Used these in jr high, college, again in grad school (different school) and now in the gym I go to. They work fine. I actually prefer them to the wall-mounted shower heads, because it's easier to get a full-body rinse. And those shower rooms were always better lighted than the rowed ones, for some reason.
They were always enough of them, spaced out well enough, that even when the shower room was full (every day in jr high, and most days at college), guys aren't running into each other while they're showering. It's also very sociable to be able to chat with your buds while you're getting clean.
On a really busy day, we would have to wait for a shower to come free, but that was ok, too. I don't mind standing around naked, just being friendly with other guys standing around naked. You've got a body, you've got a butt, a cock and balls -- so does everybody else. Chances are you're not as special as you think you are.
I've dropped the soap, too, and it was NBD. Just picked it up, and went on. (Some of the pole showers have built-in liquid soap dispensers, so you don't need to bring your own bar.)