Adams House
As Adams is currently under construction, most sophomores will live in the Inn (yay A/C!). So literally, Adams students (or Adamsians) are cooler. Add some warm-toned string lights, and it’s less like a dorm and more like a spa. Closer to the Yard than Pennypacker, you won’t have to worry about having to wake up too early for your 9 a.m.! The renovations are currently set to be done during the summer of 2025, and according to Adams Housing Committee Co-Chair Tate G. Underwood ’25, the goal of the renovations is that 80 percent of rooms will be singles.
As of right now, the most common room layout for a sophomore in the Inn is a double with an en-suite bathroom. The rooms are anywhere from 250 to 300 square feet. That’s practically a small studio, so you’re really living lavishly. The Inn used to be a hotel, and while the only courtesy you receive is your roommate trying not to wake you up with their alarms for their 9 a.m., it still makes Adams more glamorous than the other houses by a long shot.
Adams Community
Adams is full of fun events! Weekly Thursday Carpes are a great way to meet up with people in the house and get free food! Adams biggest annual event is Fall Drag Night, which pulls crowds from across campus to watch the performance and take part in the event. People in Adams don’t need to hunt down the parties. They are the party. Started in the 80s in response to homophobia, Drag Night has been a tradition for decades, highlighting just one of the many ways the Adams community strives to be inclusive and welcoming. They do p-sets and write papers by day and switch out the sweatpants for glitter and stilettos to go all out in drag by night.
One of the best parts about being in Adams House is the spectacular community! Despite having students spread out amongst multiple buildings, Adams has been able to foster its community into something that is very special to them. As a resident of Adams, you’re guaranteed to never be short of people to bump into at the d-hall and have interesting conversations or attend fun, unique Adams events with!
Adams has plenty of other perks! Before the housing process was randomized, Adams was known for being very artistic which means there are plenty of practice rooms for you to work on your individual projects. Their courtyard is enclosed by Randolph and the faculty dean residence, meaning you can have some peace and quiet without tourists watching you or cars racing by when you’re trying to do your homework on a picnic blanket or enjoy a house event. While being renovated, Adams has kept a strong sense of character, as exhibited by spaces like the Claverley Pool Room. What was previously a swimming pool is now a great social space with couches and tables that can be booked for social events!
Adams is a super positive community that makes the most of any situation! According to Alexandria T.Q. Ho ’24, when there was a small invasion of fruit flies, instead of using it as another opportunity to complain about HUDS (we’ve all been there), Adams chose to add another silly mascot to their list (watch out acorns!). Dubbed the “Fly Club,” there were parties complete with a DJ and fly swatters, which make it clear that Adams will make lemonade out of lemons. The same spirit is brought to intramurals. As discussed by HoCo Co-Chairs Tate G. Underwood ‘25 and Lily E. Liu ’25, Adams may not be leading the intramurals, but they’re definitely leading in the “having a good time” category.
HOCO Interview Rapid-fire
Before the end of our interview, we made sure to ask a few more *pressing* questions, answered by the amazing Adams HoCo chairs.
If you had to describe your house in three words, what would they be?
TGU: Unique, creative, and community-oriented
LEL: Like a home.
What’s your favorite Adams memory?
TGU: Mine is Drag Night. I love Drag Night. People do stunts up on the stage. We have people like backflipping in heels, jumping off the stage. It's crazy. We hire local drag queens as well. They’re doing it too. It’s insane. And everyone comes in drag as well. It’s like a whole bonding moment. Drag Night is definitely my favorite but it’s crazy, in the best way.
LEL: I'm gonna say Housing Day. I feel like there’s like so many little Adams traditions that we have for Housing Day. For people who get into Adams, we have an orientation kind of meeting where we can introduce people to all the little ins and outs of being an Adamsian.
What fruit would Adams be?
TGU: Corn.
LEL: Grapes. They're artistically depicted a lot. They are also kind of fancy, but you can also just have fun with grapes, like you have them with friends.
With its fluid mascots, Adams just gets us and our identity crises. Why be just an acorn or fly when you can be both? Historic, inclusive, and creative, Adams is truly one of the most special houses on campus and a place anyone would be lucky to be a part of.