Harvard

[dreaming 1]

Anyone headed to Cambridge this fall?

[Tufnel]

That's the plan. I'll probably accept after the open house. Have you decided on Harvard?

[dreaming 1]

That's the plan. I'll probably accept after the open house. Have you decided on Harvard?

Hey Tufnel,

Haven't fully decided but I'm about 90% sure, and I'm planning on attending the visit day. Are you GSAS or HKS?

[Tufnel]

GSAS, so my PhD will actually be in government (Harvard's label of choice for political science).

[poppyensemble]

hi folks, i'm heading to cambridge this fall. looking forward to it! good luck with deciding.

tufnel, i have a really close friend who is currently doing the first year of his polisci (er, government) phd. he seems to be working superhard but also having a pretty jolly time. : )

Edited February 25, 2011 by poppyensemble

[Tufnel]

Poppy: That's great to hear! I anticipate that I'll be working more than ever but I enjoy my discipline and enjoy working hard. I hope to have a jolly time too.

Have you all looked into housing? I've never been to Boston but the prices I'm finding on craigslist are absurd. Do you know of any neighborhoods or apartment complexes that are well-suited to grad students at Harvard/MIT? And when are the good places taken? Should I try to find a place during the open house or can I wait until July or so? (I realize I'm asking other future students but perhaps you've also been looking)

Also, congrats everybody! I don't know about you all but I'm still beaming about the acceptance. I couldn't be more excited.

Edited February 28, 2011 by Tufnel

[poppyensemble]

ha, housing is one of those very logisticky things that i know i'll have to deal with sooner or later, but have wedged firmly at the back of my mind for now. ) you've probably seen this already, but there's some helpful housing info going on here:

i also hear that harvard affiliated housing (http://www.huhousing.harvard.edu/HarvardUniversityHousing/index.aspx) can be quite a solid option (though it's apparently lottery-based), since the locations tend to be decent, all utilities are covered and you don't run the risk of running into supremely unpleasant proprietors etc.

all that aside though, are you folks absolutely set on living off campus for the first year?

as for post-acceptance euphoria, definitely!

i still oscillate wildly between thinking of what i should be doing to prepare for grad school and not believing any of this has actually happened.

[dreaming 1]

Hey Poppy,

I'm planning on living on campus actually in the GSAS halls, just for the first year- I'm finishing up my undergrad right now so I don't feel that halls type accommodation is unreasonable for me, plus it comes with the added bonus of incredible proximity to my faculty and also a ready made social life for the first few weeks!

Where are you thinking of living? What program are you in?

[Tufnel]

I'm not certain that I will live off campus. The dorms just seem overpriced. They are really small but quite expensive. And I'd like to have a social life outside the academic bubble. Some sort of grad apartment complex would be perfect.

[poppyensemble]

yeah, i'm looking to live off-campus; but the dorms also sound far from terrible if things don't work out, at least for the first year.

sounds like we're all pretty unfamiliar with boston.

i'm looking forward to getting to know a new city. i keep hearing nice things about cambridge/boston, so that's at least reassuring! especially since i'll be going in for comparative lit, and —i don't know the specifics about your departments— but if the average in mine is anything to go by, i'll be in the area for a looong time. : )

[prolixity]

Move to the dorms - your social life (imagine meeting people outside of your discipiline - GASP!) and wallet will thank you. Hint: Perkins is best (also, there's a secret fifth floor if you have lockpicking skills).

I can't walk anywhere in this city without seeing a friend doing something..

[oiseauaudio]

I'll be at HGSE in the fall for an Ed.M! just started looking into housing too, and some of the prices are insane. I just want to be close to a T stop, and not too far from campus. I just paid my enrollment deposit today. SO STOKED!

[prolixity]

I've considered the dorms, but I think I may be too old! i'm 33.

generally, how old are the students in the grad dorms?

Don't worry about it. I'm 29. There are five married guys, besides myself, on my floor. All of our wives are pursuing degrees at other universities. The average age is obviously weighted toward the lower end of the twenties, but it's really a non-issue. It's only an issue if you let it be one .

Edited March 12, 2011 by prolixity

[Tufnel]

Where do people in the dorms normally eat? Do they get a meal plan bigger than the mandatory one and eat in the cafeteria (which, by the way, looks frickin cool)? Or eat at other on-campus places? Or do people actually use the kitchen?

I feel like I'm 18 again. Meal plans...

Don't worry about it. I'm 29. There are five married guys, besides myself, on my floor. All of our wives are pursuing degrees at other universities. The average age is obviously weighted toward the lower end of the twenties, but it's really a non-issue. It's only an issue if you let it be one .

How does that work? I read on the website that only full-time students could live in the dorms. Does that mean that the married couples live separately?

