I'm actually going to give you different advice from a lot of what you are getting here. Everyone is right that a good mattress really is a crucial thing for a lot of people and can make a huge difference in the quality of your sleep. However, when I was in college I ended up getting a nice bed and fantastic mattress (at a really great price) for that reason. Problem is, it was a pain in the ass to move each time I moved (through the rest of college, post-college, grad school, to store while in Europe, moving in with partner's etc.). It's now the guest bed in a home I own (and almost ten years old) and everyone mentions how comfortable it is, but it is thick, coiled and a royal pain in the ass to move. I've also seen people move into places where they can't get a structured mattress up to a third or second floor bedroom, or where they can't fit the size mattress they have into their room. It also turns out that I'm someone who is okay sleeping on less of a great mattress (which I unfortunately didn't discover until I lived in a grad school dorm room and everyone else complained about the terrible mattresses/ I didn't even notice). I'm living temporarily in another state for two years and I purposely bought a much cheaper mattress (the amazon foam one people have been recommending) and a bed that was designed to be easily moved and assembled with the intention of getting rid of the mattress rather than having to ever move another mattress again. If you're in college really think about your future goals before investing more than a couple hundred in a mattress (because decent ones can be found for a couple hundred and you can always add toppers and other things that are easy to move). If you think you may move a lot over the next decade (locally or cross country) think about what mattresses are best for moving (the foam ones fold over stairwells, etc. much easier) or what mattress are cheap enough that you wouldn't mind ditching and replacing as needed. If you are also buying a bed look for a bed that is easy to assemble and take apart and easy to move. A great bed is a lovely thing to have and is usually a worthy investment, but if you can sleep on something nice without splurging (others have given you suggestions on how to do that) consider doing that until you are at least out of college, working full time or more settled in the same place. Nothing sucks more than buying an expensive mattress and storing it in a garage at your next house share because it can't get up to your bedroom.