Pforzheimer House
You’ve definitely heard of the Belltower suite. As a matter of fact, you’ve probably even been there, and forgot about it the next morning. It’s finally time to learn about the rest of this fabulous house. It’s fine if you can barely pronounce the name; Pforzheimer’s pfeatures will have you knowing you won the Housing Lottery. Massage chairs? Quad Grille? Duplexes, n+1 housing, and hallway singles—oh my! This Quad house will make the shuttle ride to class more than worth it.
All About Housing
Sophomores in Pfoho aren’t sequestered to one part of the house, so if you’re getting tired of your peers, don’t fret. There’s an abundance of sophomores in Moors Hall and on certain floors of Comstock and Holmes, but if you’re one of the blessed and are allotted a dorm in the Jordans, say hello to the most recently remodeled rooms in Pfoho with attached kitchenettes.
Pfoho House Committee co-chair Mo Kim ’18 has ~statistically analyzed~ the housing situation, and estimates that when at capacity—a cozy 387 people—sophomores have about a 95% chance of getting better than n-1 housing. Future Pfoho-sers, if your horoscope said anything about space to grow as a person, this is what it meant. Connected singles, baby! From there on, it just gets better. Juniors and seniors enjoy duplexes that are comfortable enough to host small ragers but still have some personal space when the common room gets too gross (read: full of freshmen) to hang out in.
Speaking of party suites, Pfoho is (pfo)home (we know, it’s both catchy and disturbing) to the infamous Belltower suite in Moors Hall, identifiable all through the Quad at night by its strobe lighting and, well, the belltower it’s in. The Belltower is the biggest suite in the house, and actually has its own separate lottery process. It comes with huge windows—great for its sweaty parties—and a gorgeous view. If you’re not a fan of this Quad party staple, however, Pfoho’s Igloo is a cool alternative for a less intense event.
Community
If there’s one thing that Pfoho takes as seriously as its overuse of the ‘pf’ joke, it’s building a strong community. They have countless cool programs to take advantage of. Weekly Pfoho Fridays are happy hours with catered food from Harvard Square classics, so you won’t have to miss Felipe’s or the Kong. Sign up for Pfull English Breakfasts, and join the faculty deans for a meal that’s worth waking up for on Saturday mornings. In the most hipster move ever, Pfoho has also recently adopted the Danish tradition of Hygge in the form of low-key fireside chillin’.
As for parties, the HoCo-organized Nineties Dance is getting more popular by the year. Put on your overalls and your crop tops, because people actually do show up in costumes for this fall event. If you want to take reliving the embarrassing past to a new level, Pfoho also hosts the Middle School Talent Show, where people pretend to be their pre-teen selves and perform seriously or for fun.
For the outdoorsy folk, House-funded Pfoho Pforays take you out of the Quad and into the wild, with past trips including ice skating, corn mazes, and deep-sea fishing. You’ll never have to complain about the Harvard bubble again.
Your Questions, Answered
What’s your favorite memory of your house?
Mo Kim ‘18: I would say, for me, sitting at Hygge next to the fireplace, and just seeing someone whose face I’ve seen before, and then just talking to them and realising we’ve been there for two hours. The event ends at ten, but they leave the fireplace on, so I’ve definitely had a lot of times when I’ve talked to someone and then been like, “Oh, it’s eleven and everyone’s gone.” Pfoho feels like a place [where] it’s very easy to make those organic connections.
What three words would you use to describe your house?
MK: Warm, eventful, supportive… I would probably add outdoorsy.
What’s one thing you want freshmen to know about your house?
MK: I think what I’d tell them is that, for one thing this is going to be your home away from home. And second, that a lot of freshmen don’t immediately feel included in the house, but at least in Pfoho, we want you to have ownership over this community. This community is shaped by you, and you get to define what it means for you. So, I think that’s really where our strength as a community lies, that people care—a lot. And that we also as an administration, with the faculty, we give students the space to shape house life the way they want it to be.
If you had to compare your Faculty Deans to any superheroes, which would they be and why?
MK: Wonder Woman and Thor. Anne does so much, I have no idea how she’s so busy and also such a good person. And then John is very charming, the same way a Norse mythical god is.
What Hogwarts House would you liken your house to?
MK: I would say Hufflepuff. In a lot of ways we’re a pretty dorky house, but we wear it on our sleeve.
If Pfoho were a fruit, which one would it be and why?
MK: I would say a mango. It’s a very bold, colorful fruit, but then you bite into it and it’s very sweet.
