9. The Quadrangle Recreational Athletic Facility (QRAC) is across the street: less crowded and more sanitary than the MAC.

10. The walk or bike ride on a beautiful day from the Quad to the Yard makes you appreciate life.

11. Porter Square, with a 24-hour Star Market, CVS and Dunkin' Donuts, a more interesting Pizzeria Uno, a Blockbuster Video and novel restaurants is only a 10-minute walk away. The best part: You feel very far away from Harvard when you go there.

12. The neighborhood just north of the Quad, where many Harvard professors and administrators make their home, is beautiful, with old houses and tree-lined streets that lend themselves to walks at dusk.

13. The Bell's Desk, no longer 24 hours but still a presence, gives you someone to smile at when you come home.

14. Everything in Currier House is connected. You can walk to breakfast in your pajamas and slippers.

15. When you come back to Currier after a long day of classes and extracurriculars, you feel like you've come home.

And that's what being in a house is all about.

Sarah J. Shaffer's column appears alternate Fridays.