<p>How big of a deal is it to have AC in a dorm room? Is is unbearably hot during summer?</p>
<p>(Note that I'm not a Columbia student-- I hope to be-- but I live about an hour away from NYC) I don't think it's ABSOLUTELY necessary to have an A/C, unless you're staying in the dorms during the summer, outside of the school year. It gets hot, but that's usually only for a couple weeks in September and May. It might be a good idea to bring a fan.</p>
<p>That said, if you're staying at Columbia DURING the summer with no A/C, you will be in hell. I stayed in Cornell during the summer with no A/C(I'd say Cornell and Columbia have about the same climate), and it was absolutely brutal. I mean unbearable, to the point where I was having trouble sleeping because of the heat. So, my advise: during the regular school year, A/C doesn't matter much, but bring a fan. During the summer, however, be sure to get A/C.</p>
<p>some of the dorms have A/C in the rooms. For freshmen, carman and furnald have A/C. if you're staying over the summer in the dorms, you'll be in either broadway or schapiro and those dorms have A/C built in.</p>
<p>if you're in another dorm, there's a rule against having window A/C units self-installed because they fall out of the windows and can kill people. but you're generally not in tough shape.</p>