# First-Year Living ## expand\_more ![Harvard Yard in the Fall](/sites/g/files/omnuum7076/files/dso/files/yard_resize.jpg) ## As a first-year student, you'll live in one of the residential neighborhoods called Yards, which are located at the geographic and historic center of College life. ### First-Year Student Housing First-year students are required to live on campus, and the College and the [First-Year Experience Office](/first-year-experience) share the goal of ensuring that every first-year student will be able to live in Harvard-affiliated housing. We also recognize the importance of the first year in building a sense of class identity. ### First-Year Housing Questionnaire The summer before you arrive on campus, you'll be asked to complete your First-Year Housing Questionnaire. Your Resident Deans will take great care in reading your questionnaire, which helps in assigning your suitemates and entryways for the year. You will be asked to describe yourself, your habits, and your preferences honestly and completely. ### Community One of the most rewarding experiences for first-year students is the opportunity to be a part of a close-knit residential community. Your dorm's entryway will be made up of between roughly 20 and 40 students who will share your floor or another designated area within a building. ### Accommodations Accommodations range from eighteenth-century buildings, which housed the earliest Harvard students as well as George Washington's troops, to our newest twentieth-century accommodations in Canaday Hall. Most dorms have suites with two to four bedrooms and a common room and house between three and six students. A few have private bathrooms, but most share bathrooms with other suites. We assign students to suites rather than to specific bedrooms. In almost any suite, you should expect to share a bedroom for at least part of the year. Some dorms contain doubles, usually one fairly large room with a shared bath. Very few singles are available. All dorms and Harvard Yard are smoke-free. ### Facilities Operations - If you’re locked out of your dorm room, please contact Securitas at 617-496-9370. - If you have a non-emergency facilities concern or work request, please fill out a [Work Order via PRESTO](https://www.netcasters.com/cgi-bin/fas/dms/request.pl). ### Housing Assignments You will receive an email with your housing assignment at the end of July or the first week of August. ### Amenities Several dorms feature amenities like printing, laundry rooms, kitchens, common rooms, and music practice rooms. All first-year students are welcome to use these spaces, even if they don’t reside in that particular dorm. You can view [this interactive map](https://map.harvard.edu/firstyeardorms/) to see each dorm’s resources. All dorms are a short walk to Annenberg Dining Hall, the Harvard Yard Mail Center, classrooms, libraries, and the Malkin Athletic Center. ### Common Rooms You may reserve Yard common rooms for your own social events, but not for events hosted by student organizations. Learn more about [hosting events in the dorms](/hosting-first-year-events). ### Kitchens Some first-year dorms have kitchens for student use, but all first-year students may access them. To find the kitchen nearest you, use this [interactive map](https://map.harvard.edu/firstyeardorms/). Kitchens are equipped with stoves, sinks, and ovens. Students may [borrow kitchenware](/borrowing-programs) from the First-Year Experience Office, free of charge, for three days at a time. ### Music Practice Rooms ### Reserving Time expand\_more Music practice rooms must be reserved in advance by logging into the FAS [RoomBook](https://roombook.harvard.edu/) online reservation system and selecting the "First-Year Music Room Reservations" template. ### Guidelines for Use expand\_more - **Musical instruments (including voice) should be practiced in designated music practice rooms in order to maintain reasonable noise levels in entryways.