When I discovered I would be living in Massachusetts Hall my freshman year, I thought, “Massachusetts Hall?”

I knew about Pennypacker’s beautiful staircase, Grays' vintage brick walls, and Weld’s mansion-like stature. I had heard about what would be my next-door neighbors, Matthews and Strauss. But Mass Hall? It did not ring a bell.

Curious, I scoured the web for information. It’s the oldest building at Harvard and the second oldest collegiate building in the United States. Wow! Mass Hallers are colloquially known as the golden-horned unicorns? Interesting!

I also took to YouTube in search of a room tour of Mass Hall, but finding one was nearly impossible. “Thayer hall dorm.” Nope, that’s not it. “I just moved into Greenough Hall." Nope that’s not it, either. Of the hundreds I found, only one was about Mass Hall (big thank you to Alina Taratorin!). At that moment, I realized Mass Hall was going to be like a box of chocolates: I had no idea what I was going to get.

Little did I know, it would be one of the luckiest draws of my life. Having lived in Mass Hall for over a semester, I think it is hands-down the best freshman dorm at Harvard. Why? Here are the reasons.

1)  Mass Hall is both old and new, in the best ways.

Mass Hall is known for its history. Having been around for over 300 years, Mass Hall has housed soldiers during the seizure of Boston in the early 19th Century and served as a lecture space and dormitory for Harvard College. Today, Mass Hall serves as an administration space and, of course, a dormitory for 14 lucky freshmen.

My fellow Mass Hallers and I experience the rich history of Mass Hall, but with the gift of modern technology. We have Dyson Airblade hand dryers in our bathrooms and stainless steel lamps in our rooms, furnished with Colonial-era doorknobs and vintage weight-and-chain windows. We get the best of both worlds!

2)  Mass Hallers are hand-picked (at least, in my eyes).

Mass Hallers have been called the golden-horned unicorns because they are so few in number. Occasionally, I get the “Where’s Mass Hall?” or “Isn’t that the dorm with 14 people?” I say yes!

I’d like to think we’re called the golden-horned unicorns not because we’re so few in number, but rather because we are unique. Fourteen (I’d like to think) hand-picked freshmen living together atop the President's office is a recipe for an invaluable exchange of experiences, life stories, and ideas. I have learned so much from my dormmates, about everything from horseback riding to machine learning. Without a doubt, Mass Hall's diversity is unparalleled!

3)  Mass Hall is crazy convenient.

It takes me a tenth of the time it takes my friends to get to Johnston Gate when we meet up to take an Uber, the “T” (Boston’s subway), or a bus. Mass Hall is steps away from Johnston Gate and is relatively close to just about everything, including Annenberg (the freshman dining hall), the Science Center, Lamont Library, Harvard Hall, Widener Library, Memorial Church, and many of the other freshman dorms. We’re also close to the Smith Center and the bus stop beside it!

If that’s not enough, our bathrooms are shared by only two suites at a time, so convenience is of the essence.

4)  Our rooms are perfect for friendly gatherings (and more).

The rooms may be small, but they are spacious and quaint. Mass Hall is organized into singles and doubles, which means each room sports a comfortable blend of big and small. Somehow, I feel that the quaintness of the rooms creates a more intimate living environment. My roommate and I have hosted game nights, p-set sessions, and long conversations that have cut late into the night. Even the hallway of Mass Hall regularly fills with chats, laughs, and light music or (the occasional) singing.

Once, even Remy the Harvard cat came to visit!

5)  We live above the President’s Office.

I mean, we live above the President’s Office! How cool is that? We even got a tour this year of the administrative offices under us! Some years, Mass Hallers have had an annual dinner with President Bacow. Thank you, President Bacow and the administration, for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!

6) Most importantly, Mass Hall is my Harvard family.

When I say that the Mass Hallers are my family at Harvard, I mean it. We have gone through our final exams, pounded out essays at 4 a.m., and explored Boston together. We stick together the most when things get tough. Everyone is just a knock of a door away, and our late-night conversations have been some of my greatest takeaways from freshman year so far.

The Mass Hall community has provided me with the residential life opportunity I didn’t know I needed as I transitioned from high school to college.

I cannot speak for others in Mass Hall, so I decided to ask them to describe Mass Hall in one word! Here's what they have to say:

• quaint
• family
• familia
• homey (I got this twice)
• Mass Hall

When I think back to the summer before my freshman year, I realize just how little there was on the web about what it’s like to live in Mass Hall. I hope this article takes a step in changing that!

I feel lucky and honored to have been sorted into Mass Hall. If you are reading this article because you were sorted into Mass Hall—or because you’re asking yourself, “What’s Mass Hall?”—I hope my experiences shed some light on just how amazing it is to be a golden-horned unicorn. In retrospect, if I could go back and tell high-school me, “You’re lucky!”—I would.

Shoutout to Mass Hall, Class of 2025! You all have made my freshman year an unforgettable one. A special thank you to Na’Shantéa Miller, our proctor, and Michael Zhu ‘22 and Annabelle Lim ‘23, our PAFs!

Note: One of my Mass Hall friends joined us later in the year, so she is not in some of the pictures we took at the beginning of the year. Mass Hall currently houses 14 freshmen!

To learn more about Mass Hall, check out these resources (not endorsed by Harvard in any way):

• https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2018/05/historic-massachusetts-hall/
• https://www.harvardmagazine.com/2020/07/jhj-icon
• https://harvardplanning.emuseum.com/sites/951/massachusetts-hall
• https://www.nps.gov/places/massachusetts-hall.htm
• https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2011/10/the-newest-live-in-the-o…
• https://youtu.be/dRC2ZYU7mQg