Adams House

As Housing Day approaches, FlyBy will serve as your personal rating agency with a complete rundown by a resident of each House. Not that you have any say (River Gods notwithstanding), but at least you’ll know whether your portfolio is getting a downgrade.

It's not as if FlyBy needs to convince you that you want to live in Adams House next year. We just want to remind you that a House doesn't automatically become the best just because you get placed in it. We’ve got an asset by asset breakdown of this coveted house after the jump.

Rooming: Ideal. It’s all about location, location, location, and Adams is prime real estate. Whether you live in A entryway or on the fifth floor of Claverly (overflow Adams/Lowell housing), any room in Adams is significantly closer to everything. The fifteen extra minutes of sleep you get because you can leave for class at 10:00 a.m. rather than 9:45 like your Mather friends will be more valuable than gold. As if that wasn’t enough, do the words “Gold Coast” mean anything to you? They imply that your room will have wood molding, a wood fireplace, and actually feel like a charming, historic Harvard dorm rather than a concrete box.

Now, it’s not all sunshine and rainbows. Your room is going to be old. You might even see some cockroaches. And if you live in Claverly, there aren’t underground tunnels to allow a leisurly pajama-clad walk to the d-hall.

But, you’ll never need to touch a shuttle schedule, much less walk down Cowperwaithe Street. And just think about all that extra sleep.

Dining Hall: Popular. Everyone wants to eat in Adams. That’s the problem. Adams residents are notoriously bitter about the overcrowding of Adams dining hall. Lucy’s much too nice to turn people away (unless she has Vinnie M. Chiappini's help), so the dining hall is frequently packed with non-Adams residents, making it nearly impossible to find a seat during peak hours. And once you do, good luck maneuvering your huge, awkward wooden chair.

But the dining hall isn’t entirely bad. Dining hall manager Dave A. Seley would do anything to make Adams residents happy and ensure they enjoy their dining experiences (or ensure the return of a stolen CEB Turf trophy).

Oh, and be prepared to have your dinner interrupted by the gong.

House List: Active. Schmooze is certainly one of, if not the liveliest of all the house e-mail lists. If you post something to Schmooze (the pretentious name of the Adams e-mail list), someone is probably going to respond. If you need fishnets and superglue, someone will offer them to you within minutes of your Schmooze request. And Adams residents always have something to say about a topic. See the great wrap/sandwich debate of 2009.

House Masters: Excellent. The Palfreys are very welcoming and extremely involved in House life. Good luck catching Sean G. Palfrey without a smile on his face (well, maybe if the IM tennis team loses a match). And make sure not to miss out on the incredible Apthorp Teas.

House Culture: Eccentric. The days of nude swimming parties may be behind us, but Adams still has its quirks. The underground tunnels are adorned with both interesting and odd paintings. Break out your formal wear for the annual black tie reading of “Winnie the Pooh” at the Winter Feast. And don’t forget Drag Night. Even the Palfreys participate. Adams House is certainly filled with characters—but friendly, hilarious, Adams-loving characters.

The Rating: AAA. You know you’ve wanted to live in Adams since the second day of school, when all your friends told you it was the best house at Harvard. And you know that if you see the Adams delegation outside your door next Thursday morning, you'll be ecstatic (not to mention the envy of all your friends). Adams is the best house. Period.

*Ratings run as such: [AAA > AA > A > BBB > junk > subprime]