campus, brain break is often exhausted by 10 p.m. On the positive side, the dining hall staff is very friendly, and the House Master's daughter often swipes your card on your way in—undeniably cute.

Facilities: Being located in the Quad has its perks, and Currier does have plenty of common spaces. Just outside the dining hall, you can find a ping-pong table, pool table, and air hockey table—everything you need for a great post-dinner workout. Other common spaces include the Matthew Strominger Room, Bingham Living Room, the Poker Room, and the Treehouse, all of which can reportedly be reserved by students easily. Currier's biggest and most frequently used common space is the Fishbowl, known to non-Currierites as the Hell of "Heaven and Hell" and to Currierites as a favorite spot for stein clubs and a great place to watch television.

Rooms: Most sophomores live in relatively spacious singles, and many of the mice and cockroaches inhabiting River Houses haven't made the trek to the Quad. As many Currier singles are connected to another by a bathroom, you still sort of have a roommate. Though sophomore housing in Currier is comfortable, Currier's best housing is reserved for upperclassmen. Some of the highlights are the 10-man suite and several solariums, tower-top rooms which come complete with spacious balconies.

House spirit: This one's a mixed bag. Although stein clubs are often well-organized and boast high attendance, the House e-mail list, CurrierWire, sees mostly event spam. As a result, many Currierites report that they've unsubscribed.

Location: One word: Quad. The one redeeming aspect of Currier's location is that the shuttle stop is right outside the main entrance, so you don't have to run far to catch the shuttle. You'll be able to make it to any spot in the Yard in 10 – 15 minutes.

Quirks: Currier's mascot is "Woody the Tree"—one of Harvard's more unusual House mascots. For the more creative among us, Currier also boasts its own dance studio and plays host to figure drawing classes organized by the Office for the Arts.

Committee Rank: Because of its distance from the Yard and drab architecture, Currier is ranked ninth out of 12.

Our rankings so far:

9. Currier

10. Mather

11. Winthrop

12. Cabot