‘It's Not Like Goodbye’: Students Seek Convenience, Friends With Interhouse Transfer

Since being sorted into Pforzheimer House as a freshman, Kyle E. Neeley ’26 said he has “grown to really love” the Radcliffe Quadrangle.

“A lot of people say that, ‘Oh, you get the Quad and then you discover you love it,’” he said. “That’s kind of what happened to me.”

But Neeley said that since entering Pfoho, he became close friends with two students living in different Houses. Earlier this month, Neeley and his friend applied to transfer to Quincy House so that the trio could live together their senior year.

“I really wanted to live with a few of my friends, and so making sure I gave myself an opportunity to make that happen while I was in college was kind of just the priority,” he said.

Neeley and his friend were two of the nearly 200 students who applied in the February interhouse transfer applications, according to Harvard College spokesperson Jonathan Palumbo. And while their applications were approved on Feb. 17, many other students’ attempts to transfer Houses were unsuccessful.

In interviews with interhouse transfer applicants, The Crimson found that proximity to friends and clubs — as well as dissatisfaction with House infrastructure — were the primary motivators leading students to seek a new home on campus.

As an intercollegiate transfer, Loughran “Lock” L. Cabe ’27 — a Cabot House resident — hoped to join his friends in Quincy, as he was unable to build a blocking group. Though Cabe ranked five River Houses, his interhouse transfer application was ultimately rejected.

“I’m an intercollegiate transfer, so this is my first year at Harvard and I landed in Cabot,” he said. “I love my housing. I really love Cabot, but all the activities I engage in and most of the people I spend time with are down at the River.”

Avery B.J. Kim ’27 — a Cabot House resident— ran into a similar dilemma, since his clubs have “weekly or biweekly meetings somewhere in the River.” Since Kim could not swing by his House in the middle of the day, he would often be away from his dorm for long stretches.

“A lot of the time, I would get up pretty early, around 8 a.m. I would leave my dorm, and then I wouldn’t be back until 1 a.m. or so,” he said.

While Kim successfully transferred to Adams House, Cabe was not so lucky. He plans on submitting a second round application before the deadline on May 18 — when junior and senior housing lotteries will likely have already occurred.

“So I’ll be a floater instead, which is frustrating, but again, nothing really to complain about,” he said.

Eunice S. Chon ’25-’26 applied to transfer from Kirkland House to Mather House to live and graduate with her brother, who is a junior at the College.

“I only have a year left with my brother to be able to be so close to him and study with him before we go off on different paths,” she said. “I think it’ll be nice to spend it with somebody who means the most to me in my life.”

The College’s commencement schedule also drew Chon to transfer. During commencement, each House hosts its own graduation and diploma presentation ceremony, with the events often happening concurrently.

“It always bothered me that our parents might have to choose one child at our graduation,” Chon said. “I thought it would also be nice if we could graduate together, so our parents could see both of us graduate and get our diplomas.”

Mei Fujimura ’27 similarly sought out opportunities to live closer to friends, transferring from Lowell to Kirkland.

Currently living in a hallway single in Lowell, Fujimura felt disconnected from her friends in the House. With her successful transfer to Kirkland, she hopes to live in a suite her junior year.

Beyond extracurricular commitments and proximity to friends, students also said they decided to transfer because of qualms with their House’s infrastructure.

Isabelle N.W. Ravanas ’27, a resident of Currier House, entered the interhouse transfer application to be closer to her friends and find a more “discreet” housing situation.

Ravanas pointed to Currier’s single entry as a point of frustration, despite it being “touted as its greatest strength,” she said.

“Everyone runs into everyone at all times, but I think that some of us are a bit more just discreet,” Ravanas said. “Sometimes it’s just nice to be able to just go back to your room, not have to interact with anyone.”

Landon T. Elks ’27, resident of Currier House and member of The Crimson’s Business board, described Currier’s aesthetic as a “70’s hospital cafeteria.”

“It was built new enough where they haven’t renovated recently, but it’s still old — and not old where it’s a nice aesthetic,” he said.

Elks’ major qualm with Currier housing was that his blocking group was “completely scattered” throughout its various buildings. But he said the group recognized that it would be unlikely that they could all move to the river together.

“We looked at it as a prisoner’s dilemma because not everyone, not all eight of us, are going to be able to successfully transfer,” he said. “If each of us are individually optimizing, it’s better off for us all to try to transfer out, but then not all of us are going to get it.”

Elks’ blocking group settled on three members applying to transfer, though all were rejected and will temporarily remain at Currier.

As students gear up to try their luck in the second round of transfer applications, Neeley said his move from Pfoho is “bittersweet.”

“I’ve really grown to love the community as well as my friends in Pfoho,” he said, but added he looks forward to seeing his other friends around campus.

“So it’s not like goodbye in any sense of the word,” Neeley said.

—Staff writer Hiral M. Chavre can be reached at hiral.chavre@thecrimson.com. Follow her on X @h_chavre.

—Staff writer Darcy G Lin can be reached at darcy.lin@thecrimson.com.