A new survey by home furnishings giant IKEA reveals that it's bedding that makes the college man or woman. The survey of 600 college students found a strong corelation between a student's environment and the decisions they make.

        For example, students without sofas in their rooms were 75 percent more likely to say that they call home every day compared to students with sofas in the rooms. Females who had sofas in their rooms were more likely to study every day than those without a sofa. Students with sofas in their rooms were 21 percent more likely to get a good night's sleep every night compared to the sofa-less student.

        Having a desk in the room is a no-no. Females without a desk in their dorm room were 57 percent more likely to get on the Dean's List than those with a desk.

        Want her to get on the Dean's List? Stuff a stuffed animal in her suitcase. Those who made the list had at least one favorite stuffed animal in her room. In fact, 76 percent of students with siblings said they couldn't leave home without their plushables.

        The top five things students who made the Dean's List more than once said they couldn't go to college without are a blanket, stuffed animal, pillows, photos and posters.

Blanket statements

        What goes on the bed seems to be a good indicator of behavior too. Students with white blankets were more than twice as likely to have gained weight during their freshman year compared to students with green blankets. Although 57 percent of males who brought a white blanket reported a GPA of 3.6 or higher, not one male surveyed who owned a green blanket reported having a GPA above 3.6.

        Females who brought a blue blanket were more than twice as likely to suffer from nightmares compared with females whose blankets were white. But those white-blanketed females were three times more likely to say that they're depressed every day compared to those with blue blankets. The lucky girls with pink blankets said they were never depressed.

        Of course, if the blanket, regardless of the color, is a “security blanket,” students were three times as likely to cry every week while at college compared to those who did not bring a “security blanket.”

        Law was the third most popular major among students with green blankets. But it only ranked 13th on the list for students with white or blue blankets.

Surf city

        Males who brought a personal computer to campus are more than three times as likely to call home every day compared to males who didn't bring a PC. Females with Internet access were 40 percent more likely to miss their families than those without access in their rooms.

        Now the bad news: Males with PCs in their rooms were 10 times more likely to report feeling peer pressure about drugs, and females with Internet access were four times more likely to think about dropping out of college.

        Otherhighlights: Females without desks in their rooms were 70 percent more likely to say they drink alcohol often compared to females with desks in their rooms. Males with Internet access at college were 92 percent more likely to report drinking alcohol often compared to males without Internet access. Also, students who said they couldn't leave home without photos of family/friends were the least likely to join a fraternity or sorority or to say they felt homesick while at college.

Circus people are just folks
Father-son balloonists float above it all
The insatiable shopper
B.B. King's blues show a mostly mellow evening
So Many Roads not up to speed
Survey finds you are what you bring to college
On the Fridge
Get to it