Three Students Share Their Perspectives
From most recent (2025) to 2021, and 2018 before that, three students who lived in Holly Pointe Commons share their unique perspectives of the pros and cons of living in Rowan’s newest, and largest, first year residence hall.
2025: Ignacio’s Version (International Student)
An international student from Spain, Ignacio Domingo is a sophomore who lived in Holly Pointe Commons fall 2024 and spring 2025 as a first year student. He is a mechanical engineering major, Rowan Blog contributor and a member of the men’s soccer team.
15 Carpenter St. in Glassboro, NJ is the new address of more than 1,400 students every year. Holly Pointe Commons is the biggest dormitory of Rowan University with 7 floors and 310,000 square feet. In this article we’ll go through some of its pros and cons from my point of view as a freshman living there.
1. Mailroom and front desk
Something that doesn’t need to be a necessity for a dorm, but is very useful: a mailroom and front desk. It makes everything easier whenever you order something online, wait for a letter or have a heavy package delivered. As I know, not all dorms have this type of facility. If I’m waiting for a letter that was supposed to be sent to my mail, I just go downstairs and ask for it (I don’t need to go to another building). Next to it, we also have a printer and a main desk with workers who can help you if you get locked out of your room or have any problem.
2. Laundry rooms
We have several laundry rooms on each floor. This allows you to stay in your building while doing your laundry. As an example I can do homework, study or just go back to my room when the washer or dryer are working. Some of my friends who live in a different dorm need to go to the Student Center to do it. They sometimes wait there until the laundry is done to avoid going back and forth to their rooms. By the time they get their room they need to come back there, so it’s not worth it.
3. Meal plan options
An inconvenience that I see about Holly is that we don’t have kitchens, so we need to get a meal plan as the only option for first-year students. In fact, it’s not a big deal because Holly is also the only residence with not one, but two, food options right inside: Starbucks and the cafe. I personally prefer the cafe because it’s a buffet where you have plenty of different options to choose from. As an example, there is an Italian place where you can always get pizzas and pasta, a grill where you always have burgers, fries or wings and also gluten free and vegan places. On the other hand, if you prefer coffee, cakes or smoothies, Starbucks is your choice. It also offers takeaway food so you can drink your coffee while you walk to your next class.
4. Loungues
Holly is also a perfect place for staying because it has a lot of lounges where you can do way different things. From using its TV for playing video games or watching your favorite show, to doing homework or even taking an online exam. The lounges here come with a TV, a table and some couches or chairs. That means that it’s also the perfect spot for having fun with your friends playing card games such as UNO. As a fun fact, I made friends that way. Here it’s as easy as going to a lounge and start talking to the guys there to play with them.
5. Location
Regarding location, Holly it’s also good because it’s close to almost every building here. You can walk to Rowan Boulevard in two minutes or to the Student Center in no more than five. It’s also close to Marriott Hotel, where many families stay when they visit. As one of the newest buildings, it’s not in the middle of Rowan but it doesn’t need to be either.
I asked some friends who live in Holly and at first, we all would like to live in a house or in an apartment, but since we couldn’t, eventually we started to like Holly. It has positive and not so positive aspects as I explained before, but overall I think it is the best residence for most people living on campus.
2021: Natalie’s Version (Student Athlete)
Rowan Blog contributor, public relations major and student athlete Natalie DePersia shares her personal pros and cons of living in the Holly Pointe Commons residence hall.
During my first year at Rowan University, I had the luxury of living in a newer residence hall with a fully functioning air conditioning system that was pumping on a continuum. From my experience I have gathered the highs of living in Holly Pointe and my personal downsides of living there.
Natalie’s Pros of Living in Holly Pointe
My ultimate pro of living in Holly Pointe was the air conditioning. I hate being hot, especially if I am not on a tropical beach with an ocean in an eye’s distance. As a collegiate athlete, the air conditioning in Holly Pointe was my saving grace during the changing of seasons in the fall and the very warm spring. If you are prone to getting cold easily … the air conditioning could definitely be a con for you.
