Student review [#36598] for Medical Biosciences
at Harvard University

There are amazing options for accommodation on the Harvard campus. During your freshman year, you will be assigned to one of 17 dormitories located right in the middle of campus and close to most of the classes you will take. The freshman dorms all vary in age, style, and space, but the freshman dorms are one of the most spacious and comfortable residence halls on campus. Then, after the first year, you’re randomly placed (which some people don’t like) with your chosen group of friends into one of 12 upperclass houses (similar to how the sorting hat works in Harry Potter), and you will stay in your home for the next 3 years, unless you request a change of residence. After your second year, you then participate in the house lottery, where you can choose the room you want in the house. So if you’re lucky you might snag a large bedroom or suite of bedrooms, or if you’re unlucky you might end up with a smaller space. Everyone has to pay the same fixed amount for room and board on their date bill, but the financial assistance is amazing if that’s what you’re worried about. The houses vary in style, age, space, and distance from the main campus, but even the furthest house is a 15-minute walk from the center of campus, and shuttles are available. The rule of thumb is that the nearest houses are much older in style (all wood) but smaller in space (there is the possibility of double room accommodation even through your senior), while the older houses farther ones are a bit more modern but most have space (most houses that guarantee bachelors every 3 years are the furthest houses). Honestly, the pros and cons cancel each other out, so it doesn’t matter which house you enter. What determines how much you enjoy your home life depends on what you do with it and whether you live with people you enjoy living with.