10 Akron Street

Great place to live while in graduate school! The location is the reason we chose a studio apartment here as opposed to other bigger places. After settling from the shock of what 308 square feet looks like, it was great! The storage locker in the basement is huge and there is free bicycle storage inside as well, both help a lot!
The fridge is like a ¾ fridge & freezer combo, a little smaller than a normal sized fridge. Same with the dishwasher and oven. The oven heats up quickly. There is a fair amount of storage in the kitchen area.
For your bedroom/​living room/​study area in one tiny space, I’d highly recommend a run to IKEA and asking an architecture student or friend to help with the layout. IKEA might be able to help too with the layout with exact dimensions to your apartment. We were able to figure out exactly what would fit where and made it a very livable space for two years for two people!
The common areas are great, lots of study rooms! In West Akron there is a huge space for dancing or yoga and the fitness room is definitely a plus! The laundry room is great too. In Peabody Terrace, you have to go outside to get to your laundry (not ideal in the winter).
The only downside is somewhat thin walls which might be common with grad housing, if you have quiet neighbors it should be fine. We could hear our neighbor with his surround sound video games and the other neighbors when they had parties.

Harvard housing is plentiful in Cambridge. Harvard pretty much owns all the real estate that you can see, so there are a lot of options to choose from.
10 Akron St is a brand new residence hall available to Harvard grad students, faculty, and staff. It’s first year of operation was the ²⁰⁰⁸⁄₂₀₀₉ school year. Unsurprisingly, it feels like a brand new dorm. Everything is clean and works. There is AC and heat that you get to control! Study rooms and outdoor patio areas with beautiful views of the Charles. There are HDTV flatscreens in the common rooms and kitchens placed throughout the halls for the occasional late-​night study party. There are even 3x3x3ft storage lockers for each room in the basement (I store my folded up shipping boxes there). The kitchen is well-​equipped with a full-​size refrigerator, stove, and dishwasher. (Beware: a lot of Harvard dorms do not have dishwashers). There are large 11′ windows that pour light into the bedrooms.
The location is great. It’s right on the Charles and a 10 – 15 minute walk from Harvard Square and Central Square. There’s a Whole Foods and Shaws within 5 minutes walk.
The only downside I can imagine is the size of the apartments. I have a two-​bedroom convertible, which means that there are two bedrooms, a kitchen, and a bathroom. No living room. The bedrooms are ~11′ x 15.5′ and the kitchen is about 10′ x 10′. The hallway opens to the kitchen and then the two bedrooms and bathroom are off of that. This means that my flatmate and I spend most of our time in our rooms. This hasn’t been a problem at all for us but I can see how it might be for some. The way I figure, most of my free time is spent out in Harvard Sq. I have the option of studying in my room or, when I’m bugging out, going to a nearby study room for isolation with my books. Even dining hasn’t proved to be a problem. I love to cook and have enjoyed using the kitchen. In my room, I have a dining room table in addition to all the normal bedroom stuff that allows me to dine in a fancy fashion when I like.
Having seen a few of the other halls, I can say that I think HRES has done a pretty good job pricing these places. You get what you pay for. At 10 Akron, you get a great, clean dorm that functions very well but is a little different design than the tradition two-​bedroom apartment. Rent includes all utilities and internet access, as well as, cable TV in the common rooms. It works well for me and I’ve enjoyed living here.