Chatting with Rowan University on campus residents on a frigid, hectic morning just before finals (seriously, is it really spring yet?!), one thing was clear: the sense of community within their residence halls is what they love most. However, what “community” means in each residence hall is different.
I learned that Evergreen is known for being chill. If you want a laid-back, quiet environment that’s close to the middle of campus, while still being a little bit off the beaten path, choose Evergreen. I also learned that everyone gets Evergreen and Mullica mixed up – which I get, because they are next to each other (near Rowan Boulevard and across the street from the Student Center) and the two residence halls do look alike. (With almost a field of daffodils right outside their
windows!) Evergreen residents know that when they’re feeling social, though, to head just across the grass to Mullica. Over in Mullica, there’s still the chill vibe, but it’s where people go when they’re feeling more chatty and want to connect with friends. Ariel Copeland-Combs, a freshman exploratory studies major from Perth Amboy (Middlesex County) who lives in Evergreen sums it up best: “This building is much more independent. The lounge tends to be more quiet so it’s a good place to study. We often walk next door to Mullica and hang out in the other lounge, where it feels like family.” Alicia Rivera, also a freshman exploratory studies major who lives in Evergreen, says, “We don’t have to share the bathroom with anyone else, which is nice. There is some privacy. Evergreen is also super close to the Student Center.” Mullica resident Ashley Camue, a freshman marketing major from Englewood (Bergen County) thinks the best part of Mullica is, “I can just get up right from bed and make it to class on time. We’re so close to everything.”
Across campus, the residents of Chestnut, Magnolia and Willow are a part of their own community. These three traditional residence halls come with one major perk that I heard all about: housekeeping cleans your bathroom for you. Woo-hoo to that!
Meghna Bhatt, a sophomore biological sciences major from Marlton (Burlington County) says about Chestnut, “I love how quiet it is here. It’s peaceful.” Eric Stiner, a sophomore civil engineering major from Chester (Morris County) adds, “I live with my friends, and love that it feels like a community of people. I live with people who are in my major – people I didn’t know before. We get together to do homework.”
I also chatted it up with Naldy Tavarez, our football team’s quarterback (go Profs!). Naldy, a junior psychology major from North Bergen (Hudson County) loves that Chestnut is located in the center of campus. “God forbid my 4:30 alarm doesn’t go off, I know one of my friends will just knock on my door.” Waking up at 4:30 sounds just awful (Naldy agreed), but he said it could always be worse – he has a teammate who commutes and has to set his alarm for 3:30 am! Naldy also says that Chestnut being in the center of campus is convenient, as it makes it easier for him to get to the Marketplace and the Rec Center. Olivia Morris, a bio/pre-med major from Neptune (Monmouth County) brought up the sense of community, echoed by others: “Everyone is really close, here. I love the community we have.”
Magnolia Hall, in the middle of the Chestnut-Magnolia-Willow row of traditional residence halls, has happy residents, too. I talked to floor mates Ally Chopp and Sarah Murphy, who absolutely love living in Magnolia. Both are freshmen early childhood education majors – Ally from Middletown (Monmouth County) and Sarah, Egg Harbor Township (Atlantic County) – and shared that living on the third floor really isn’t as bad as people might think. “Everyone on our floor started getting together for movie nights and we’d all just hang out,” Sarah said. Ally added that she loves the pretty views from her window (she overlooks a lake) and that everything she needs is close by, since Magnolia is in the center of campus.
Willow felt a little more sedate to me, compared to the happy-go-lucky chatty residents I spoke to in Magnolia and Chestnut. Freshman advertising major from High Bridge (Hunterdon County) Noel Waldron is one cool chick, growing 15 plants in her room! Dong Ling, a freshman accounting major from Long Valley (Morris County) thinks the biggest perk of Willow is the housekeeping staff. “I like that it’s always clean. We have cleaning people who come in every day, and thankfully I have clean suite mates, too.”
Caleb Seidle, a freshman disaster preparedness/emergency management major from Trenton (Mercer County) says, “The people are pretty cool. The best part is that I don’t need to clean the bathroom, though.” Grant Morfitt, a freshman electrical and computing engineering major from Egg Harbor Township (Atlantic County) summed up the vibe simply by sharing that the people are the best part of Willow.
Mimosa peeps love that they’re so close to the Rec Center, library and Student Center. No joke, it was 40 degrees and I saw a girl run out in shorts and a t-shirt to get to the Rec Center, which is basically right outside of Mimosa’s front door. In this traditional residence hall, you do have to clean your own bathroom. But nobody I talked to seemed to mind. There’s one main door in and out, which makes it so everybody sees each other in Mimosa. Shania Terry, a freshman anthropology major from Atlantic City (Atlantic County) says that Mimosa is warmer than other residence halls, which she likes. She likes that she has her own bathroom, only sharing it with her suite mates (only three bedrooms share one bathroom.) Brittany Bokor, a freshman elementary education major from Roxbury (Morris County) loves Mimosa’s location, specifically pointing out that she’s close to Jersey Mike’s (love their subs!) in the Student Center. Chase Pecoraro, a junior resident assistant from Middletown (Monmouth County) says a perk to Mimosa is that there are laundry facilities on each floor. No trekking to another building to clean your clothes!
Last, but certainly not least, Holly Pointe. The fanciest, prettiest, newest residence hall, it seems that everyone you bump into who lives on campus lives in Holly because of its sheer size – housing a whopping 1,400 students on the edge of campus. Forget “community” – Holly Pointe is bigger than some New Jersey towns! So what’s the real deal with Holly Pointe? Nobody I spoke to who lived in more traditional residence halls wished that they lived in Holly. Nobody felt as if they were missing out – even if they originally applied to live in Holly Pointe. There are perks – of course – namely, air conditioning and a cafeteria downstairs. Freshman physics major Danny Vause from Williamstown (Gloucester County) says, “I love Holly Pointe because my pod treats one another like family. It’s another home away from home.” And, I promise, he’s not just talking up the place because he’s my brother. 🙂 But, fear not, future Rowan students – if you don’t live in Holly you’ll still get your happily ever after college experience, no matter which residence hall you call home.
Check out all of Rowan University’s freshman housing options.
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Photo album from today’s interviews
By: Vanessa Vause,
Junior, public relations and advertising double major
