<p>So is it a given that you will need the extra long sheets?</p>
<p>What about irons? Do the dorms or laundry rooms have ironing boards and irons?</p>
<p>Take a hard look at what your kid is taking with them. Do they really, really need an iron or board? Just pull it out of the dryer promptly and hang it up immediately. My khakis and jeans never suffered from this while I was at school, and a bottle of wrinkle releaser was more than adequate for any minor creases.</p>
<p>Two sets of sheets is fine. One to use, one to wash.</p>
<p>no they do not have ironing boards or irons, but it is nice to bring them. its not about khakis and jeans, when there are formal occasions (if ur child participates in any clubs) he will need at least business attire and long-sleeved collared shirts need to be ironed. You can buy irons at Princeton, if you are helping your student move in, there is a target nearby that you can buy all this stuff for cheap.</p>
<p>wait and see what your housing situation is before bringing an iron.... i;ve never found a need, if you hang up shirts then they don't get wrinkly. i have used a bottle of the wrinkle releasing stuff, just spray it on the night before and hang, not quite as perfect as ironing, but who has time. You also need to take things out of the dryer right away anyway because if you don't then someone else will take your stuff out and put it somewhere (in a giant heap of clothes that you then have to sort through, for instance) My roommate has brought an iron both years, and i think only used it once. In a small room, something more useful could be brought instead.</p>
<p>you DONT need extra long sheets. twin sheets will do, all the beds are the same.</p>
<p>I've heard that you DO need xl-twin sheets because most of the mattresses are extra long.</p>
<p>Those who have already completed a year or more at Princeton, or parents who buy sheets:
What's the verdict? xl-long twin sheets or not? Or are they different room to room?</p>
<p>They are all the same and all extra-long, so just go buy extra-long sheets.</p>
<p>D. had a single freshman year. Here's what we bought:</p>
<p>XL Sheets
Comforter with cover
2 Pillows + Cases
Decorative Pillow for Bed
Bedside Table
Bedside Lamp
Alarm Clock
Rug
Desk Lamp
Pictures in Frames
Towels
Teamug
Hangers
Bed Risers
Mirror
Cleaning Supplies (Windex wipes...)
Screwdriver Kit</p>
<p>When we were there we got her a shower caddy. Too big and cheap to ship...</p>
<p>We bought most of it in CA and shipped to NJ. That's because I insisted on getting her a comforter cover and sheets that were pretty and matched the hand-me-down rug from my first apartment that I sent her off with. So BB&B didn't have the right stuff and we had to shop from several places.</p>
<p>She subsequently rented a frig/microwave. And yes, storage and packing were a bit of a chore but nothing close to insurmountable.</p>
<p>No iron - she never irons anything anyway. No vacuum - she uses the dorm vacuum. No TV - figured she could go watch any show she really wanted to watch in the Frist lounges and why have the temptation? She watches movies on her laptop.</p>
<p>And all you parents prepare to bring Kleenex for crying. And go over to the Parent's Cafe on Sinner's Alley and tell your goodbye story. It is an amazing time.</p>
<p>Where is Sinner's Alley and what is Parent's Cafe - is it an actual place?</p>
<p>Yes, it's an actual place -- on CC. :)</p>
<p>Parent Cafe:
<a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=506%5B/url%5D">http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=506</a></p>
<p>Sinner's Alley (inside Parent Cafe): <a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=62644%5B/url%5D">http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=62644</a></p>
<p>After all, the title of this thread is "practical questions". Thanks Frozen-tears.</p>
<p>He he. It's one of the forums here at CC. Take a look at the Parent's page. Then look up above and you will see a marker for Parent's Cafe. On the Cafe page there is a thread called Sinner's Alley. Really it's just where people talk about whatever. Only most often whatever is kids.</p>
<p>Ooops. Didn't see that frozen-tears had posted. Aren't Princeton students and future Princeton students so capable and competent:)?</p>
<p>I bought one set of extra-long, and brought a set of regular from home. There is a difference, but not much. The mattresses are extra-long, but they're also thinner than the average mattress. Most sets of regular fitted sheets will fit snugly; the corner stitching might not be in quite the "right" place, but I've never had a regular fitted sheet actually pop off the bed, which was good enough for me. I was even using an "eggshell" foam mattress cover under there, which, by the way, I do recommend. If you're buying sheets anyway, you can get extra-long at Target for a decent price. My family had a couple extra sets of neutral-color regular twin not being used at home, so I didn't want to bother.</p>
<p>I had an iron, but never used it -- it was generally just too much bother and only necessary for things that <em>need</em> creases (0.2% of my wardrobe). Washing and drying take most wrinkles out, if you're good about hanging up your clothes immediately afterward. Caveats: (1) Guy clothes may be different. (2) You may have limited hanging space.</p>
<p>I never knew there was a dorm vacuum -- guess there is one in the janitor's closet. The fact that the janitor's closet seemed to be open and free for the using/taking was something I didn't discover until senior year when I had my own bathroom and was expected to refill toilet paper there myself. At any rate, having my own Dustbuster was far more convenient than borrowing a dorm vac would have been. I've had friends <em>constantly</em> asking to borrow it. And you WILL need to do something -- sand gets tracked in all winter and a slightly greasy sort of dust accumulates. I'd recommend a hand broom and static-cling dust wipes in addition.</p>
<p>Finally, BRING SURGE PROTECTOR STRIPS!! The outlets are not distributed in any logical way through rooms, and the number of outlets was not designed with modern personal technology in mind. It can be as low as two individual outlets per student, and I had a hairdryer trip the circuit breaker once.</p>
<p>Not to get too far ahead, but your on-campus storage is limited to approximately two book-boxes. Storage can be a pain. Consider this when packing and buying.</p>
<p>Litho '06</p>
<p>finally, thanks for settling that litho. thinner? that must be why the mattresses suck!</p>
<p>If you live in Rocky or Mathey, I would suggest a Swiffer (they are very convenient as rooms in Rocky and Mathey are wood floors). Swiffer cleans up really quickly. </p>
<p>Yes the mattresses suck a lot, I would suggest a mattress pad for them as well if you are use to a semi-comfortable mattress</p>