The night before my first day of classes at Harvard is one I will never forget.

When you think of Harvard, I’m sure many words and ideas come to mind. For example, our world-renowned professors, our classes, and our passionate students. However, something that may be hard to see or truly appreciate from the outside is our traditions. Here is a guide of three very popular and fun Harvard traditions that make your first-year experience and beyond unforgettable.

1. Watching Legally Blonde on Widener Steps

The night before your first day of classes at Harvard, all first-years are welcomed to the Widener Library steps. In front of everyone is a blow-up screen and projected on it is the movie Legally Blonde starring Reese Witherspoon. As the movie begins the applause has already started amongst you and your fellow classmates. The students quote iconic lines in the movie such as “What, like it’s hard?".

 It is everyone’s first real bonding experience here at Harvard and sets your Harvard journey off to a fun and engaging start. It’s also a tradition that tends to be talked about less because you only experience it once rather than every year. Yet, it is still a tradition I always fondly look back on.

2. Harvard vs. Yale Gameday

Ask anyone on campus and they will always say our biggest gameday rivals are Yale. Which is why every November the Harvard vs. Yale football game, also referred to as The Game, is widely attended and celebrated. Every year the location of the game alternates between Harvard and Yale, so it's guaranteed that either your first or last Harvard-Yale game will be at home. 

Prior to the game itself there is a tailgate that students can attend to take some pictures and eat some food before heading over to the stadium. Once at the game, not only are you celebrating with your current classmates and peers, but many alumni also come back to support Harvard as well. Ultimately, it's a great time to dress in crimson, eat some burgers, play some cornhole, and root Harvard on!

3. Housing Day

Housing Day may be the biggest tradition of them all. As a first-year it is when you will be sorted in your upperclassmen house to live in for the next three years. For upperclassmen, it is finally your turn to dorm storm and welcome in your newest community members. 

Housing day takes place every spring in March. Early in the morning around 8am, the housing office gives envelopes out to the upperclassmen students in each house that have chosen to dorm storm. Once the envelopes are in our hands, we rush to each room we have received in the envelope and dorm storm. We chant, give out merch, and celebrate housing day. Then later that night all first-years are welcomed to their new house to have their very first house dinner night.