One of my favorite things about Harvard is the Housing System.

During my first-year, I was sorted into Currier House, (check out this great explanation of how the Housing lottery works) one of the houses in the Radcliffe Quadrangle, or “The Quad” for short. A lot of people don’t necessarily want to be sorted into the Quad because it’s a 15 minute walk from Harvard Yard, but there are so many great things that the Quad, and Currier have to offer, and I can honestly say that I couldn’t imagine a more perfect house for me. That’s why I decided to write a blog about my 10 favorite things about Currier House.

1. The house, and the four towers within the house, are all named after women. Audrey Bruce Currier, Barbara Tuchman, Mabel Daniels, and Mary Bingham were all Radcliffe alumnae who accomplished several feats which led to the house and the towers being named after them. Seeing as all other houses at Harvard are named after men, Currier is incredibly special!
2. The 15 minute walk back from the Yard seems annoying for many people, but it’s actually an incredibly peaceful and beautiful walk through the Cambridge suburbs. Also, Harvard has a shuttle system that helps all of us Quadlings during the rain and the colder months.
3. There are (at least) 5 first-gen resident tutors in the house! Not all houses are so lucky to have so many, and since resident tutors are there to support and advise us, it has been really helpful to have so many people to help guide me.
4. Our mascot is Woody the Tree and it’s the cutest thing ever! My first year, the Currier shirts were based off of “The Giving Tree.”
5. Currier is known for offering singles to most people who get sorted into the house, even most sophomores! I love having my own single because it allows me to have some alone time when needed, but I can easily walk down to the dining hall to hang out with my friends.
6. Speaking of dining halls, Currier is known for having the best food out of all of the houses and I can confirm. I’ll be the first to admit that d-hall food isn’t always the best, especially since I come from a home in which my family cooks Guatemalan food everyday. However, Currier always manages to make delicious food.
7. Our faculty deans, Sylvia Barrett and Latanya Sweeney, are super involved with the house community and are incredibly supportive of students. They even helped some other students and me plan an annual celebratory dinner for the women which our house is named after!
8. We have a ton of common spaces to hang out with our friends in and they all have really creative names. We have The Fishbowl, The Mousehole, The Beehive, The Treehouse, and many others (with more normal names).
9. During my first year of living in Currier, I realized how great the dining hall is to study. You can catch me down there every night working on homework, drinking tea, and grinding away. You’re never alone in the d-hall, and there’s a sense of camaraderie which helps fuel me through my work. 
10. My absolute favorite thing about Currier is that it's home to the best people on campus. From the students, to the deans and tutors, everyone in Currier is super nice and welcoming! Currier has truly become my home away from home, and I couldn’t imagine living anywhere else.