My name is Jeanie Nguyen. I\u2019m currently a rising Harvard undergraduate junior, 20 years old and I spent the first 18 years of my life mostly in Southern California. So yes, I love Avocado (like it\u2019s a real person, hence the capitalization\/personification) and I can be quite snobby about my Mexican food (but Taco Bell is totally legitimate and if you don\u2019t think so, you obviously haven\u2019t had a chalupa<\/a>). Essentially, I talk about being from Southern California like it\u2019s something to brag about. I\u2019m that premedical student who carries band-aids, burn ointment, and eye drops wherever I travel; and I\u2019m concentrating in Neurobiology (major), secondarying in Global Health and Health Policy (minor), and pursuing a Spanish Language citation. I\u2019m pretty adventurous\/spontaneous: I love trying new things whether that\u2019s food or activities!<\/p>\n In addition to warning everyone of my incredible bias, I also need to have a length disclaimer. My answers are really long, ramble for an eternity, and are probably only partially applicable at best. I throw out tons of information that I would have appreciated someone else telling me, but I\u2019m really random and minor-detail oriented. If you don\u2019t hate it, keep the questions coming! \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n Question 1<\/span>:<\/em> What would you say is the “best” dorm around?<\/p>\n At Harvard College, the freshman live in the center of campus \u2013 called The Yard \u2013 and these buildings are colloquially termed \u201cdorms.\u201d Most people know about Harvard Yard because it\u2019s the heart of campus and where the oh so popular John Harvard statue is. The Yard is always beautifully manicured \u2013 even after such wildly muddy events like Yardfest and Harvard\u2019s 375th<\/sup>Birthday Party \u2013 so living here your first year is such a marvelous privilege!!<\/p>\n Harvard’s 375th Birthday Celebration = Tons of people in the Yard + Rain = Mud for days!<\/p><\/div>\n Since the university follows a residential college way of housing, after your freshman year, you move out of the yard (reluctantly?) and into upperclassman houses \u2013 or \u201cHouses\u201d for short. You stay in the same House for your remaining time as a student although you move in and out of different rooms within the same House. Dorm locations are definitely ideal, but the love and community concomitant to House life is worth the 15 minute walk in the morning!!<\/p>\n I lived in Wigglesworth as a freshman. A lot of my non-Harvard friends were genuinely upset with me that I didn\u2019t immediately tell them that I lived in a building called Wigglesworth. The name is actually somewhat fitting as it lies above the subway (colloquially called the T) so when the subway trains pass, you can feel the floors of Wigglesworth (Wigg) tremble \u2013 not annoying as it sounds! But then again, I lived on the third floor so I felt less of the impact. My really good friends were on the first floor though and I was never bothered by it. I also studied a lot on the second floor so I feel like my opinion takes a lot of perspectives into account!<\/p>\n There\u2019s this period of time during the summer \u2013 I think it begins after the day you commit to your college of choice \u2013 where your future fellow college peers start friending you on Facebook. Although I normally hate adding people I don\u2019t know, I felt really obligated to accept because I just wanted to be accepted!! Haha you really don\u2019t have to accept \u2013 and you really shouldn\u2019t accept unless you\u2019re comfortable with casually exclaiming \u201cOh yeah! I know you because we\u2019re friends on Facebook!\u201d in a lot of conversations. This Facebook thing is applicable to the questions because I remember a great deal of people posting about how they were hoping to get Wigglesworth so when my housing letter came in the mail, I was excited about the result!<\/p>\n Wigg is known for its hard wood floors (so much better than nasty carpet that can stain easily!) and fireplaces (although you can\u2019t use them). I\u2019m pretty sure all rooms in Wigg have a common room in addition to bedrooms although students always have the option of making their common room into a bedroom to maximize the number of available singles. Wigg also has the luxury of in-suite bathrooms so no yucky, typical college bathroom woes. We also have our own laundry room and trash room in the basement so we don\u2019t need to go far to take care of these chores (unlike student in Grays dorm for example). There\u2019s also a bigger common room in the basement with study tables, comfy couches and a big flat screen TV with cable for those dedicated to Grey\u2019s Anatomy and Gossip Girl.