<p>not that this is my major concern about college.. just my paranoid question months before i actually go college-shopping: are all dorm beds extra long? Where do you buy extra long sheets?</p>
<p>not all dorm beds are extra long. You should get info when you know what dorm you will be staying in. They are a seasonal item. Readily available around "back-to-school" time, hard to find other times. Try BedBathandBeyond or the Penny's catalogue. I've also heard that some dorm mattresses are thinner than usual in addition to being extra long, and that it balances out so that regular fitted sheets work. Regular flat sheets on the bottom will also work.</p>
<p>I had an extra-long dorm bed, but my regular-size sheets fit on them.</p>
<p>Here's why (I can already hear the caterwaling; happens every year when I type this): the matresses are really, really thin. Most normal twin bed sheets are made for shorter beds but thicker mattresses. Basically, a bit of the sheet that is supposed to be on the side (all of about an inch or two) is on the top, but it all fits. No need to buy extra-long sheets - and, trust me, the sheets will fit even with an egg crate. I had a great set-up with Laura Ashley sheets, a feather bed (later replaced with an eggcrate when my sis took it back), and about 8 pillows. ;)</p>
<p>Wrider--Not an idiotic question at all; indeed, many aged and learned parents have spent weeks, perhaps years, studying the question of sheets for dorm beds. Here is a distillation of their precious wisdom: <a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=53990%5B/url%5D">http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=53990</a>.</p>
<p>Have fun :).</p>
<p>Women's colleges, or women's dorms at coed colleges, are more likely to have standard beds.</p>
<p>Man i'd kill for a descent bed in a dorm...be lucky if you get an extra long bed...mines thin and standard</p>
<p>mine's a regular sized bed.. just look at the schools website or email the housing department</p>