Leverett House

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If Houses had relationship statuses, Leverett would be the friend-zone. Between housing and the Masters, there's a lot to really really like, and yet Lev is still in search of love. All the descriptions below come with the huge caveat that Old Lev (McKinlock Hall) will be renovated next school year, improving housing, facilities, and the dining hall significantly. Perhaps puberty will succeed in catapulting this perpetually unobjectionable House into the hearts of millions. Or hundreds, at least.

House Spirit: As a freshman, you probably didn't know that much about Lev. Residents, whether they were current sophomores or seniors, all reiterated stories of not really knowing what to think when they were assigned Lev on Housing Day. One reason for the lackluster spirit may well be Leverett's size—it's the largest House (with over 100 students more than Kirkland), and it shows. Leverettites do, however, praise their HoCo for becoming more inclusive and responsive in recent semesters.

Housing Quality: Leverett currently has a good variety of housing options, split between the modern F and G Towers and McKinlock, which offers the classic Harvard residential experience. Because sophomores participate in the housing lotteries, they get to know Leverett well early on as they pore over floor plans and scout out potential suites. Suites in McKinlock are roomy, though the age of the building is audible in its noisy radiators and creaky floors. In the Towers, sophomores are generally put into quints with a massive common room and a mix of singles and doubles. Juniors and seniors typically live higher up in the Towers, trading in the common rooms for larger singles and better views.

Dining Hall: Humanities and social science concentrators—the essay writers—are inclined to describe their dining hall as pretty good, if crowded at times. However, science and math concentrators—the p-setters among us—uniformly rave about the dining hall as a place for late night (and painfully early morning) camaraderie. This is especially true on Wednesday nights, when the dining hall is stuffed to the gills with students there for a) Physics night and b) the piles of baked goods that "Chief" (see below for explanation) makes sure to replenish often.

The food itself receives average ratings, but Leverettites do have some special perks. For community dinners, Chef Chad Campo whips up a special treat each Thursday night—this week, bananas brulée; last week, homemade potato chips. The absence of lox at Sunday brunches is offset by the presence of a special omelette bar. Tea, soda, and cereal is always accessible in the dining hall. And residents rushing back from a long day will be happy to know that there is warm food to be found in the servery far longer than you'd expect.

Facilities: The facilities are Leverett's weakest point. The JCR is a stately-looking meeting place; the Old Library is a popular place for rehearsals and productions; the actual library, housed between the Towers and McKinlock, is small but serviceable. But the common rooms in the Towers are underutilized, and we noticed a stack of sofas in F Tower that have seemingly never been used. In general, the lack of common space is a pressing issue for Lev and undoubtedly contributes to the lackluster House spirit. We're looking forward to seeing this remedied with the renewal of Old Lev next year, which will bring with it renovated studios and rec rooms.

House Masters: Howard Georgi '68 and Ann Georgi—far better known as "Chief" and "Coach," respectively—are the greatest rallying points for Leverett House. Chief, with his "photographic" memory, prides himself on getting to know nearly everyone in his House. One sophomore joked, "I was disappointed that Chief didn't know my name at the Housing Day welcome dinner," mere hours after she was lotteried into the House. "But the next time I saw him, a few days later, he had it down." The Masters' Open Houses are famed events on campus, an occasion to mingle with fellow Leverettites as well as every other monkeybread fanatic on campus. Students also cite events such as Chief's weekly "Not Just Sherry Hour" and the pre-exams "Donut Bash" in describing the Georgis as "the model Masters."

Extra: Leverett's web presence is great, between its attractive website and Chief's Flickr account, where he has posted over ten thousand photos highlighting House life. Finally, Leverettites describe their House's location as ideal: McKinlock is on the River, they're bordering most of the River Houses, and they are close enough to make use of the Mather Express on particularly foul days. Keep in mind, though, that most Leverettites must walk outside to get to their dining hall... undoubtedly a first world problem, but hey, we know these things matter to you.

Our rankings so far:

10. Leverett

11. Dunster

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, thereis good to be found in every one of the twelve.

CORRECTION: March 9, 2013

An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated the class year of Leverett House Master Howard Georgi '68. In fact, while Georgi graduated from Harvard in 1967, he is a member of the Class of 1968.