A colorful mob of undergraduates dressed in mascot costumes shattered the usual morning stillness of Harvard Yard early Thursday morning, forsaking sleep and studying to partake in the cherished Harvard tradition of Housing Day.
As students, tutors, and House Masters waited for the envelopes that concealed the names of their Houses’ new residents, the crowd in Harvard Yard was swept up in a wave of shouts and cheers of pride that awoke many anxious freshmen.
“It was crazy. I didn’t need my alarms this morning,” Jordan H. Hayashi ’16 said.
Adams House Master John G. “Sean” Palfrey ’67 was seen lifted upon the shoulders of his students, cheering loudly for his House, while the John Harvard statue was draped in a Kirkland t-shirt.
For stressed-out students, the scene was a pleasant interlude in the heat of midterm season.
Students of the Class of 2016 in particular were captured in the excitement of Housing Day, eager to learn where they will live for the next three years.
“It was excellent, the best thing ever,” said Mercedes N. Flowers ’16, who was assigned to Eliot House. “We convinced ourselves that anything would be great.”
Some freshmen said they were apathetic about Housing Day before Thursday’s festivities, but saw their enthusiasm grow as the moment of revelation approached.
“I felt really neutral about it up until today,” said Advik Shreekumar ’16, a future resident of Leverett House. “I woke up this morning and went to my [blockmates]’s room, and that’s when I got excited, seeing everyone in the Yard. A high-energy moment was seeing the Leverett bunny.”
The festivities in the Yard extended throughout the morning and afternoon. Outside Annenberg, several rabbits—representing the Leverett bunny—were hopping around in enclosures, available for petting.
Inside Annenberg, representatives from the 12 Houses cheered and rallied their new residents together, handing out House paraphernalia and shirts.
“The little party in Annenberg was really cool,” said James R.M. Watkins ’16. “I’m over the moon about Lowell.”
Other students were unsure what to expect.
“You hear about [Housing Day] from proctors, and they can’t describe the intensity,” Nicolas Rossenblum ’16 said. He remarked that he felt the intensity “as soon as the upperclassmen started running around.”
Some students assigned to the Quad tried to combat negative perceptions of their new home on campus.
“At first I was thinking that this was not going to be the most spectacular way to live. Then I realized a lot of my other friends also got quadded,” said Eamon C. O’Brien ’16, who was assigned to Pforzheimer House. “We can create a community. The hardest thing to get used to will be the shuttle.”
While many students said the day had been exciting, others were unsure how to respond to the flurry of emotions and chatter exchanged throughout the day.
“When people say congrats or I’m sorry, you don’t know how to respond,” said Maya M. Park ’16, who was assigned to Dunster House.
Students said the Housing Day experience was transcendental.
“I felt like we weren’t real students before today,” said Aliya G. Itzkowitz ’16.
Madeleine W. Smith ’16 agreed: “We haven’t been this excited since we got in [to Harvard].”
—Staff writer Laya Anasu can be reached at layaanasu@college.harvard.edu. Follow her on Twitter @layaanasu.
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