<p>The drama surrounding blocking groups has been, well, dramatic from our perspective. Roommate issues, roommate abandonment, unblocked from the rest of the suite, schism in the suite, realignment into factions, different factions combine, reconnection with the suite, roommate splits to join another block . . . Are anyone's kids enjoying a sane and placid blocking experience?</p>
<p>Blocking is unfortunately institutionalized stress that is hard to avoid since it makes you pick your best friends. Now I’ve talked to various freshmen, and it appears that this blocking phase has been a less dramatic one than usual. I remember my year people were getting vicious with negative words and abandonment rampant. However, when it’s all done, most people will realize how ridiculous they were all acting, and in reality, true friends will make the effort to visit their good friends in other houses.</p>
<p>my blocking group talk:</p>
<p>“so, now that we’re all here in one place, maybe it’s time we had the talk.”</p>
<p>“so are we all blocking together?”</p>
<p>“yep”</p>
<p>“…”</p>
<p>“ok, talk over”</p>
<p>My son doesn’t seem to have much concern because he’s planning on blocking with his Christian Impact group. The bigger issue is what “house” they will be assigned. Does anyone know if the houses that are in the quad are really that much worse than the houses along the river? </p>
<p>Thanks for your help!</p>
<p>The Quad houses are generally much more spacious. There are many singles, which are much bigger than river house doubles. The dining halls are more spacious and light-filled than some of the older ones at Dunster, Eliot etc. The distance does means your student will either get more exercise, or ride the shuttle. The shuttles run frequently, and until the wee hours on the weekends.</p>
<p>Once the initial disappointment wears off, most students learn to love their non-river houses. They are required to live in them for at least a year before they apply for a change of house.</p>
<p>My son is a sophomore and last year all his friends formed blocking groups without him and he ended up going solo - no one to block with, quite an ego hit.</p>
<p>Also, he wanted a river house (like everyone else) and ended up at the Quad.</p>
<p>But like so many perceived diasaters it all worked out for the best.</p>
<p>My son had a pretty good personal blocking number so he ended up with the 2nd pick of all the sophomores in his house and ended up with a second floor single room with a great view.</p>
<p>Once he made friends with his house mates he forgot all about his freshmen dorm mates and the Quad turns out to be closer to the center of campus than some of the distant river houses and the walk is easy and uncrowded.</p>
<p>Bottomline - he’s happy. He thinks living in the houses is much better than the dorms. Don’t stress about the blocking craziness.</p>
<p>Thank you both so much! Yes, it can be very stressful since we are not from the area and I heard that the area around the quad can be a bit sketchy. Again, I’m not sure how true this is. My son heard this from a friend of his who doesn’t even attend Harvard. </p>
<p>Does anyone know when the housing assignments are assigned? Soon probably.</p>
<p>My older D lives at a quad house. She was initially disappointed and she and her two roommates had planned to transfer to a river house after sophomore year, but then learned that you can only transfer in pairs. So they made a commitment to their house and now love it. As stated above, the accommodations are great - lots of singles - and the dining hall is very nice. You get used to the shuttle or the walk. Their suite for six involves both sides of the hallway on two floors - you go in the living room on the fourth floor where there’s also a single BR, an internal staircase winds up to the fifth floor, where there are two other singles and the bathroom, then a door a story above the fourth floor hallway leads to the exact same configuration of rooms on the opposite side of the corridor, winding down to another living room across the hall on the fourth floor - very, very cool. I think the area around the quad is gorgeous - fabulous homes and quaint neighborhoods.</p>
<p>My daughter was quadded for pre-frosh weekend. It worked out just fine, and she didn’t know anything about the campus or anyone there!</p>
<p>It could also be handy to have a bike if you live in the quad. Then again, you wouldn’t believe how many bikes there are at the river houses.</p>
<p>I hear the assignments come on Thursday.</p>
<p>Dear Guitar101,</p>
<p>I definitely wouldn’t call the area around the Quad “sketchy”. I was there this weekend (we live nearby) and I would feel less comfortable walking to the Harvard river houses at midnight than walking to the Quad houses.</p>
<p>Garden Street runs straight from Harvard Yard to the Quad. Garden Street is lined with either Harvard admin buildings or $500k-$1m single family homes or condos. A large public park is at the end of Garden Street closest to Harvard Yard which I wouldn’t walk through at midnight but you can walk on the other side of the street and not even notice the Cambridge Common.</p>
<p>To get to the river houses you have to walk through the maze of little streets in Harvard Square where there are usually street musicians, homeless people, etc.</p>
<p>Don’t get me wrong, the Harvard area is relatively safe compared to other urban campuses but to me the Quad area seems quite safe.</p>
<p>Check it out on Google Street Views and you’ll see the areas as if you are walking the streets yourself.</p>
<p>Fun article from 2007 …</p>
<p>[The</a> Harvard Crimson :: Opinion :: You Are Where You Live](<a href=“http://www.thecrimson.harvard.edu/article.aspx?ref=517878]The”>http://www.thecrimson.harvard.edu/article.aspx?ref=517878)</p>
<p>The area around the River Houses (at least the area of Houses I’ve been in) is quite lovely too. No worries either way.</p>
<p>I love reading edgy satire and commentary written by The Crimson’s editorial staff! The prose is so polished and erudite that you might think for a minute that you’re reading Harper’s or one of its professional literary ilk, and then unmistakable rays of adolescence come bursting through. It’s great because just when the brilliance is about to rattle my middle-aged self-esteem, a writer starts talking inside trash to another campus group or drops an unnecessary dirty word to impress a fellow 19-year-old and I smile and think “Yup, they’re still kids, after all!”</p>
<p>Thanks everyone! I love how we all can come together and give comfort to one another. I appreciate everyone so much on this site. I feel soooooo much better now and I feel that my son will have a great experience wherever he’s assigned.</p>
<p>Hi All been a while since I posted. Not glad to hear that others have blocking drama but glad to hear that my D is not the only one with blocking drama!!! Glad it will all be over tomorrow!!! I am sure as you all say they will be happy in the end…</p>
<p>As for my son an update: he was accepted to MIT 2013! Now he is waiting for 31 March decisions (Harvard???) before making final decisions. I am just glad that he has gotten into college !!! Not that I doubted it but the sheer number of applicants makes you worry! And I am glad he has the opportunity to be in the same town as his sister if he wants!!!</p>
<p>“Their suite for six involves both sides of the hallway on two floors”</p>
<p>PfoHo? Those suites RULE!</p>
<p>EAO - How awesome would it be to have one at H and one at MIT? Congratulations!!!</p>
<p>Hanna- Phoho, fo sho’. The former Radcliffe quad was built back in the day to house the daughters of the bourgeoisie, so it’s got amenities.</p>
<p>EAO: Huge congrats to your son and to you! :)</p>
<p>Tell me again why Harvard’s system is better than Yale’s? Yale is 100% blocking-drama free, no one makes any jokes about not seeing your freshman friends again because that’s not a problem, and any disappointment people feel about getting assigned to Morse or Stiles (the only colleges anyone ever feels disappointed about) is felt long before they get there.</p>