Shared College Stories

In addition to customer feedback, we're starting to get stories from high school seniors, college students, and their parents about their college search and application adventures.

If you want to share your story, click here.

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From Barbara:

We tried not to bug my son too much about applying to colleges, but it took him to October of his senior year to get around to it. He chose only one - The Theatre School at DePaul - and sent off his application without even seeing the campus. We suggested he not get his hopes up since he didn't have a great grade point - and DID start bugging him about having second choices. But he stuck with it as DePaul was the only school with a curriculum dedicated to his passion of Theatre Management (not just acting or stage crew). When he went for an interview, we again told him to have realistic expectations. But we were all pleasantly surprised when he received early admission a few weeks later! Not that grade points aren't important -- but it really goes to show that colleges do care about passion and dedication.

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From Martha:

The mattress cover and plush mattress pad are wonderful products. My son finds these items fit his dorm bed well and make the thin mattress much more comfortable. We had also ordered the feather bed last year but had to dispose of it at end of the school year, since none of our local cleaners would clean a product with feathers in it. So he switched to a fiberfill bed this year that bought locally. We could only find it in a twin size and not in an XL twin. Perhaps this is an item option you could add to your great line of products.  Thank you.

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From Helen:

My son waited to the last minute to make his final decision on his college offers. His dad and I often encouraged him to send out applications to various colleges in order to be on the safe side. Of course, he choice not to. As parents, you can imagine, we were a bit concerned that our child was not putting forth a bigger effort concerning his future endeavors. Nevertheless, this was his decision to make no matter how slow we felt he was going. End result: My son's final decision was to attend a small private college 3 hours away. The college is a perfect fit for our child and we all are very pleased with his decision.

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From Katerina:

For as long as I can remember, I wanted to go to NYU-Tisch School of the Arts. I prepared for NYU well - top 10% of my class, good SAT scores, an overabundance of extracurriculars. Everyone told me I would get in. I applied early decision, got an audition, had my monologues memorized perfectly, and had a great audition. And then, they rejected me. I didn't have ENOUGH "acting experience" for Tisch School of the Arts, Even though I had acting classes, workshops, and being the president of Drama Club (3 years) under my belt. What they were trying to say was, I wasn't famous enough for them.
I was truly devastated. My room was decorated with NYU decals, I had the pajamas, the sweatshirt, the backpack - even the umbrella. But, after sulking around for two weeks, I received another letter. An acceptance letter from Quinnipiac University. And I've never been happier.
After much consideration, I realized that Quinnipiac is the only school for me. They gave me an academic scholarship, are allowing me to double major, and have the most beautiful campus imaginable. Yes, NYU was my "dream school". But getting rejected was the best thing that ever happened to me.

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From Zachary:

I currently attend Central Michigan University, but my journey to acceptance was a tough one. I didn't do the best in High School and graduated with a 2.83 GPA. The only thing that saved me was my ACT score of 23, and my extensive list of Extra curricular activities such as Boy Scouts, Volunteering at the youth football camps, ect. Also my application essay was very thought full and I believe it showed the true me and all the potential I have. All I did was talk about the one thing that drove me towards success, which was my love for the game of football, and ow no matter what happened I knew my teammates and coaches would always be there for me.

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From Kathy:

I am about to send my first child to college. He is the quintessential ADD child - full of energy, wants to do it all and experience it all. Yikes! He has chosen a small college where (in his words) they will notice if he gets lost on his way to class, where the instructors will care if he is not there. Last thing we need to worry about are sheets.... if true to your word, we will not be paying insane shipping costs - we live in Hawaii, and some of the other sites charge more for their shipping than for the actual items. So, sending an ADD child to college - label everything and hopefully when he sets it down somewhere and forgets it, it finds its way back to him. Advise him to set an alarm to remind him to eat (these kids do not seem to need food). Forewarn potential roommates - they also do not seem to need any sleep. Wish us luck!

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From Nayo:

Choosing a college is exciting as well as frustrating. My son had many opportunities.  He was set on attending a particular college. Well needless to say, he got in the college he wanted. All I can say is I will be so glad when I drop him off in August.

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From Elizabeth:

My daughter is a child with a disability but I always hoped that she would go to college. She excelled at art throughout high school and took every art class imaginable. When she told me that she wanted to go to a local university for Fashion Design I was a little skeptical but I told her that if that's what she wanted to do, she should go ahead. A few days later she received a letter in the mail from the university requesting $40 for the application that she filled out online. I was very surprised that she had applied online and I hadn't even reviewed the application before she submitted it. I would have at least made sure she paid the application fee! Anyway, I sent them the money for the fee and after a few months I called the college to find out the status. They told me that they couldn't tell me anything over the phone but that I should be looking forward to my mail in a few weeks. When the letter came, I was so excited. I got the camera and called her downstairs to open her mail. She opened it and with absolutely no emotion announced that she was accepted. How anti-climatic. When I asked her if she was excited she said that of course she was but she knew she was going to get in all along so it was no surprise. I got no good pictures of her opening the letter but I couldn't be prouder.

