Final Exam Care Packages for Your College Student
April 16, 2008Throughout the nation — and perhaps around the world — college students are preparing (or preparing to prepare!) for their final exams. Though I’ve been a college professor for two decades, this is the first year that I am also the parent of a college student. To help my son with this stressful time in any student’s life, I’ll be sending him a Final Exam Care Package. Here are a few of the items that he’ll find when he opens this box next week.
- Peanut butter crackers
- Microwave popcorn
- Tea bags (Traditional Medicinal’s Throat Coat and Stash’s White Christmas)
- Ramen (of course)
- Rice Krispy treats (maybe even homemade ones)
- Beef jerky
- Stress ball or Slinky
- Take 5 candy bars (his favorite)
- Chocolate-covered espresso beans
- Sharpened number two pencils
- A CD of music to study to
- Notes of encouragement from everyone in the family
My plan is to put this package together myself after a trip to the store and post office today. However, if life intervenes, I may “cheat” and order a pre-packaged one from Tiger Surprise, which caters specifically to Auburn University students. Either way, my son will receive a tangible reminder that his mom and dad want him to take care of himself and do well on his first college finals.
Though I know he’ll be appreciative of the goodies in his care package, I know my son, and I bet he won’t call to tell me it arrived. This gives me the excuse to call him and see how he’s doing. I won’t grill him with tons of questions about his finals; instead, I’ll provide a listening ear and lots of encouragement. . . and a few of my best study tips.
Note: Parents can find the overall final exam schedule for most universities at the school’s website. However, you’ll probably need to check with your students to determine exactly when their finals are based on their class schedules.
Listening Matters by
Barbara B. Nixon, Ph.D. (ABD) is licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.
[...] If you’re a parent, it’s time to send off a final exam care package. [...]
I’ve usually send my own packages. I don’t like the packages my son’s school offers because they’re filled with candy. I don’t think that much sugar will help him study! I always have to call to make sure he got it, but I can tell he appreciates having the food. One time I ordered from Care Package Cafe. They have some healthier packages, not all candy. When I sent this to my son, he actually sent me the thank you note that was included with the package!
Parent’s should really check this site out-from-mom.com. Their packages are awesome, not filled with junk food, but a lot of healthy products. My kids loved them and anticipated their arrival. Even though I’m a DAD, from-mom.com was best.