UNION, N.J., July 14 /EMWNews/ -- MS -- Millions of students will

head off to college this year which means this year's crop of high school

grads (and their parents) are brimming with anticipation, excitement ...

and a touch of apprehension. Soon they'll be thinking about outfitting an

entire dorm room, cramming all their worldly possessions into a fuel

efficient hybrid and then fitting it into a room the size of a closet.



    "Simple steps can make the transition to home sweet dorm simple, easy

and stress free," commented Bari Fagin of Bed Bath & Beyond. "Tuition may

have increased over time -- but the size of the average dorm room has not.

Planning in advance and using some basics tools will help make getting to

college a lot easier than it was to get into college."



    Fagin offers the following tips for both students and parents to help

get you started:



    -- Check it Off. Use a comprehensive checklist to figure out what you

need to buy and what you can take from home. Bedbathandbeyond.com offers a

checklist broken down by category.



    -- Split it Up. Reach out to your roommate before you shop to decide

who is bringing what so you avoid bringing (and buying) duplicates.



    -- Check it Out. Before you shop, check with your college or university

on the size of your mattress. Is it twin or twin extra long? It would be a

shame to buy the perfect sheets and then find out they are too small.



    -- Don't Drive Yourself Nuts! Gone are the days of bungee cording the

trunk closed. Bed Bath & Beyond stores offer a unique "Pack & Hold" service

that eliminates the hassle of packing the car. Simply shop at a store near

home and then pick the items up at the store near college or choose to have

the items shipped directly to your school.



    -- Don't Forget to Make Your Bed! When you get to your dorm room cover

your mattress with a mattress protector, a quilted mattress pad, a feather

bed, and finally new sheets and a comforter. You'll feel like you're

sleeping at a four star hotel, not the freshman quad.



    -- Don't Panic. As prepared as you are -- chances are you will forget

something. Relax ... bedbathandbeyond.com offers a college/store locator

that makes it easy to find the store closest to your college to get the

things most likely forgotten ... like hangers, extension cords and surge

protectors.



    -- Get Help! With over 890 stores, the "Shop for College" experts at

Bed Bath & Beyond are there to help you -- let them. Can't get to a store?

Visit "survival 101" on the Shop for College tab at bedbathandbeyond.com

for expert help.



    After all, getting into college was the hard part, shopping for it is

the fun part!