Deadlines and Dorm Rooms: Aftermath

I don’t know what it is about Boston (well, let’s be honest; it’s probably the climate), but I always spend most of the fall/winter here in a semi-sick condition, slightly under the weather but not really sick. Occasionally it will get worse, if I don’t get enough sleep or have a really busy week, or etc. This past week, due to midterms and a paper that is finally finished, was one of those times; I’m feeling better now, but I had a slight fever for a couple days. Consequently, I’ve spent most of my time indoors, in bed, so this blog isn’t as eventful as most.

About the only place I went this weekend was to church. We sang quite a few more hymns than usual, including songs I don’t think I’ve heard in years. I didn’t realize how happy hearing them would make me; they remind me of sitting in church with my parents on Sunday nights growing up.

Most of my weekend was spent memorizing. I found several websites on the internet that provide free lists of information on various subjects. I’ve heard arguments that rote memorization takes away the point of learning, and obviously, lists of facts aren’t everything; you can’t memorize your way into a philosophical argument. Still, you can’t theorize properly unless you already have the facts well in hand. I also happen to find memorization extremely enjoyable. So I’ve found the weekend very interesting, but it doesn’t translate very well into blogging.

Since I didn’t do that much this week, I figured I’d end with a little more explanation about Harvard. I’ve put it in footnotes before, but perhaps it’s best to lay it all out in one place. So, here’s a rough outline that I hope makes sense:

Harvard University was founded as a college in 1636 primarily to trail clergymen. Later on, the graduate schools were added, and the University gained an international reputation for its liberal arts college and graduate studies programs. During this time, Harvard Yard served as the center of classes and dorms for the College; over time, as the college expanded, more buildings had to be built, although the Yard is still the center of academic activity at the college.

Some of these dorms were constructed along the Charles River, while others were converted from what was formerly Harvard’s female counterpart, Radcliffe College. The residential college was converted into an administrative building and a set of dorms, which is now what we affectionately term “the Quad” or more officially “the Harvard-Radcliffe Quadrangle.” It’s a 20-minute walk from Harvard Yard, although a shuttle also runs between the Quad and the Yard at most hours of the day. There are also shuttles to the dorms on the River, since some of them are nearly as far away from the Yard as we are.

This might also be a good time to compile some Harvard topographic terminology:

The Yard = Harvard Yard
The Quad = The Harvard Radcliffe Quadrangle
House = upperclassman dormitory
Dorm = freshman dormitory
Tudor = grad students who live in and semi-oversee the Houses
Proctor = grad students who live in and oversee the Dorms
House Master = professor overseeing the House
River Houses = group of Houses located between Harvard Yard and the Charles River
Quad Houses = group of Houses in the Quad
Quadling = resident of one of the Quad Houses
“Quad Life” = can have different meanings, depending on intonation, but generally refers to the inconvenience of having to walk twenty minutes to get anywhere

All freshman are required to live on campus and live in Dorms, most of which are around Harvard Yard. A few are further away and are occasionally referred to as “the freshman Quad Houses”. Upperclassmen may live off campus or in special housing, but the majority stay on campus in the Houses. All upperclassmen Houses are part of either the River or the Quad block.

It’s also good to note that Harvard isn’t closed off from Cambridge; it intermixes with the city. You’ll pass a Harvard dorm, and then a bunch of independent businesses or a residential area, and then a Harvard Class building, and then a shopping center, and etc. It’s hard to tell where Harvard stops and Cambridge begins.

I hope this helps you put these posts in context!

PS - I entirely forgot to mention that, while I didn't do much this weekend, a little while back I attended a talk at the Harvard Club of Boston (which was much more grand than I was expecting). The talk wasn't that interesting, but they did have some good show-and-tell items: