HGSE Admissions Blog

Author: Anastacia Kay (pictured above) is a Master’s Student in Specialized Studies

What type of housing are you in? 
My husband and I live in a 1-bedroom Harvard Housing unit, only 1 block away from Harvard Yard.  I have to admit, the apartment search was very stressful.

The previous year I attended Harvard’s Summer School and and we ended up subletting 45 minutes away from campus in Medford. During that brief experience I learned that a late-night bus or a T commute in all kinds of weather is the last thing I want after a long day of classes, events and library study sessions.

I also learned how comfortable Harvard’s Evening Van service is [it’s an on-demand Uber-like van app, that picks you up and takes you to any location within the campus area completely for free] along with the M2 line [a free bus for Harvard students that connects the main campus with MIT and the medical school].

Harvard Housing units are naturally located on campus, however, as you might find out next year, Harvard Housing does not let you see the apartment (or the pictures of your exact apartment) before signing the 9-12 months lease. It felt like a huge risk, but I thank myself every day for taking that lease!

What’s good and what’s bad about it?
The best thing about our apartment is the location. I’m literally minutes away from Lamont (a huge undergrad library, which is open 24/7) and the yard. Need more / less layers of clothing, forgot something at home, need to take a 30-minute afternoon nap? I’ve done it all! With all your life revolving around professional and social events on campus, living on campus is incredibly convenient. If like me you come from a country where students do not normally live on campus – I definitely urge you to give it a try! School can be stressful, but this living arrangement will definitely raise your quality of life! 

Another amazing thing about Harvard Housing is the complimentary responsive maintenance team. You log a request online and depending on urgency someone will be there at your apartment to take care of things within hours. You don’t need to be there either, just come back and enjoy your fixed apartment!

How do you get to campus and how long does it take?
3 minutes to the yard, 8 minutes to HGSE

Advice to next year’s class on finding housing?
If you sign up for Harvard Housing lottery and end up with one of the last days view and select windows, just like we did, don’t despair. Apartments are being added to the list on the rolling basis as people move in or decide to not sign the leases. Just keep checking the site daily and you likely will find something. We found ours in July, way after the original view and select window closed.

Video Tour

Do you speak Russian? If yes, check out Anastacia’s house tour on YouTube. Even if you don’t speak Russian you can take a look at her space.

Part Two: Belmont

I live in Belmont with my husband, young daughter and our 80-pound dog. I commute into campus daily on the #73 bus, and it usually takes about thirty minutes. The commute time can vary greatly based on weather, schedule and traffic. We chose to live in Belmont because it was easier to find pet friendly units, its proximity to Cambridge, and it offered less expensive rent related to square footage. 

The only real disadvantage to living outside of Cambridge is once I travel home I am less likely to return to Cambridge for an evening event. However, with some planning ahead of time this isn’t usually an issue.