On this page and our Working Fall Clean-Up page you will find helpful advice and information about getting to Harvard, things that you should and should not bring, what you will be doing during the week, and some idea of August weather in Boston. We hope to have provided all the information you will need, but feel free to contact us with any other questions you may have. Before contacting us, please also check out our Frequently Asked Questions.
You should plan to arrive at Harvard between 8:00am and 6:00pm on Thursday, August 19th, or Friday, August 20th. If you need to arrive later in the evening, please let us know the date and time so we can meet you at our office in Weld Hall Basement. Upon arrival you will need to register for Fall Clean-Up on the Weld Hall Porch. At the registration table you can pick up your temporary room information and keys. After you register, you will be free to walk around the square with family or friends, rest in your room, or take a group tour with a Harvard upperclassman.
Work will begin Saturday morning at 8:00am with an introductory meeting in Emerson Hall. Various activities have been planned for the week, including a cookout, sports, and social mixers for the Class of 2014.
Paperwork
In order to get paid, every Fall Clean-Up employee must fill out registration and tax forms. If your application for Fall Clean-Up is accepted, you will receive detailed instructions about the forms you will need to complete.
Necessary Items for FCU
- Bed linens
- Towels
- Toiletries
- Work attire: proper dress for Fall Clean-Up includes LONG pants and CLOSED-TOE, closed- heel, non-high-heel shoes, preferably sneakers or work boots. You will not be able to work unless you are dressed appropriately. Also, we will be getting a bit dirty during Clean-Up, so be sure to bring old clothes, or clothing you don’t care too much about. Most students wear jeans, a T-shirt, and sneakers.
- Money for food, if you are not going to use the meal plan
- An alarm clock
- A watch
- A water bottle
- A government-issued ID, needed to obtain your Harvard ID. A passport or driver’s license will suffice. (You may need more identification in order to fill out your payroll paperwork.)
Bring as few belongings as possible with you to Fall Clean-Up. You will be in temporary housing, and there is no storage available for your belongings for that week. You must ship most of your belongings or have friends or family members bring them during the first-year move-in on Thursday and Friday, August 26 and 27. If you are an international student, the two or three suitcases you bring on your flight to the U.S. are fine.
Shipping Your Belongings
You can send the bulk of your belongings through the U. S. Mail or UPS to your Harvard mailing address (you will receive this address from Harvard in the mail). You will be able to pick up packages from the Science Center mailroom on the morning of Saturday, September 8th.
Getting to Harvard (and Dorm Crew)
By the T: The “T” is Boston’s name for its subway system ($2.00 fare). Each subway route is identified by a different color: the red line, the blue line, the green line, the silver line, and the orange line. From the airport, you can take the silver line (a bus running underground) from any of the terminals to South Station. It runs every 15 minutes until 1am, and it requires exact change. You can also put any amount of money on a Charlie Card, purchased at a machine in the airport, before you board the bus. The fare is $1.70 using this method, and you can use the card in the future. When you get off at South Station, take the Red Line inbound through Park Street to Harvard. At Harvard station, go up the stairs that are near the front and middle of the train. Once upstairs, take the exit on the left, the Harvard Yard exit. You will be approximately fifty feet from Johnston gate, inside of which you should find FCU greeters who will direct you to the registration table. (See the end of this section for a list of online maps). If you arrive in Boston by bus or train, you will need to follow the signs to the Red Line stop at South Station. Once at the station take the Red Line inbound to Harvard. At the Harvard station, go up the stairs that are near the front and middle of the train. Once upstairs, you will want to take the exit on the left, the Harvard Yard exit. You will be approximately fifty feet from Johnston gate, inside of which you should find FCU greeters who will direct you to the registration table. See footnote1 for maps.
By Taxi: Ask the cab driver to take you to Harvard Square. Make sure that, once in the Square area, the driver gets onto Massachusetts Avenue. You should get off at Johnston gate. The fare should be between $30 and $40 from the airport, including about $4 in tips and any tolls; fees are less from South Station. See footnote1 for maps.
By Car: If you are driving to Boston from the west, you will probably enter the city on Interstate 90. If you are coming from the south on I-93, you should take it into the city to I-90. From I-90, you should take the ALLSTON/CAMBRIDGE exit. Take the ramp down to the right, and then turn LEFT onto SOLDIERS FIELD RD. Stay to the right on SOLDIERS FIELD RD, and turn right onto the LARZ ANDERSON BRIDGE (the 3rd bridge). The bridge will become JFK ST, which will take you into Harvard Square. As you enter Harvard Square, you will pass the Out of Town News stand on your right. Soon after the newsstand, you will encounter Johnston Gate on your right. For much of the day Saturday and Sunday we will have greeters at Johnston Gate to direct you towards the FCU registration tables. See footnote1 for maps.
1 For a printable map of Harvard Yard (in pdf format), click here. Johnston gate is located on the left side of the Yard, off Peabody Street between Harvard Hall and Massachusetts Hall. Harvard also offers an interactive, searchable map of campus. The MBTA has maps and schedules for the T online. For information about transportation to and from Logan airport, visit Massport’s Logan website.
Registration
At registration, we will assign you to your temporary room and give you your keys. If you are participating in the meal plan, we will also give you the dining hall information and the dining hall card. The registration table on the porch of Weld Hall will be open from 8:00am to 6:00pm on Thursday and Friday. If you arrive before or after those hours, go to the Dorm Crew office in the basement of Weld Hall—the entrance to the basement is located in the back of the building, on the side facing Widener Library.
You must bring documents that prove your eligibility to work in the United States. For American citizens a passport is sufficient; the combination of a Driver’s License and a Social Security card (an original, not a copy) will also work. International students should bring their passport and I-94 form, which they will receive from immigration upon entry to the U.S., and their I-20 form, which Harvard will send them in August. Resident aliens must bring their resident alien card.