Winthrop House
Quirks & Perks
There’s no better word to describe Winthrop House than community — something special is always brewing.
“We are reinventing and reimagining and adding our own spin to Winthrop,” said HoCo Co-Chair Bessem Enow ’24. Let’s call in the receipts to prove it: Community dinner nights with raffles to win Winthrop Swag and meet fellow Winthropians. Endless Steins to highlight and bring together different communities, from Karaoke Stein to ValenStein to Hispanic Heritage Month Stein. The annual Arbella Spring Formal (did we mention it was on a yacht?!). You name it, Winthrop’s got it!
This strong sense of community is carried throughout the faculty and staff at Winthrop House. “Goretti is our dhall swiper. Everyone knows her and she knows all of us by name. All of our dhall staff is amazing,” said HoCo Co-Chair Melanie M. Armella ’24. The dhall is central to Winthrop – every night the place comes alive, filled with chatter, laughter, and vibes, all to a top-tier dhall playlist curated by yours truly, Winthrop’s amazing dhall staff.
And, we cannot forget about Winthrop’s cutest pets, who may just be on par with Remy. There's the iconic Annie the dog and the lovely Porkchop the cat. Make sure to befriend them as you’ll want them as your ally when you’re racing around campus on Bluebikes to win the Winthrop scavenger hunt (which comes with tons of bragging rights).
The truth is simple. No one moves out of Winthrop. People try to move in. As Armella put it, “You’re not gonna cry on Housing Day when we pull up.”
All About Housing
If you aren’t sold yet, just wait until you hear about the housing. Winthrop has three impressive halls: Standish, Gore, and Beren, and this past year Fairfax was introduced for overflow housing (apartment style located right above J.P. Licks!). Arguably, Winthrop House has the best sophomore dorms: “We have a disproportionate amount of singles, so a lot of people do get singles,” says Enow. Another common sophomore dorm is a massive double (also a W).
If Winthrop falls short in one place, it’s… JK no places! Winthrop does not fall short anywhere, especially not when it comes to prime lounging and common areas. There’s the historical JFK Suite where many special IOP guests stay, as well as the eight-man party suite. The Beren Rooftop Room is another wonderful hosting space with a stunning view of the river. And, of course, we cannot forget the Lion’s Den, featuring pool tables, foosball, TVs, couches — perfect for late Friday nights or Sunday watch parties.
Winthrop House is also home to the best napping places. “I love a nap on the hammock,” says Armella, to which Bessem also adds, “I have fallen asleep on them.” Other prime napping locations include anywhere in the gorgeous courtyard (there’s an iconic tire swing there too!), beanbags in the Standish basement, and honestly anywhere in the Winthrop library (just place a textbook under your head and let the knowledge seep into you).
Your Questions, Answered
Still reading because you can’t get enough info about Winthrop? Listen to what the HoCo chairs had to say:
If you had to describe your house in 3 words what would they be?
BE: Classy.
MMA: Community and light.
What’s the biggest misconception about your house?
BE: That we’re snooty and stuck-up, but we’re bougie.
MMA: Everyone who is a part of this house, genuinely, is so down to earth. People just come and want to make you feel understood, and people are just super well meaning here. I think you can especially see it in our dhall and in our time spent here and the interactions with staff. This is truly such an inclusive community.
If you had to change one thing about your house what would it be?
MMA: I would make it bigger. I would have more people be a part of Winthrop. Open it up to more people and share the wealth.
If you had to liken your house to a fruit, what fruit would it be and why?
MMA: An orange because oranges are meant to be shared with people you love, the way I would peel an orange and give off little pieces to my friends. I think Winthrop is all about that: sharing fun experiences with your friends.
What side of TikTok would your house be on?
MMA: Our house would definitely have a bit of an athletic side of TikTok but also keeping up with the trends. We know what’s going on but we’d have our own twist on it. We’re not the super mainstream TikTok — we’ve got a little edge to us.
If you could describe your House with a HUDS dish, what would it be?
MMA: Sunday Sundaes.
Fave sidechat post about your house?
MMA: I saw a post about our Arbella formal and how fun it was which I think is true!
Could Winthrop be where you call home for the next three years?