Experience with Harvard University Housing

[singingpenguin]

Hi everyone – I'll be starting a Master's at HGSE this fall! I already live in the area, but I'm interested in moving into Harvard grad student housing and living by myself :-) Has anyone gone through the HU Housing lottery-esque process for grad students? I just got my "view and select" assignment and I'm trying to figure out if I have an average or bad date. Any advice/perspective would be helpful!

[fuzzylogician]

I'd suggest asking your department. Usually there will be a grad student only mailing list that you could email to ask questions like how successful they've been with the lottery and how they've liked the housing. 

[astoria26]

On 5/4/2017 at 8:16 AM, singingpenguin said:

Hi everyone – I'll be starting a Master's at HGSE this fall! I already live in the area, but I'm interested in moving into Harvard grad student housing and living by myself :-) Has anyone gone through the HU Housing lottery-esque process for grad students? I just got my "view and select" assignment and I'm trying to figure out if I have an average or bad date. Any advice/perspective would be helpful!

I'm wondering the same thing, I got May 15-16 for my view and select window.  How about you?  Did you find any grad student mailing list btw?  Thx!

[Butterfly_effect]

Hi I live in Harvard housing. 

I'm not sure the exact range of view and select windows though mine was also in May. I have heard that some programs like law students and students with families get earlier windows. Some apartments are definitely reserved in part or whole for certain groups of students (like Terry Terrace). It sounds like you're interested in the dorms though (based on you saying you want to live alone and no Harvard apartment being cheap enough for that). I live in an apartment though I have a friend who lives in the dorms and she likes it. One negative is that they require you to subscribe to a meal plan. It's something like 5 meals a week but overpriced for what it is. I selected my current apartment through the Currently Available list, which is just a rolling list of apartments available to sign leases on at any point. But again, I'm not sure if the dorms end up on that list. 

[astoria26]

Does anyone have any experience living at Cronkhite Center, which is the grad dorm near HGSE?  I'm wondering how easy it is to sublet a room out for the summer (before summer school starts in early June), and if there's any tips on picking a good room, like 2nd floor vs 3rd floor, etc. Thx in advance!

[Butterfly_effect]

You should really check out the Harvard University Housing page here: http://huhousing.harvard.edu/our-properties/cronkhite-center 

I think most of your questions could be answered by looking at the page for the Cronkhite center. 

You should know that unless you qualify as an 'active Harvard affiliate' the summer before you start, you can't get a sublet in the Cronkhite center (details are available in the policy manual on the website. I don't know when your program officially starts but getting a sublet through HH will depend on that. You should also know that Cronkhite doesn't happen during the view and select window at all. See below:

Selecting A Room At Cronkhite

• All Cronkhite rooms are selected from the Currently Available list; they do not appear in the View and Select windows.
• Approved applicants meeting the eligibility requirements for Cronkhite and attending GSAS, GSD, GSE, HDS, or HKS will be notified when the majority of the Cronkhite units appear on Currently Available – typically soon after the View and Select window assignments are emailed in early May.
• Once the View and Select windows close (typically late May or early June), we will notify eligible applicants in the schools not listed above that they may now select an available Cronkhite unit from Currently Available.

Edited May 7, 2017 by Butterfly_effect
typo

[astoria26]

Thanks Bufferfly_effect, I've viewed the Cronkhite page many times, I was looking for more personal experience living there and any tips on selecting a good room.  Also I'm not looking to sublet a room, but rather wondering how easy it is to find a subletter to start early June (say 6/02), before summer school starts.  Thx!