<p>My D1's freshman suite in Weld (same hall as Bandit's D) had four rooms for six people, and the six suitemates decided to shift rooms every ten weeks. Two of the four rooms were singles, one was a tiny double, and one was a generous double, and they all shared a living room. You have to remember that frosh get to live on the most hallowed ground in all of American intellectual history, which is something of a mixed blessing. Being able to call the Old Yard home for a year of your life is something to tell your grandchildren about, but most of the buildings are quite old (as old as 1720 in one case) and have been renovated several times, meaning that the rooms and configurations vary widely. No one would have set out to create the kind of hodgepodge that has evolved after centuries of remodeling. I have to say though, that D1 loved living there.</p>
<p>thanks gadad. that's nice to hear. you're right, so much history :)</p>
<p>So I'm a bit of a germaphobe (emphasis on BIT! = ) ) and I got a bit freaked out at the conditions of the bathrooms shared by a whole floor of people in the dorm I visited. I will mention this in my housing application, is it likely that they will save me the grief and assign me hopefully to an in-suite bathroom?</p>
<p>As much as the houses are wonderful, there is nothing lke the convenience (and history) of the Yard. My daughter loved living there too, despite her tiny room!</p>
<p>otech08, </p>
<p>My son is also a bit of a germaphobe. I think he gets it from me :) I'm already stressed about the bathroom situation myself. Yikes, they can be nasty.</p>
<p>I have to say that I do not share the experience of having uncomfortably small housing at Harvard-- I've been very happy with my housing so far. I lived in Stoughton freshman year, and it was incredible. I shared a one-room double, but it was 300 square feet (I think it was 20' by 15')! We had enough room for a futon, a dish chair, a coffee table, a large tv, and beds that were on separate sides of a giant room. Furthermore, we had four cute window seats and a fireplace, and there was a lot of historic charm. All of my friends from high school who came to visit me were impressed and said they didn't know any school offered freshmen housing like what we had. I don't think my situation was all that unusual here.</p>
<p>I went to Prefrosh weekend, and stayed with a sophomore in Mather house. The room was really nice: 4 single rooms (not big, but not too cramped) all attached to a bathroom and common room. The common room had two couches and a TV, and there was a good amount of space left over. The bathroom had two stalls and two showers.</p>
<p>I also got to see a freshman dorm while I was there, and even though it was tight, it was certainly livable. It had a double and a single attached to a small common room and bathroom. The double was a little small, so they vaulted the bed to get more floorspace.</p>
<p>Muyloca57: You must have gotten one of the beautiful rooms on the website that my daughter was hoping for! :)</p>