I’m currently in the process of choosing my housing preferences at Madison as a freshman. I was curious, for those of you who have lived in rooms without air conditioning, how hot can it get? I tend to be a very sweaty person, so I am curious how much I should weigh the presence of AC into my housing decisions.
Any other tips for housing are appreciated as well. I’m looking for a non-party dorm, but still one with culture. I’d probably prefer to be in the southeast, however I wouldn’t mind the lakeshore either. I have heard Chadbourne is a good fit.
Look at the typical Madison weather during the college school year. Most months you will want heat, not air conditioning. Consider where you will be spending the warmest parts of the day- there are many air conditioned spaces.
“Culture”, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder. Read past threads about Res Halls. A wealth of information. YOU need to figure out your priorities. Is it location on campus, dorm architectural style, learning community… Your most liked may be at the bottom of another student’s preferences. Dorms I liked friends did not and vice versa. A “good fit” dorm depends on whether or not you like the same things the ones recommending it do.
Living in a non air conditioned dorm right now (Kronshage)- the heat was an issue for maybe 2-2.5 weeks tops in September, but the weather cools down very quickly after that. In spring, you’ll probably be done with the school year by the time it starts getting warmer to the point of needing air conditioning. I didn’t think it was that bad. Just keep your door open and keep the blinds closed during the day so the sun doesn’t bake your room. Open the windows at night. Take a shower every day. Study in a building/library with AC. After those few weeks you’re in the clear completely.
I think you should definitely look into the learning communities, especially the Chadbourne and Bradley ones- they are both pretty social freshman dorms, but without the party reputations of Witte and Sellery (especially Bradley, since it’s in Lakeshore). Keep in mind that Chad’s rooms are basically the smallest on campus. Liz Waters might be a good choice if you’re looking for a dorm that’s sort of “in between” Lakeshore and SE.
If the heat gets to be a problem, you could consider bringing a small fan.
It’s not bad with a fan. There might be a few miserable days but most of the warm weather is when school is out. I would definitely bring a fan though. Also you’ll find cool spots to go during the day. Libraries, some class buildings, and computer labs have AC.
Chadbourne dorm rooms have individually controlled central air conditioning.