What to Know about Moving to Harvard Divinity School with a Partner

What has your experience been moving to HDS with a partner? 

Tanner, MTS ’26:  In August, I moved to Cambridge with my partner Vendela. It has been a fantastic experience. The HDS family has welcomed her with open arms. She frequently attends community tea and other HDS social events. We love exploring Boston together, finding new restaurants, and attending events downtown. Furthermore, living with Vendela helps me find a helpful work-life balance. Coming home to have dinner or take a walk with Vendela is the highlight of my day. She provides the support I need to get the most out of HDS.

Lexi, MTS ’26:  I will admit, I was a bit nervous to move to HDS with a partner. We were leaving behind our friends in D.C., and while I was confident that the structure of HDS would help me make friends fairly quickly, I did not want Sy to feel lonely. After a few weeks, I started bringing him to various get-togethers and introducing him to my friends. They were all so kind and welcoming, he seemed to fit right in. We have rebalanced our workload at home. Sy does a lot more household chores and meal prep than before (we used to split more 50/50), as I have more late nights and early mornings studying, and for that I am really grateful.

Kat, MDIV ’25: Unlike Tanner and Lexi, I spent my first two-years as an HDS student living in Cambridge without my partner, Michael. Starting off at HDS, it was really important to me that I spent time making my own friends here and setting up consistent rhythms for my life as a graduate student before inviting another person into it. Though I missed my partner greatly during those two years, in hindsight, it was such a valuable period of personal growth for me. Being on my own, I never felt like I had to rush home from HDS: I always had a spare moment to chat with fellow students after class, attend one-off HDS events, or try out a new on campus club. Now, in my third year, I feel like I’ve had plenty of time to plug into the on-campus activities that excite me most, and it has been so sweet to invite Michael into those spaces over the past few months!

What is your experience as a partner of a HDS student? To what extent have you engaged with the HDS/ broader Harvard community?

Vendela (Tanner’s Partner): My experience as a partner to an HDS student has been great! Tanner and I have moved here from Kentucky, while it was a bit intimidating, the HDS community has been so welcoming and warm! I have been able to attend some HDS events and get to know some of Tanner’s HDS classmates, and it is a wonderful community of such interesting and driven individuals. I have interacted with the HDS community quite a bit by attending some official/unofficial events and creating friendships with those in Tanner’s class. I have participated in some Harvard sporting events, but my closest interactions within the Harvard community are through the Divinity School.

Sy (Lexi’s Partner): I work in bonds in downtown Boston and we live right next to the Harvard yard in Cambridge. On Thursdays, Lexi and I often hang out with HDS students and have a few drinks with all sorts of people studying religion for different reasons. These students are way more diverse in background and ideals than the American University math department (my alma mater) and it is so interesting to hear the answer to the dreaded question of “Why HDS?” that I always ask. I have gone to a few parties and Lexi and I have hosted a few get togethers at our place. I really enjoy the community of HDS, even though I don’t study the field. The people of HDS don’t hesitate to integrate me into conversations and explain the minutiae of the theories they are talking about. I don’t feel like an outsider despite not going to class.

Michael (Kat’s Partner):  A few months ago, I moved from New York City to join Kat for her third and final year as an MDiv. I am so grateful to be part of this extended community, and it has been a truly special experience to walk alongside Kat during her time as an HDS student. One of my favorite parts of being an HDS partner is meeting so many of Kat’s classmates, who now have become friends of my own. HDS students are such a diverse group of passionate, justice-oriented people, and I often find my worldview expanding just by learning about their research interests and faith backgrounds. Even before I moved here, I have always loved being a +1 to some of the very fun community events that happen at HDS, like Solidarity Ball and Seasons of Light. Since relocating to Cambridge, I’ve grown to really enjoy living and working here, and it gives me the opportunity to new restaurants in the area!

Resources: There are many opportunities for loved ones to become involved at HDS and within the wider Harvard community. Some of these opportunities include, but are not limited to:

• Library Access:  Harvard partners are able to get a Special Borrower Card to be able to access Havard’s extensive library system. All that is required is a government-issued ID and a copy of their partner’s Harvard ID to register.
• Harvard Students’ Spouses & Partners Association: HSSPA was founded 1896 and welcomes all spouses and partners of Harvard affiliates. Membership is free and members receive bi-weekly newsletters with events and information on group meetings. Groups include, but are not limited to, arts and crafts, food and culture, photography, museums, film, etc.
• Auditing/ Sitting in on Courses: Harvard partners are eligible to attend/ audit classes. These can be classes your partner is taking or that you just want to take on your own! Those interested do need to attain permissions from faculty or department heads. Auditing rules vary by school and professor.
• Language Exchange Program: The Harvard Language Exchange Program is an opportunity to meet with people and have informal conversation in a language you are learning/practicing.
• Athletic Facilities: HDS student partners and family have access to Harvard Athletic Facilities under the family membership plan.