** - Only first-year students are permitted to use the spaces. - Rooms are available from 9:00 am to 11:00 pm. - Limit the use of rooms to an hour at a time and no more than three hours a day. - Disinfect all surfaces after use with sanitizing supplies provided in each space. - No food or drinks permitted. - Students may use the heater(s) and air conditioners, but please power off after use. - Drums and amplifiers are not allowed in any music practice room. - Do not store your equipment in the music practice rooms. - Music room windows must remain closed at all times. - Please always be considerate of your neighbors. ### Locations expand\_more - Greenough Basement - Holworthy Basement - Matthews Basement (two wheelchair accessible rooms) - Straus A Basement - Straus C Basement - Wigglesworth C Basement - Wigglesworth D Basement ### Pianos expand\_more [Yamaha AvantGrand hybrid pianos](https://usa.yamaha.com/products/musical_instruments/pianos/avantgrand/n2/index.html) are available in each of the music practice rooms. These volume-controlled pianos can be played acoustically or silently with headphones. You must supply your own headphones if you prefer to play silently. If you encounter an issue with one of the pianos, please [contact us](mailto:firstyear@fas.harvard.edu). Accomplished players who are interested in performance-grade pianos are also encouraged to inquire about practice pianos in the [Department of Music](http://music.fas.harvard.edu/). #### Printers [All dorms](https://map.harvard.edu/firstyeardorms/) are equipped with printers for student use. Installing and printing to Crimson Print requires that your device be on either Harvard's wired network or Harvard Secure wireless. For installation instructions, please see the [Set up and print with Crimson Print](https://harvard.service-now.com/ithelp?id=kb_article&sys_id=c8ebe9a1dbd7401096ab5682ca961934) article. [Costs](https://harvard.service-now.com/ithelp?id=kb_article&sys_id=16888ec21b1ad418351ceb9bbc4bcb83#h1) range from $0.03 - $0.15. ### Borrowing Programs First-year students, proctors, and PAFs are welcome to borrow items from the FYE's collection. Items available to check out include: - Board and lawn games - Exercise equipment - Grills (proctors only) - Kitchen items - Tables and chairs (proctors only) - Video projectors and screens #### [Explore borrowing programs](/borrowing-programs) ## The Yards [### Crimson Yard ](/crimson-yard)- Greenough - Hurlbut - Pennypacker - Wigglesworth ![The Crimson Yard proctor community shield and lock-up.](/sites/g/files/omnuum7076/files/styles/hwp_16_9__480x270/public/2025-04/ProctorCommunityVerticalShields_CrimsonYard.png?itok=zYaDy0m_) [### Elm Yard ](/elm-yard)- Grays - Matthews - Weld ![The Elm Yard proctor community shield and lock-up.](/sites/g/files/omnuum7076/files/styles/hwp_16_9__480x270/public/2025-04/ProctorCommunityVerticalShields_ElmYard.png?itok=GJj8d7xJ) [### Ivy Yard ](/ivy-yard)- Apley - Hollis - Holworthy - Lionel - Mass Hall - Mower - Stoughton - Straus ![The Ivy Yard proctor community shield and lock-up.](/sites/g/files/omnuum7076/files/styles/hwp_16_9__480x270/public/2025-04/ProctorCommunityVerticalShields_IvyYard.png?itok=dKHVtKUC) [### Oak Yard ](/oak-yard)- Canaday - Thayer ![The Oak Yard proctor community shield and lock-up.](/sites/g/files/omnuum7076/files/styles/hwp_16_9__480x270/public/2025-04/ProctorCommunityVerticalShields_OakYard.png?itok=vykDtziB) ## Student Stories ### My First-Year Residential Life Experience and Dorm Tour **Inno '25** Residential life can be one of the most significant experiences of any student at Harvard College. [ Read the Story arrow\_circle\_right ](https://college.harvard.edu/student-life/student-stories/my-first-year-residential-life-experience-and-dorm-tour) ![students outside their dorm holding a banner](/sites/g/files/omnuum7076/files/styles/hwp_1_1__480x480/public/dso/files/3.2.jpg?itok=K7cXZ94l) ## Useful Links [Residential Portal](http://harvard.starrezhousing.com/starrezportalx) [Harvard College Housing Office](https://collegehousing.fas.harvard.edu/) [Student Organization Center Online (SOCO)](https://soco.college.harvard.edu/) [Reserve a Space](https://roombook.harvard.edu/) [my.harvard](http://my.harvard.edu/) [Submit a Work Order](https://www.pin1.harvard.edu/pin/default.asp?__authen_application=FAS_PHYS_RES_DMS) [HUDS Menu](http://www.foodpro.huds.harvard.edu/foodpro/menu_items.asp?type=30&meal=1) [Handbook for Students](https://handbook.college.harvard.edu/) [College Facebook](https://facebook.college.harvard.edu//searchform) [Ten Year Calendar](https://registrar.fas.harvard.edu/ten-year-calendar)