<p>How bad is it to not have AC in your dorm room? Is it only bad for the first couple of weeks at school for much longer than that? thanks.</p>
<p>In all honesty, AC is only advantageous for a few weeks in the beginning of school and maybe for a few weeks at the end of school. I had four fans going in my room last year and I did fine... never found myself tossing and turning at night unable to sleep due to how hot it was. Worse comes to worst, you can grab your pillow and head to your dorm's common room, which will have AC (the only downside is that the housekeeping staff will most likely wake you up around 6 or 7 a.m. because you're not actually allowed to sleep there). I guess there were quite a few people in some of the main quad dorms who did that last year.</p>
<p>Yeah, I mean, I guess it just depends. If you're like me, and are really irritated by stuffiness, it's definitely a good thing. Like, I ust feel sick and gross when rooms are stuffy, so my roommate and I had our AC on the entire year, either on the fan function or the AC function, and it definitely aleviated some of that. It was just nice. It also gets tough if you have a ceiling height loft...then the heat is pretty terrible sometimes, ie when your roommate unknowingly turns the AC off/down in the early spring when it's just starting to warm up.</p>
<p>It's just personal preference. I'd find it hard to live without, but then again I'm a girl and kind of a wuss.</p>
<p>you make "four fans" sound like a small amount...</p>
<p>Heh, well, my neighbors had six or so going at once. You can get away with having a smaller number if you have the right fans. (I think having 6 is kinda overkill... plus you would have to deal with the constant drone of all 6 fans going all night).</p>
<p>If you find yourself in a non-AC dorm, here's a pretty good general fan setup: first, a window fan. You'll want this anyway, because some window fans can maintain a certain temperature in the room, and you can use it combined with your space heater in the winter to keep your room cozy. Next, you'll want a small fan that you can have pointed at your bed. I also had two other fans pointed in other directions in the room, so the air in my room was basically moving at all times. I suggest getting at least one really good small fan... Honeywell makes excellent ones.</p>
<p>I'm in the same boat as loveduke 22 -- i can't imagine life at duke without an air conditioner. that doesn't mean that it's not feasable, but it's something i haven't tried. freshman year, my roommate and i had a unit installed in our room, and it was on until october. easily. i also have terrible seasonal allergies and the duke med center recommends that i always have ac in my room. but whatever. people can easily survive without it, it's a luxury, but i never buy the excuse that you only need it for a couple of weeks.</p>