Lowell

Photographs By Abigail K. Fiedler

Lowell is located right on Mt. Auburn Street, making it a close walk to the Yard, the MAC, Insomnia Cookies, and all the other River houses. Lowell also has a beautiful courtyard to study in, once it finally warms up, and their famous bells. In addition to those bells, Lowell has some interesting history to it. The Lowell House Opera, established in 1938, is the longest continually running opera company in New England. More importantly, Matt Damon and Natalie Portman are both former Lowellians so #starstruck.

By the Numbers
By Christopher J. Riley, Crimson Staff Writer
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393 Residents

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30 resident tutors and scholars

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1 Climbing Wall

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1 Art Room

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2013-2014 HoCo Budget: $28,187.00

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Housing
By Christopher J. Riley, Crimson Staff Writer
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Sophomores generally get n housing (and may get a walkthrough), but by senior year, most students have n+1. The general complaint about Lowell’s housing has to do with the size of the rooms, so pick wisely when you decide who you want to live with within your blocking group!

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The Community
By Christopher J. Riley, Crimson Staff Writer
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The House Masters, Professor Diana L. Eck and Dorothy Austin, are amazing (just watch the Housing Day videos for their cameos at the beginnings). Every Thursday means Lowell Tea at 5 p.m., filled with monkey bread, tea sandwiches, brownies, cupcakes, 7-layer bars, and more!

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For facilities, Lowell has a gym, a dance studio, music practice rooms, a grille, a bicycle storage room, squash courts, and a climbing wall. The climbing wall is a really cool feature, and it’s open from 5 to 11 p.m. and there are even rental shoes. The underground tunnels of Lowell make it so that you never have to leave the house to get to other people’s rooms or the dhall during those cold winter days!

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Lowell HoCo also hosts Friday Stein Clubs in the dining hall. Its annual glowstick party, Glowell, is also in its dhall every year and popular amongst students of all houses. Its winter ball is Harry Potter-themed, so you can attend the Yule Ball with your Harry or Hermione (or Ron). Lowell students praise the tight-knit community of the House, and most of them come to terms with the bells.

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At the end of the fall term, students who wish to give a “Lowell Speech” sign up to do so and are assigned a mentor. In the opening weeks of the spring term, those students present their five-minute speeches to the House community in the dining hall. Topics in 2015 range from “Do You Understand Your Destiny?” to “Can Anything Good Come From New Haven?”

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The Critiques
By Christopher J. Riley, Crimson Staff Writer
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Unfortunately for the people who spend their Fridays and Saturdays working in their rooms, Lowell’s location means that you can hear all the goings on (loud music) at the final clubs. Unfortunately for the people who were at those final clubs on Saturday night, the bells are rung every Sunday from 1 to 2 p.m. Combined with the noise, room sizes are often a common complaint amongst residents. Overall however, Lowell is a great house to be placed into. Between the close community, amazing House Masters, tea, and facilities, Lowellians have it pretty good.

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