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From Darcy:

The whole frustrating part of this college thing is the "unknown".... when are you supposed to apply for loans? when do you find out about move in dates? When does your child find out their roommate?...... I assume Freshman Orientation will answer most of these "unknowns" -- I will let you know in a month!!

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From Jane:

I have a southern California boy going to rural New England for college. Very exciting but a little scary too. I've already been looking for bargains on wool socks and warm jackets! I want him to have a warm and cozy bed too so I was thrilled to find your XL down alternative comforter with the micro velour cover. If I can stand it, I might spring for the feather bed too! Nice products, far superior to the standard XL cotton/polyester bedding on the market.

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From Sally:

My daughter started worrying about where she was going to go at the beginning of her jr year. Since her sister went out of state to school, she thought she should follow suit, but we were less willing to let her go because of expense & the fact that she is more of a home body. She attended a yearbook editor retreat in the summer before her senior year at a small private college & thought she wanted to attend there. Then she considered attending another larger school since her boyfriend was pursuing going there. Finally, she chose the mid size state school she was initially interested in (and visited her freshman year for an FFA conference). She chose this school since she is not sure what field she wants to study & this way she can try out several interest areas.

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From Audrey:

My son is going to college in the fall. I received a dorm mailer and started comparing to your products. I saw your products were higher quality. I called customer service and the woman who addressed my questions was so professional it convinced me to shop your site.

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From Linda:

After a couple of hours on-line shopping, comparing quality and price, I bumped into Campus Bedding. After reading about these 2 mother's story, seeing their photo and reading the descriptions of college bedding items they offer, I knew I "bumped" into the right place! I haven' received my order yet, but I walk away from my "on-line" shopping knowing I am about to receive a great bedding set for our son with which to head to college. Thank you to these moms who took this journey way before me and worked to make it better for those of us coming around this same corner. I've already recommended Campus Bedding to other moms.

So it seems like yesterday that my daughter was born, my hair wasn't grey and my knees weren't heading south. But that was 18 years ago and now she's going off to college in 5 weeks. We've taken advantage of a scholarship out of state to a private university with warm weather and an atmosphere that should stimulate her to excel and enjoying a great city. Its been a long process but its all falling into place. The trip to visit campus was a success but we almost missed our plane. Then we raced to the shuttle that transported us to the campus. We dropped our luggage with the front desk and no one knew who we were. We visited the class rooms, got lost but manuvered our way throughout the day and managed to see two city tours. It was a blast and my daughter decided to accept this college. Now I can't wait to pack the boxes, ship them down and take advantage of Southwest airline's free luggage..we need to make a list and pack only essentials..that's an impossible task so now we are thankful your campus bedding can at least help with her bed.

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From Karen:

As my first experience with a college-bound child, I was overwhelmed with all the paperwork and fees that go along with applying to colleges. His high school suggested he apply to 10 colleges so that meant 10 applications and fees, 10 essays, 10 SAT/ACT scores needed to be sent, etc. He always knew where he wanted to go but decided at the last minute he wanted to wait for every college letter to see what they had to say. In his mind, he worked hard on each application and he wanted to see all the college letters before he made his decision. As it turned out, he went with his original choice but after waiting for each college to reply!

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From Caroline:

I am looking forward to ordering my 100% cotton sheets from you for my son who will be attending college as a freshman in the fall. One of your competitors are advertising their comforter as having cotton in the lining (which I received and it is 100% polyester shell and 100% fill). In addition I was about to wash the XL sheet sets I ordered from them which were advertised as all cotton and they are labeled cotton/polyester. When I first called them, I was put on hold for twenty minutes. Then today when I called them they are now requesting I fax them the brochure which clearly describes items which are not what I received. This is much work for me due to their false advertising and so I look forward to doing business with you. Thank you!

Although my son was pretty confident about going to his first choice, University of Michigan, he still wanted to attend the other campus day events for most of the other schools where he had been accepted. They were all within a 5 hour drive, most of them were within just 2 hours. So, we drove to visit 5 schools, and the time was very well spent. At each school, we learned something, whether it was other students' stories about their successes and failures, or about research opportunities available, or different major combos to consider. And, with each visit, he was more sure of his choice for UM. We were lucky that the schools were not scattered around the country, and were able to expose our younger children to different campuses as well as what it really takes to do well in college. So, when you're feeling overwhelmed and pressed for time, it may seem wasteful to visit many schools, especially if they're not your child's first choice. However, it provides an opportunity for some great family time, as well as the chance to meet other families and learn about others' journeys.

My daughter is going to Ohio State. We are so excited. She will be joining the Ohio State track team. Coming from Florida I wanted to make sure she is going to be comfortable and warm so I ran across this site and right away it attracted my attention.

Preparing for this trip is pretty amazing. I have never been to Ohio so it's a first for me. I am excited and yet sad as my baby will be so far away from me but it will be a great experience for her in many ways. So, keep an ear out for the middle distance runner name Skyler! 

GO BUCKS!!!!!