<p>Are all the beds the same size in all the CMU housing? Does DS need to get Twin XL or regular twin sheets??
Any other helpful hints on what to buy for dorm room ...or NOT buy? I must admit I did go a bit overboard for my older son. ;)
Thanks!!</p>
<p>All beds in dorm housing are Twin XL beds. I’d recommend purchasing two sets of sheets and a comforter that has a slip you can take it out of - it’s annoying to try to stuff a whole comforter inside one of those small washing machines. A couple pillows with slip-off covers are good stuff too!</p>
<p>If your son/daughter likes a soft mattress, maybe send them a mattress topper as well. Target has pretty decent ones for $30-40. :)</p>
<p>Ask around…as cheapo mother extraordinaire I have gleaned two sets of xl bedsheets from parents of older students who spent one or two years in on campus housing and now are in apartments with double beds or futons. I suspect my S will not be one who stays on campus the full four years if only, like his mother, to save money. Great…sheets can be handed down to little sis a few years behind.
S knows that if he can´t glean what he takes to college from our attic or from neigbors he will be using graduation gift money. I bet he ends up with one duffle bag and a box of art supplies</p>
<p>Walmart and Target have XL sheet sets for $20 or less…get them when the displays start happening mid July while on sale. Stay away from BedBathNBeyond- totally overpriced for everything - even with the coupons that somehow find your student that time of year by his/her name in your mailbox! I remember we looked there and then actually returned things once we found them all much less expensive at the other two stores. Target was fine.</p>
<p>The bed topper is really essential (not needed in xl unless your kid is over 6 feet…b/c your kid’s feet will not even get to the end of the bed)…it makes the plastic covered foam mattress much more like a real mattress. Otherwise the mattress is essentially like one of those blue mats you’ve seen in PE…cut to a bed size…it’s not a traditional mattress. I see why, it’s encased in plastic so it can presumably be sterilized/wiped down easily between occupants and doesn’t absorb others’ bodily fluids…'nuf said…</p>
<p>Extra pillows are always nice too as well as a light summer blanket under the comforter so you have the option to layer if it’s cold or delayer when it’s hot.</p>
<p>i’m not sure if it makes things better or worse, but my mattress in e-tower was a traditional mattress… so no plastic covering, and comfortable enough on its own.</p>
<p>I think for some reason they mix it up. Two of my roommates had the plastic cover mattress, but I and my other roommate had a normal one. It just smelled kinda funny. And it had an incredibly suspicious stain in one corner. In either case, purchasing a $20-30 mattress topper is not a bad idea IMHO.</p>
<p>cmu students and experienced mom…too much information…my skin is crawling as I read your posts…bed topper is obviously essential even for cheapo mom…S will probably not even notice … his tolerance for yucky seems to show the limits of “nurture” over “nature”.</p>
<p>Oh I do know about the hand-me-downs!! Older DS moved into an apt. in his sophmore year so I have 1 set of sheets (that survived) from his freshman year. Younger DS used them for his summer at Brown experience too! The mattress topper is a MUST, I know!! I think I even have the “egg crate” ones left over from when they used them at camp!! LOL!!
RE: BedBath&Beyond: I actually found a Twin XL comforter, sheet and pillow case set on CLEARANCE …and got to use my coupon!! 
But alas, DS hated it, so off to Target to shop with our cousins…</p>
<p>Any other MUST HAVES for the dorm room??</p>
<p>I would say a fan is kind of a big one for two reasons:</p>
<p>1) it’s hot as hell in Pittsburgh in August. There is no breeze or body of water anywhere. It will suck majorly without a fan.</p>
<p>2) if your kid’s roommate snores, it provides good white noise. It’s also good for kids who are used to having their own bedroom or are light sleepers. </p>
<p>I feel this other one goes without saying, but plastic storage cubes are life savers and you can keep all of your things in them for like $5 per cube (or whatever they run you at Target, I think it’s about that much). For anyone who’s curious, the floor-to-bed distance if you raise your bed to the highest notch is about 24-26’', which is enough for plenty of storage stuff underneath.</p>
<p>My experience is that stores will generate huge lists of dorm items- kinda like a wedding registry…of which parents will jump to get everything…then which most of which is not even used…judging by what comes home or is lost at end of the year.</p>
<p>Students seem to know what they want and I know we will most certainly not be overbuying and overpacking for S relative to D’s experience.</p>
<p>We had sent three sets of sheets-- theory - one dirty in the laundry, one on bed and one clean one for when coffee spilled-- in reality- probably two sets needed at best. Possibly only 1 set… sent 5 bath towels and that was plenty.</p>
<p>A folding drying rack was nice for D to hang dry delicates that don’t go into the dryer…(such as bras, and some sweaters)…S doesn’t need that.</p>
<p>D likes a lot of pillows…so we also bought a body pillow and one of those big puff up supports - I think called “husbands” - large strudy pillow with back and arm rests-- used alot. Personal choice… Pillows and bedding take up too much room in the car-- buy them local-- we did that year two.</p>
<p>A lap desk - cushioned and kept on bed…was used.</p>
<p>Desk lamp – not used-- one supplied by school</p>
<p>Pole lamp - very helpful…buy in box easy to pack. Nicer to have than overhead light - to get specific directed light at one point of the room (helpful when roommie asleep and one is still awake)</p>
<p>send 1 Spare cheap cell phone with extra charger-- phones get lost and nice to have an extra on hand. r look in your closet for old ones…it’s one call to your carrier to turn it on…</p>
<p>Fridge or microwave-- don’t buy both -wait for roomie and decide who is going to buy or bring each one. BUY LOCAL – don’t haul it…</p>
<p>Extra toothbrushes-- encourage discard at least once a month…reminders aren’t always welcome…but I did so with the swine flu last year…and it appears all tooth brushes were in fact used…YAY (small win for mom)</p>
<p>D bought locally this great folding papazon chair (I don’t know how to spell that) which she loves for sitting in her dorm room.