Another pro of living in Holly Pointe was food accessibility. I lived in the G Wing, which was located directly above the Glassworks Dining Hall. Craving a late night snack or seeking out a pre-class and/or pre-practice meal could not have been easier for me! My favorite food was grilled cheese. Simple, but life changing. Holly Pointe even had a convenience store and a Starbucks located on the main floor.
Another pro was the inclusivity that Holly Pointe provided. There are gender neutral bathrooms accessible in every wing. There are also mixed gender rooms available. Holly Pointe provides a safe, comfortable and accepting living environment for all.
Finally, the easy accessibility to the laundry rooms made hauling a big hamper mostly hassle free. My laundry room was located just a few steps away from my room. This was just the right amount of distance before my arms started hurting from my reluctance to do laundry prior to my clothes surpassing the max capacity of my hamper.
Natalie’s Cons of Living in Holly Pointe
My first con has to be the frequency at which the fire alarms went off. Holly Pointe is a massive residence hall that houses over 1,400 students. For some unknown reason, the fire alarms would frequently go off; the fire alarms most of the time did not go off to warn the occupants of a fire or anything dangerous happening, but because some residents would decide they had a sudden desire to pull the fire alarms. There were many sudden wake-up calls during the middle of the night from the alarm, and it gave me a good scare every time.
Another con of living in Holly Pointe was how thin the walls were in the dorms. Yes, this is a very specific con; however, as the tired student-athlete I was, I would go to bed decently early. Other residents in Holly would sometimes play music or hang out with friends during this time. If I was trying to go to sleep and a resident was playing Billy Joel a floor above me, I was indeed listening to Billy Joel along with them and not going to bed anytime soon.
Finally, the last con I have of living in Holly Pointe was the no extension cords rule. Yes, this con seems like a very small issue and it is enforced as a safety precaution; however, there were in fact frequent times where I wish I could have my phone, laptop, Apple watch and lamp all plugged in and accessible at my reach. I do admit that that “problem” was minuscule.
My overall experience at Holly Pointe was one I will never forget. I greatly valued the air conditioning, easy accessibility to Starbucks coffee — a little too much — and that there was a grilled cheese always available to eat a floor below me.
2018: Serina’s Version (On Campus Leader)
As a sophomore double majoring in communication studies and public relations, Serina Gonzalez penned this blog post as an opportunity to expand her professional portfolio with a published writing sample.
Choosing a dorm to live in for freshman year may be a difficult task for some because incoming college freshman typically don’t have experience living on their own. The process of choosing a dorm that is perfect for you will take some research. Luckily for the freshmen reading this, I have provided you with the pros and cons of living in the most popular of the freshman dorms, Holly Pointe Commons. If you have been on a tour at Rowan University, the ambassadors most likely have taken you to see this grand, non-traditional building up close.
Holly Pointe Commons was built in 2016 and is unlike any other dorm. It is the newest and most modern freshman dorm. With its curved shape, this building houses over 1,400 students so you are bound to make a lot of friends. Holly Pointe even allows upperclassmen transfer students to reside in it. Holly Pointe’s obscure exterior has been said to look like a “spaceship” to some. However, I remember thinking Holly Pointe was like a new hotel which made my transition away from home so much easier. I was a part of the first class to live in Holly Pointe so I have listed the top pros and cons of living there.
Serina’s Pros of Living in Holly Pointe
- Air conditioned
- Dining hall on the bottom floor
- Easy to meet new people
- Disability accessible (elevators, bathroom access)
- Study spaces with TVs
- Friendly atmosphere
- No key needed to get into the building (RowanCard needed to get in)*
- Proximity to Rowan Boulevard
*Editor note: all residence halls now use RowanCard, not keys
Serina’s Cons of Living in Holly Pointe
- Farthest freshman dorm from class buildings
- May be loud at times, even with quiet hours in place
- Most expensive freshman dorm
- Students are required to purchase a meal plan
- Messy hallways or bathrooms
- Lounges get very crowded during finals week
Holly Pointe Commons is also gender neutral which may concern parents or students at first. I have noticed that this inclusive space can be beneficial to everyone. Holly Pointe has revolutionized freshman dorming. I have made so many great memories with people I met there. Overall, in a totally biased yet unbiased critique of Holly Pointe Commons, I think an incoming student would really enjoy their stay there.