Currier House

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When you imagined your life as an upperclassman at Harvard, you did not imagine Currier House. It's not even partly neo-Georgian, and unlike Mather it's got no river views. Currier is no freshman's top choice. But those who live there learn to love it, and for good reason (not to mention out of necessity). As Stephen Stills would advise, if you can't be with the one you love, honey, love the one you're with.

House Spirit: Timete Arborem. Fear the Tree.

New Currierites tend to think of the revered tree as hokey, not to mention a poor consolation prize for the unfortunate location and questionable aesthetics of their House. Soon, however, they, too, grow affectionate towards the feared tree.

Currier residents describe their House as tight-knit—it's the type of place where you can go into the dining hall and sit with a random person and there's a good chance that they'll be friendly. One hallway leads to giant common spaces and filters into the dining hall, and people are always around. Say what you will about Currier, at least it's totally internally connected, which comes in handy when it snows. Unfortunately, that internal connectivity does not extend to the Yard or the River.

Housing Quality: What Quadlings lose in proximity to the Yard, they gain in space. Currier has many singles, which often include their own bathrooms. It's possible for sophomores to have singles, with their own private bathrooms and common rooms. These are the perks of living in the Quad. There are also a few giant suites, including the coveted Currier Ten-Man, ten singles that surround a huge suite common room. Then there's the Solariums—the tops of the towers—which are comprised of three penthouse balcony suites. Plus, no creepy, crawly insects. There are mice, though.

Dining Hall: The dining hall is the social hub of the House. Some residents even trek back to the Quad for lunch just because they love the chefs, the food, and the environment so much.

Facilities: Currier is filled with awesome common rooms of all sizes.

The Fishbowl, a common space and entertainment center where people can watch the Superbowl or random movies on a 13-foot projector (which Currier students claim is the largest television on campus) is awesome, and a rather unique feature. The Mousehole is a fun common space with couches, a television, and grand piano, which you can sometimes hear people playing at 3:00 a.m. (Whether or not that's a good thing we'll leave for you to decide). The Gilbert Living Room, specifically for people in the tower, has a bunch of couches, a dining room, a piano in the back, and a kitchen. Actually, you can find a kitchen pretty much anywhere here. There are so many kitchens in Currier. Other Currier facilities include a cardio room, a weight room, and a dance studio.

House Masters: Richard Wrangham, Ruth Moore Professor of Human Evolutionary Biology, and Elizabeth Ross, who runs a children's home in Uganda, are not only accomplished professionals, they are also a great presence in Currier House life. They frequent dinner in the dining hall and host events that students describe as "immaculate" and complete with delicious culinary offerings.

Extra: The shuttle stop is conveniently located right in front of Currier's main entrance, so during the cold winter months you can wait inside. Currier hosts "Heaven and Hell," one of the hottest Halloween parties at Harvard. Quadlings can also explore nearby Porter Square. Finally, residents say their staff is loving and spectacular, which probably helps things if you have to live in such a faraway House.

Our rankings so far:

12. Currier

Disclaimer: Flyby's 2013 House Rankings, though unscientific, are based on careful research and review by the Flyby Staff. We encourage you to read the full posts—rather than the rankings alone—to learn more about each House. As difficult as it makes our jobs, there is good to be found in every one of the twelve.