Hello!
This is another post in a series that I'm trying to do on the dorms of Michigan State University. Today, I'm working on reviewing the last residence hall in East Neighborhood, Holmes Hall. I also did a review on Hubbard and Akers.
I did not live in Holmes, but I spent a LOT of time there first semester as one of my close friends lived there. Holmes Hall is known as the home of Lyman Briggs College, which is a residential college focusing on science and math majors. Usually, you have to be accepted into Lyman Briggs College to live there, although my friend was only there because her roommate was an LB student.
And actually, this dorm post will have no pictures. The dorm is set up the EXACT same way as Hubbard Hall, so if you want to see what it will look like, take a look at the Hubbard post. Everything is the same, the beds, the closet and shelf, the dresser, the mirror, the desks, the modular shelves. This will mostly be a review on Holmes Hall itself.
I disliked Holmes Hall the most out of any of the dorms that I visited. It had an odd smell in it (although I suppose if you're a Lyman Briggs student, you're used to it. And it's probably because of dissections and chemistry and stuff, but still). I hated the dining hall. It was where I had my racist experience. It was far away from Hubbard (okay, not really, but it was far enough away that I complained like crazy for having to walk over to visit my friend).
The dorms: Like I said, they are exactly like the Hubbard dorms. There's six floors. My friend lived on the sixth floor, which was supposedly haunted (although I never met anyone/thing coming down at 3AM).
The dining hall: I wasn't very fond of it (to put it mildly). They are the only dining hall in East Neighborhood to serve late night (which means they're open until midnight). They have Today's Features, which has different foods each day; Levels, which has pizza (usually cheese, pepperoni, and then a special one) and made-to-order sandwiches (those are to die for. That is the only reason that I ever agreed to eat at Holmes); Origins, which has made-to-order waffles and omelets in the morning, and vegetarian stir fry at lunch and night; Mosaic, which has smoothies and parfaits and Halal entrees.
The rest of it: Since Holmes Hall is home to Lyman Briggs, there are a lot of classrooms in it. It also has a Sparty's Express, which is a much, much smaller version of the Sparty's in Hubbard and doesn't have a grill or fryer--it's more like a convenience store, so you can still get your Combo-X-Change there.
They have two study lounges, which are actually pretty nice. The study lounges are very comfortable and I did spend quite a bit of time in them.
Overall, chances are that if you're in Holmes, you're a Lyman Briggs student so none of my issues with the dorm will bother you. Otherwise, if you're trying to switch dorms, I would stay away from Holmes.
Go green!
Rakuzen
Hi! I read that Holmes has no AC... is that true? Is it unbearable? I'm just worried because I really like my AC. Thank you in advance!
ReplyDeleteHi dear! I loooove my AC too so I feel you. I was dreading the dorms for this reason. I lived on the first floor in Hubbard, so no A/C was actually not too bad and we usually just opened the windows.
ReplyDeleteMy friend lived on the 5th floor in Holmes and since the upper floors are always the worst, I remember her room being pretty miserable around September. They got a fan and put it in front of the window though, which is an option and which helped tremendously.
it's not too bad, unless you're misfortunate to live on a higher floor. Bring a fan and put it in front of the window. Also, places like the lobby and stuff on the first floor are usually air conditioned, so you can always escape there!