Kirkland House

Residents of this lively house like to boast that entering freshmen have "won the lottery." Once characterized by a preponderance of varsity athletes, Kirkland now houses a group of students that belies categorization. With only about 380 undergrads, Kirkland is the smallest and arguably most tight-knit of the upperclass houses; everyone knows just about everyone else, if not from eating together in the intimate dining hall then from hooking up with them at the annual "Incest Fest," the traditionally debaucherous culmination of the week-long Christmas-time Secret Santa festivities. Throughout the week, residents swarm the dining hall to watch the hysterical skits performed by "Elves" for their "Santees." It is this sense of comfort and genuine fun that characterizes Kirkland living and truly makes the House a "home." Perhaps the glue of the house community is security guard Bob Butler, a living encyclopedia of everything from ‘60s pop to Bible trivia to birthdays. Just dare him to guess your sign. Don't let Bob's gruff demeanor fool you—he cares a lot more than he lets on. Consisting of the main building and the adjacent Annex, Kirkland offers a range of Georgian-style rooms with hardwood floors, fireplaces, and private bathrooms. Sophomores will likely find their setups a bit snug, but spacious junior and senior housing proves well worth the wait.

DeWolfe St. Housing The newest addition to Harvard housing, postmodern DeWolfe appropriately harkens back to the old days of College residency. Residents should consider themselves lucky to be in this country club of dorms. DeWolfe serves as satellite housing for Dunster, Eliot, Kirkland, Mather, Quincy, and Winthrop. Suites come in one or two-bedroom varieties, and all have living rooms, refrigerators, stoves, dishwashers, wall-towall carpeting, capacity for cable television, and climate control. Elevators and digital washers and dryers make accommodations positively sumptuous. But all is not perfect in condoland—four students must share the two-bedroom suites (unless you're from Eliot or in a lucky senior group), and residents have complained that DeWolfe isolates them from life (and mail) in their Houses. The nearest dining hall, Leverett, receives packs of ravenous DeWolves at mealtime.

Dining Hall & Facilities Kirkland is known College-wide for its bright, beautiful dining room and always yummy food. The nearest source of sustenance to Dillon Field House, the dining hall is a favorite of athletes and, consequently, sometimes crowded at dinner. A tip for Kirkland dining: don't look for napkin dispensers on the dining tables; the Masters don't believe they're aesthetically pleasing. You'll feel right at home studying American history in Hicks House, a colonial home-turned-library (built in 1762 and moved next to Kirkland when the MAC was built), with small and comfortable individual rooms as well as 200+ movies available to checkout. During the Revolutionary War, Washington's troops slept here—you will too. Weekly Boat Club meetings of Kirkland's championship IM Crew team feature delicious homemade hot cocoa and cookies. Kirkland also has a fantastic Grill, monthly Stein clubs, a computer lab with fax and Xerox machines, a darkroom, a newly renovated and fully-equipped weight room, pool and foosball tables, ping pong, nightly movie showings, and an extensive network of underground hangouts. Open houses in the Masters' Residence are sweet. Don't miss the Whoopie Room.