[prolixity]

Where do people in the dorms normally eat? Do they get a meal plan bigger than the mandatory one and eat in the cafeteria (which, by the way, looks frickin cool)? Or eat at other on-campus places? Or do people actually use the kitchen?

I feel like I'm 18 again. Meal plans...

How does that work? I read on the website that only full-time students could live in the dorms. Does that mean that the married couples live separately?

Read my quote again. We're married dudes whose wives attend other universities - as in living "separately".

Food is food. There are plenty of restaurants, cafes, and grocery stores. Dudley house is "an" option. I don't know of anyone who bought an extended meal plan, though the food is convenient if you don't have time to cook.

[Tufnel]

Read my quote again. We're married dudes whose wives attend other universities - as in living "separately".

Food is food. There are plenty of restaurants, cafes, and grocery stores. Dudley house is "an" option. I don't know of anyone who bought an extended meal plan, though the food is convenient if you don't have time to cook.

I understood your initial post just fine, I only found its implication a bit extraordinary and wanted to verify it.

Other possible explanations: The rule is a recent one and you were grandfathered in, couples are allowed to live in the 2-room suites in the event that they are vacated mid-semester, etc.

No need for the snark, it was an honest and reasonable question.

Thanks for the advice and insight.

[prolixity]

I understood your initial post just fine, I only found its implication a bit extraordinary and wanted to verify it.

Other possible explanations: The rule is a recent one and you were grandfathered in, couples are allowed to live in the 2-room suites in the event that they are vacated mid-semester, etc.

No need for the snark, it was an honest and reasonable question.

Thanks for the advice and insight.

Yo, no hostility intended.

[Trin]

Don't worry about it. I'm 29. There are five married guys, besides myself, on my floor. All of our wives are pursuing degrees at other universities. The average age is obviously weighted toward the lower end of the twenties, but it's really a non-issue. It's only an issue if you let it be one .

Argh! I'm a HDS admit, and I'm older than you both, by a decade. I'm also planning on dorm housing (have applied at Cronkhite), because I'll be living in California with my family during the holidays.

[Tufnel]

Yo, no hostility intended.

Cool, no worries. Tone is deceptive on message boards.

Again, thanks for sharing your thoughts.

[DCA-John]

somewhat of a cross-post, but does anyone know if the Harvard Real Estate Service is worth pursuing? If so, how is the lottery - would we actually be able to get a place?

[StellaHaiti2]

I am also probably accepting my offer after the accepted students weekend. I am having a current HKS graduate student keep an eye out for me for less expensive options near campus, and my brother (T employee) who advocates living further away but on the T line. I don't think a 20 minute walk is outrageous (even though it is Boston). Post any good ideas or opportunities for female or male roommates. I am considering a studio because I would desperately like to move back in with my cats.

[HopefulGrad2B]

Hey everyone! I have a question about summer apartment leases in Cambridge/Boston. My dept. at Harvard is subsidizing a few incoming students interested in taking a Harvard Summer School course this summer. This possibility appeals to me a lot. It starts in late-June. When would I need to sign a lease by to secure an apartment from like mid (or even early) June? I would then want to live there during the school year but just until the following summer. (I would then use my summer grant money to do some research abroad) Thanks a lot in advance!

[katemiddleton]

Hey guys, so I'll be here at HDS as of June. I found housing through a friend, right across the street from the law school. So pro: super close, as I won't have a car. Con: SO EXPENSIVE. Also, the credit check process is very intense. Oy.

My best advice is, if you need an apt close to the school or near the square, your bet is to try to look now and to move in over the summer. Best of luck, pm me with any questions.

Kate

[smirkette]

Argh! I'm a HDS admit, and I'm older than you both, by a decade. I'm also planning on dorm housing (have applied at Cronkhite), because I'll be living in California with my family during the holidays.

I'm going to be in Cronkhite. Despite being the ripe old age of 32 by the time I get there, I'm actually looking forward to dorm life. While not having a private bathroom is annoying, I'm glad to not have to worry about setting up the utilities, making a separate trip out there in July to hunt down a place, etc. I've also been independent long enough that having a meal plan sounds awesome (despite the fact that it's pretty overpriced). I'm also looking forward to meeting people outside of the Ed School.

Anyone else surprised by the lack of substantive information about Cronkhite online? You can find last year's resident handbook (the most informative thing I could find), one guy's YouTube tour, and a teeny thumbnail pic of a room. What up with that?

Ed School bonus: it's a block from the library & office. Hot damn!

[xbomber88]

Anybody heard anything yet about the GSAS dorm housing yet? It says on the website that we should have gotten our assignments by the end of May and I still haven't heard anything. I called them last week and they said I'd get an email by Friday but that never happened.