She also bought an area rug in year two – carpet in room seemed “disgusting” to her and roomie…
And loves her extra thick terry bathrobe for getting out of shower and dressed or warm quickly.</p>
<p>I had made a huge poster board and had it laminated at Kinkos…on the board there were copies of tons of old photos from family vacations and moments I thought she considered special- gave it to her wrapped as a gift night before we left-- that was and still is treasured. I doubt S will care for one…less sentimental. So I have no plans to make him one. But one family photo seems nice to have for the room in a cheap plastic frame.</p>
<p>Spare batteries for calculator, a Ti-something (if an engineer, or MCS student), itunes gift cards…these all valued…but also some of these are nice gifts…students like gifts from home the first semester-- the novelty wore off by second semester…</p>
<p>Floppies for the shower-- b/c well, it’s obvious…</p>
<p>I noticed a similar thread in the parents thread entitled “things you sent your college student and never used”…all posts true to form… read that seriously…</p>
<p>The matress foam topper is still the best purchase …</p>
<p>mom2012and2014 - YES! YES! YES! - on ALL accounts!! 
My friend gave me the “Ultimate College List” and, being the mom of 2 boys, I crossed most of the list off!! LOL!!
DS has stuff from older DS and from his summer at college but I know we will fill in! We did the college “registry” with older DS at Target and BB & Beyond and picked it up at school. Its great because once we were at his college dorm room we knew exactly what he really needed and left behind those things he did not. Nothing was paid for until we got to the store near the college but at least things were held in advance.
I love the laminated posterboard idea! Maybe put some pics around the border and they can write in the middle.</p>
<p>As for gifts to mail to your kid, homemade snacks are easily the best. During finals, cookies that are 3-5 days old are still a million times better than anything you’ll buy at Giant Eagle.</p>
<p>We have discovered, after son has graduated and on his own, that the kids have developed a living style where they will jump into other beds to sleep. They have no qualms in sleeping in someone else’s sheets, no matter what sex, cleanliness, or personal hygiene. …</p>
<p>one set of sheets is enough.
don’t make the bed too comfortable for someone else to enjoy. :)</p>
<p>LongPrime - YUCK!!! Not MY DS!! ;)</p>
<p>So when S was going away to summer program at 15 I asked his older cousin visiting after college to help him pack…I heard the exchange…(cousin) you don´t need but maybe 5 boxers…(son) yeah but that means like 3 or 4 times doing laundry…(cousin) nah, you just turn them inside out… gag…again, too much information! Never told my sister-in-law about this…like ^above she would say “not my DS!”</p>
<p>relax, Frazzled.
The only reason that the kid would need to sleep in another student’s or ( now in our situation ) housemate’s bed, is when a parent decides to visit and stay the night. ;)</p>
<p>Don’t do any overnight visitation.</p>
<p>What sane parent would ever voluntarily stay in a dorm…eeewewwwewe…</p>
<p>Why? When ? </p>
<p>(Although there is a movie filmed at CMU with dennis quaid and the sarah jessica parker (cmu graduate) in which an uncle stays at donnor)…</p>
<p>NO excuse for not doing laundry-- it’s FREE in all the dorms…</p>
<p>cool about the free laundry…great news!</p>
<p>although free laundry sometimes means the machines try to eat your clothes.</p>
<p>Note to kids staying in Mudge: do not touch the C tower laundry room. It is satanic. About 9 out of 10 washers in there will close on you and lock and you can’t get your clothes out-- it’ll wash and wash them for hours until there are holes in them before deciding to spontaneously stop. :(</p>
<p>One of them counts down 5 minutes for every 1 minute, so a 30 minute spin cycle turns into a 150 minute spin cycle.</p>
<p>I guess that would also be a warning to avoid fraternity pranks and place yourself into the washing machine…</p>