Anonymous wrote:Ouch! Sounds unpleasant. Is this true at other schools? I know UVA has some unairconditioned dorms, but we weren't shown inside during the tour. The other schools we visited were private and had nicer dorms. Of course this shouldn't be a deciding factor, but DC is 17, and creature comforts are a lot more tangible to a 17 year old than quality of education (which is frankly pretty hard for parents to assess, too). I would feel sleazy asking a doctor to certify allergies when DC has not had allergic symptoms for many years. Is that really common?

Yes, a lot of the older schools (I'm speaking of the older dorms in those schools) do not have air conditioning. Like the other PP, I went to Harvard w/o AC but survived. From college tours, I know the following: most of the Yale dorms don't have A/C (but fans will get you thru September and May); Washington & Lee had only a few unit A/Cs; UVA does not have A/C but a few new dorms on the hill do; Gettysburg did not have A/C; Dickinson may have had some; Randolph Macon does not; VT has quads that have it but some of the traditional cinderblock halls do not (again, a fan can get you thru Sept. and May).

A good fan will get you through to early October when the nice autumn air moves in.

We just visited W&M in the past week. We specifically toured frosh dorm (and inquired about a/c). The dorm we visited did not have a/c. We were told a little over 50% of the dorms now have a/c with eventual goal to be 100%. Not sure how long it will take to get there on the a/c. It was quite warm the day we were though so one could become a bit uncomfortable. However, I think its cool fairly quickly in October ("cool" being a relative term!)

Anonymous wrote:OP, W&M is in the humid sub-tropics. If they A/C'd all the residences, there would be a mold crisis and they would have to tear out the entire HVAC system every few years. With the exception of a very few of the newer dorms (that have A/C in part so that they have some ADA-compliant and Rehab Act-compliant housing), all of the older buildings have perfectly fine X-ventilation.

Are you saying that my parents' residence in Williamsburg has a mold crisis just because it is in Williamsburg?

Anonymous wrote:If you don't like the W&M dorms take a look at Christopher Newport not far from there. Much newer dorms with A/C, easier to get admitted, less expensive, and it used to be a division of W&M. Might be a better option.

You know, I am afraid to take DC to visit CNU for that reason! To DC's young mind, a pretty modern campus will be extremely attractive. His counselor says W&M is a "likely" admit for him, and I don't want him to choose a much less well known school just because of the facilities. But he is quite likely to do just that. He already has a couple of "safeties" that he likes because of the sparkly amenities better than the much more selective schools that we visited.

If you don't like the W&M dorms take a look at Christopher Newport not far from there. Much newer dorms with A/C, easier to get admitted, less expensive, and it used to be a division of W&M. Might be a better option.

Anonymous wrote:OP, W&M is in the humid sub-tropics. If they A/C'd all the residences, there would be a mold crisis and they would have to tear out the entire HVAC system every few years. With the exception of a very few of the newer dorms (that have A/C in part so that they have some ADA-compliant and Rehab Act-compliant housing), all of the older buildings have perfectly fine X-ventilation.

What in the heck are you talking about? I attended college in Florida with air-conditioned dorm rooms and we did not have a "mold crises". You are full of it!

OP, W&M is in the humid sub-tropics. If they A/C'd all the residences, there would be a mold crisis and they would have to tear out the entire HVAC system every few years. With the exception of a very few of the newer dorms (that have A/C in part so that they have some ADA-compliant and Rehab Act-compliant housing), all of the older buildings have perfectly fine X-ventilation.