<\/p>\n My room was the only room on the third floor and was super spacious. I loved it! And so did my three roommates! Every time I walk pass my old room, I definitely look at it fondly. Between the four of us, we had one double bedroom and two singles. To be fair, we switched rooming situations half way through the year.<\/p>\n Our common room at its messiest while switching rooms!<\/p><\/div>\n Don’t judge us!<\/p><\/div>\n Also, I lived in the smallest subsection of Wigglesworth (there are three subsections), fondly termed the Wigglet and since only about ~30 students are lucky enough to live here each year, the community can get pretty close and just as cute as its name!<\/p>\n Wigglet (2010-2011) – Convocation Day in the Fall … 10 points to whoever can spot the baseball player in the popular Call Me, Maybe parody<\/p><\/div>\n Since Wigg lies on the perimeter of the Yard, along Massachusetts Avenue AKA Mass Ave, it can be a trek to Annenberg\/the Science Center which basically is on the opposite side of the Yard. However, there are many perks to being along a main road such as being < 3 minutes away from CVS<\/a> (convenience store), JP Licks<\/a> (dangerously delicious ice cream shop), and the T stop!<\/p>\n I can\u2019t even really think of any common ways people bashed Wigg. When you tell people you\u2019re from Wigg you generally get an excited response (since Wigg is a really large dorm and it’s likely that you’ll run into other Wigglers) or at least a nod of respectful approval. \u201cGo Wigg or Go Home!<\/strong>\u201d is a common phrase that should be chanted not only proudly, but frequently.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re already tired of my bias, I can\u2019t blame you. Here\u2019s my apology, please accept:<\/p>\n http:\/\/talk.collegeconfidential.com\/harvard-university\/755111-wigglesworth-good-bad.html<\/a><\/p>\n http:\/\/www.epinions.com\/review\/educ-Colleges_and_Universities-All-Harvard_University\/educ-review-10E4-319E6AB-39C555C4-prod5?sb=1<\/a><\/p>\n A more comprehensive overview (applicable to the unlucky ones \ud83d\ude09 )<\/p>\n http:\/\/fdo.fas.harvard.edu\/icb\/icb.do?keyword=k3806&pageid=icb.page346386&pageContentId=icb.pagecontent716927&view=view.do&viewParam_name=Dorms_Crimson.html<\/a><\/p>\n http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/List_of_Harvard_dormitories<\/a><\/p>\n Question 2<\/span>:<\/em> Any advice on packing stuff up\/shipping stuff out east?<\/p>\n At the airport before my freshman year began, en route to moving in – I couldn’t pack light if my life depended on it \ud83d\ude41<\/p><\/div>\n If you know my middle name, you would never ask me this question. A lot of people would consider me a bad packer. I can\u2019t say that I completely disagree, especially after my catastrophe at the end of my sophomore year<\/a>. However, my reputation is sort of like a misnomer! I tend to never schedule sufficient time to pack adequately, but I do pack smart!<\/p>\n My friends are most impressed by how meticulously I pack. I weave dryer sheets in between my clothes when I pack them, especially if the clothes will be packed for a long time, so they always come out smelling like I just washed them! Additionally, Instead of putting things straight into a cardboard box\/suitcase, I generally like to put it in a trash bag first. This trash bag method is awesome because it serves as another bad odor prevention mechanism. I also found this method helpful while traveling Europe this summer because I stayed in dorm-like hostels where I shared bedrooms with strangers so I would be uneasy about the security of my belongings; but since any potential thief would have to go through my trash bag first, it would probably wake me up too!<\/p>\n I make tons of paper copies of my name and phone number that I put not only on the exterior of the box, but the interior too. This is an idiot proof method when storing boxes in a common area which is the kind of storage Harvard provides (to students outside a certain radius). If anyone accidentally\/not-so-accidentally takes your box, there\u2019s really no way to justify them playing dumb since my information is everywhere!<\/p>\n When storing my boxes in a common area, I also like to tape newspaper to the outer sides of my boxes for easy identification. Some people like to use wild duck tape, but these types of tape are commonly sold in stores so multiple people may have the same tape. No one really tapes newspaper and since the surface area of newspapers is larger than duck tape, it\u2019s also easier to spot in a room that\u2019s literally filled from floor to ceiling with boxes! Newspaper is also free!! Woo!