"At first," Benning admits, "Harvard didn't really live up to my expectations, just because of the housing situation. I really didn't feel like I belonged here. I felt that I couldn't take advantage of a lot of the things the school has to offer. But now, being part of a house, having a room and roommates for next year--it's a lot easier. I'm going out and pursuing the things I want to do."

Benning expressed mixed feelings about Harvard's transfer policy. "The administration's been great to me. They've allowed me to come here, and I'm really happy to be here. But deep down, I really think that they should offer housing as soon as people get here, in order for people to really feel they're a part of this place. I have this feeling that if they can't do that, they shouldn't allow transfer students in, or should make them aware that it's real touch."

"If I had known it was going to be as bad as it was first semester, I might not have come here. But now, thinking back. I'm really glad I did. There's no doubt it was worth it."

Marquand says many students are similarly unaware of the consequences of living off-campus at Harvard. "It's impossible to know now fundamentally residential in its orientation this college is until you're actually here," he says.

Where Things Are

But housing is not the only problem for transfer students, as Kathryn A. Kleiman '86 explains. A Social Studies concentrator who transferred from the University of Chicago. Kleiman was given residence in North House shortly after her arrival.

"It's been very, very difficult, and the housing issue is just one a part of how difficult it is," she says.

"One thing I didn't realize was how decentralized Harvard is--in terms of the Houses, the departments, clubs, activities, everything. Trying to figure out where things are, what's going on, is difficult and time consuming."

Kleiman says that although "people here are very nice, nobody really reaches cut. By the time it's junior year, people have formed their friends, their associations. It's really quite a challenge."

Although her initial experience was frustrating, she has decided that transferring was not a mistake.

"I'm looking at it as a two-year package. I knew the first year would be difficult, a year of transition. I'm hoping the second year, my last year here, is going to be much, much better. I'm hoping that I'll be able to come in next year with all the build up. Knowing now what I know, I think I'll be able to do a lot more."

Very Happy

Andrew J. Sussman '87, who transferred after his freshman year from the University of Pennsylvania, has had a more positive experience. He is still living off campus, but says it does not affect his satisfaction with his decision to transfer to Harvard.

"I'm very happy here," he says. "I wasn't thrilled with the academic environment at Penn, and Harvard had a stronger Biology department, which is my major. I find it much more intellectually stimulating, and I find the people here a little more serious--more serious about everything, not just school. People here are very into whatever they're doing, and I kind of like that."

Sussman admits that he did not fully understand the importance of the House system to life at Harvard, but says that it did not at all cause him to regret his decision to transfer.