I always love getting mail. Birthday cards, magazines, college brochures, hefty bills from big name universities; you know, the fun, feel-good sort of stuff. That’s why, upon returning home from a family vacation on Monday night, I was elated to find not one, not two, but three large envelopes from Northwestern, and a graduation card from my grandparents (hence the excitement) sitting in the heaping pile of mail on the counter. I also discovered the dilemma of the XL Twin length bed sheets.

Though I was hoping that while opening the envelopes, in at least one of them I would find $50,799.00, an Ethernet cord, and tickets to a Flogging Molly concert, Northwestern let me down yet again. Rather, I pulled out and held in my hand one of the more peculiar forms that I have received since being admitted. While I have spent the past 9 months or so stressing about financial aid, student loans, and all the like, it was kind of strange to read about the quintessential details of bed-sheet shopping (because up to this point, I had no idea that there were any).

Granted, I had heard rumors that you needed longer sheets for college, but I presumed that they could be bought at Target, WalMart, or what have you. I was wrong. Whether it is true or not, the form I received pertaining to the size of bed sheets we need to purchase details that they are “Guaranteed to Fit. Guaranteed ’til Graduation”; much to my dismay, I’ve found that they are guaranteed to be the only ones available. I may sound picky, so don’t get me wrong, I have no problem with Aqua/Kiwi Waves or Pastel Stripe and I really like Tangerine, my problem was that I wanted to spend the least amount of money possible, which to me meant scouring the sales in my hometown.

To cut to the chase, the sheets that we need to buy should be, according to a sales representative at the company wanting to sell us their sheets, 39″ x 80″ x 8″, however, the sheets advertised as XL twin in my area (Target) measure out to be 39″ x 80″ x 12″. Will this small variation make a big difference? Let me know, because I’m not going to be the one to find out. I’ve already learned my lesson anyway. My mom was right, and I try not to let that happen very often.

For starters, I should have known that anything addressed “To the parents of: [your name here]” must not travel past the kitchen and certainly has no right to seek refuge in my bedroom, no matter how scared it is of the electric bill. Though I had not intended to open it once I noticed the real addressee, the score still stood at Mom: 1 Hallie: 0.

So, down one right from the get go, I opted to dive into the heat of the battle rather quickly. The following night, I gathered my logistics and prepared to protest the need to order from the brochure; a professional penny-pincher myself, I felt that I would be better off shopping locally. Mom: 2 Hallie: -1.

Because at this point I was still “right” with the information that I had accumulated, I thought I’d one-up her and prove victorious (aka: save $10.00). So, I did a little research and found out the measurements of the sheets that Target was advertising as XL Twin length bed sheets. Mom: 3, Hallie: needs to decide between Kiwi Summer and Lavender Stripe.

My point here is, that though preparing for college is often portrayed as a trouble-free endeavor, I have quickly found that, though exciting, it is not. With financial situations to asses, supplies to be bought, forms to be filled out, and all the like, this experience can be overwhelming and consequently draw out our inner anxieties only to allow them to masquerade as totally different emotions. It seems to me that this situation exists both with me as a student and my parents; I mean it’s not this crazy house full of hate and animosity, not at all, so don’t get me wrong there. I just found it funny that a little thing like an order form for the right size bed sheets can spark such a heated debate. There I was, so set on scrimping and saving my way through college that I let my stubbornness take over before accumulating all the information, then there was my mom, still being my protector, even though at 17-years-old I am a little reluctant to accept her advice.

It came out clear that my apprehension to have enough money to support myself and be as financially independent as possible (buy my own sheets) clashed with her own fear of me being short-sheeted. Fair enough. This stubborn desire for independence, my parents also felt, could easily highlight my natural naivety as a young woman in a completely new environment. Once again, I realized that they had hit the nail on the head, as they have done so many times these past 17 years.

Nevertheless, I haven’t thrown in the towel on figuring things out for myself, and I encourage the rest of you not to do so either. Our parents/guardians want us to have the most rewarding experience that $50,799.00 a year can buy, so to get our money’s worth, these arguments/discussions are a necessity. Having gone through many of these experiences before us, their insight is golden to the fate of our desired successes; sure, they may be a little overbearing but, at least in my case, it’s only because come September, they won’t be there to see that everything is all right at the end of the day.

Well, that’s all for now. Happy bed sheet shopping!