<\/p>\n I also enjoy performing activities in an economic fashion. This is really just a fancy way of saying that I\u2019m cheap. However, I\u2019ll never be cheap with packing tape. You need to buy the good stuff and use tons of it because it\u2019s not worth it ever if a box rips and your belongings become separated\/lost! Friends also become eternally grateful for your extra tape.<\/p>\n Being cheap also means that I hate buying boxes too! I would much rather put money towards my churro funds rather than cardboard. Definitely ask stores for their cardboard boxes since most recycle them anyway. I tend to rely on my parents\u2019 company for boxes when I\u2019m at home.<\/p>\n As for physically relocating things to campus, make sure to triple check your baggage allowances on your mode of transportation and don\u2019t be shy about asking for student discounts. It never hurts to try. Domestically, I usually fly with Southwest airlines because they allow 2 free checked bags and a carry on which is the most \u201cfree\u201d I\u2019ve ever experienced. Fortunately, my parents flew out to help me move in so I called dibs on their check ins!<\/p>\n I literally imagined myself dying in the cold from my first East Coast winter and thought I had to buy tons of coats before leaving, but this is definitely not something you have to do. It\u2019s hard to find appropriate coats in Southern California anyways. I\u2019ve conformed and have become a big fan of the Northface brand though. You may not want to admit this to your parents, but you really don\u2019t need a new wardrobe!<\/p>\n Embracing the cold before Freshman Formal #YOLO<\/p><\/div>\n I still wear my SoCal tanks and tees under a big coat in the winter. Your coat just needs to be good enough to withstand the wind + rain + snow for your <15 minute walk to class because your classrooms will be waiting for you all warm and toasty! Note that umbrellas don\u2019t help!! Buy a wonderfully comfortable coat with a hood to strut in because it\u2019s typically too windy for umbrellas and you wouldn\u2019t want to hold an umbrella anyways! All you want to do in the winter outside is to bury your hands in your pockets.<\/p>\n Rainboots are a separate case from coats though. It rained within the first three or four days of my arrival on campus and I\u2019ve never regretted investing in some rainboots as a preemptive strike. Every time I walk in\/through a puddle in rainboots, I\u2019m still incredulous that my socks aren\u2019t soaked!!<\/p>\n If you were spoiled with amazing weather all the time like me, don\u2019t let the threat of East Coast winters scare you!! I love experiencing four seasons.\u00a0In fact, it\u2019s best to experience leafy autumns and snowy winters in college where you don\u2019t have to rake or shovel anything yourself!!!<\/p>\n Definitely not raking anything…<\/p><\/div>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Question 3<\/span>:<\/em> What are some of the must-sees\/must-dos at Harvard?<\/p>\n This is one of the more difficult questions to answer because interests vary so widely. But I hate it when people use that as an answer to a question. I\u2019m already incredibly biased and don\u2019t want to be hypocritical too!<\/p>\n When I think back through my time as a Harvard College student, there are definitely some defining moments. I LOVED embracing the East Coast culture and being a coxswain for the Men\u2019s Heavyweight Crew team<\/a>! Definitely one of the best, once in a lifetime experiences!!<\/p>\n I\u2019ve said it before and I won\u2019t ever stop saying that one of my ultimate, favorite aspects of Harvard is the people! I\u2019m obsessed with sitting around and doing absolutely nothing but getting to know my peers. Everyone is so freaking interesting and hilarious! We\u2019ve also collectively racked up enough good stories for a lifetime. It\u2019s come to that point where I\u2019d say our lives are more interesting than TV \u2013 interesting, not dramatic!<\/p>\n Most of my greatest memories are on campus\/campus events \u2013 like meeting celebrities!!! You\u2019ll be on tons of email listservs as a student where the spam can be annoying but a lot of the pubbed events are super interesting\/exciting opportunities!!<\/p>\n I believe in Harvey Dent!<\/p><\/div>\n <\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Representing the Wigglet around Shaq!!! Casual run in…<\/p><\/div>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/blogs.law.harvard.edu\/collegeadmissionsstudentblog\/files\/2012\/06\/34-yard-mud-300x225.jpg\")
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