Many people are terrified by the idea of Harvard’s Residential System. Being assigned a group of random people and having to live with them for your entire first year of college can be scary. While this sentiment is shared by many, I think that is mostly unwarranted. In my experience, the Harvard Residential System can create amazing matches that lead to incredible friendships and even better memories.  

Starting my first year in the middle of a pandemic, I had not visited campus and did not know anyone. To say the least, I was scared to move across the country into a new world where I had no one. Ironically, the random roommate assignments were one thing that eased my nerves. Even if my assigned roommates and I ended up not being best friends, I knew that I would have someone on campus. The ice was already broken, and I felt relieved because we would be sharing fun moments and facing obstacles together just because we would be living in such proximity. Harvard First Years are sorted into one of five residential neighborhoods called Yards and each Yard is in a central part of campus life! Every Yard then has several Houses that students will be split into where they will live in different entryways of 40-50 students. Entryways are small, close-knit communities on campus where you share a floor or other designated area in the house. I personally lived in Crimson Yard in Wigglesworth, and I loved every second of it!  

Luckily, I got a lot more than just someone to live with, I met one of my best friends! Due to COVID-19 I only had one roommate, but it was a match made in heaven. The number of roommates you have can differ based on what yard or entryway you are in but typically most dorms have suites with 2-4 bedrooms and a common room to house between 3-6 students. We spent all day every day together, eating meals, watching movies and TV shows, and doing homework. While the housing form was short somehow Harvard found the perfect person to pair me with. We had so much in common from similarities in our childhood to our favorite past times and more. We quickly became inseparable, and people would often confuse us for one another or be concerned when we were not together! Of course, we met plenty of new friends through our respective clubs, classes, different interactions in Anneberg (first-year dining hall), and the Yard, but the bond we had created as roommates during such an unprecedented time was what got us through the year.  

Next thing I knew we were on to Sophomore year which meant we had to pick blocking groups. Blocking is a group of 2-8 people that commit to living in the same upper-level student House as each other. You do not have to be direct roommates, but you will be placed in the same building. You can also have a linking group which is when your blocking group links with another and you will be placed in the same region of Houses. 

My first-year roommate and I had met another roommate pair and we clicked and, once again I could not have gotten luckier. My block was placed in Eliot House (the best house!) and the four of us would be sharing a room. While I did not know my other two roommates well at first, Harvard’s Housing System once again had paired me with two new people who would quickly become some of my best friends. I feel incredibly blessed and grateful that things worked out as beautifully as they did. I know that my positive experience with the system is not a unique experience—many of my friends also love their roommates and where they live just as much as I do!  

My roommates are my support system and family, and I would like to thank the Harvard Housing System for helping me meet and live with my best friends. Although this is not the exact experience for everyone’s first year, I feel that the best way to approach the Residential System is with an open mind. You are going to get out what you put into your situation so make the effort to get to know your roommates—you might just end up meeting your best friends if you do!