Freshman Guide: A Look at the Houses

In this year, freshmen were required to specify a first, second, and third choice on their House applications. For their enlightenment, and to the amusement of upperclassmen who knew better the CRIMSON began publishing an annual series of House profiles.

This year, the selection decisions have been transfered from the Masters to a committee on Assignments, composed of Faculty members. Students are permitted to send letters of preference to Dean Monro, stating "substantial reasons" for seeking admission to a particular House. Masters will be able to request the assignment of freshmen falling in a category--such as actors--or of particular roommate groups who send letters requesting admission to their Houses. Assignments will, however, be based primarily on a quota system which seeks to give each house a cross-section of the class.

The differences between the Houses are only minor, and it is likely that all freshmen will be happy wherever they land. But for those who feel they would like to express a preferences, the following articles seek to give a general impression of each House, and an indication of each one's particular virtues which may corroborate "substantial reasons" that freshmen have already found for themselves.

A final note of caution: each article is written by a CRIMSON writer living in the House. Despite a certain attempt at objectivity, the articles represent the personal impressions of the writer.