Care package ideas for first year university students.

August 14, 2016 6:24 PM

What do I put in a care package for a Canadian young lady and an American young man?

I am putting together two care packages for first year University students and I want some suggestions of cool, unique and useful things to include. I am in Canada so getting Starbucks cards or similar is not great for Student #1 because of the terrible exchange rate.

Student #1 is male and attending University in Illinois. Worried about Freshman 15. Athletic and outgoing and will be about a 3 hour drive away from home.

Student # 2 is female and attending University in Canada. From a very conservative family who are in a lot of turmoil right now. Family and home life is VERY unstable. She is a really hard worker but super anxious and stressed. She will be doing a 1.5 to 2 hour commute each way everyday.

What can you suggest that they will find useful? What is essential for Uni these days? And what can I send that is a treat but more than just candy?

posted by sadtomato to Grab Bag (12 answers total)

Shelf stable food that is more expensive than a college student's budget could regularly include. Good granola bars, nice crackers, packages of almonds/pistachios, organic peanut butter, tea/coffee, etc.

My sister would send me cool little toys or exotic food from World Market in my college care packages. That way, it was sort of an event when I got them and my hall-mates loved the silly putty, mini slinkies, cans of Spotted Dick, European candies, etc.

She also would send little toiletries or fancy lotions/bath stuff. Hand sanitiser, packages of tissues, air freshener, even spray and wash and laundry soap.

Fun socks are appreciated. As is bags of quarters (at least for the student in the US), though that may be more challenging if you're in Canada.

I'd also include an Amazon gift card - that can be used for lots of essentials. iTunes is another good option for a gift card.

Oh, and fun pens, highlighters, sharpies, cool composition books (look for Decomposition books online) or even an adult colouring book would be good, especially for stress relief.

A really good care package should have a good mix of things from those categories. My sister would also include mixtapes (on CD, obviously) with what she was listening to at the time. But that relies on having similar taste.
posted by guster4lovers at 6:41 PM on August 14, 2016 [1 favorite]

Any time of year:
Expensive protein bars
Beef jerky
Dried cherries
Good chocolate
Collection of short stories for the commute
Earphones
Nice pens
iTunes gift card
Travel-sized tube of Aveda hand cream smells really nice & luxurious

Winter:
If you have cash to spend, Glerups slippers are insanely good- very warm, very durable, very comfortable. I suggest the shoe or boot style rather than the slipper style though, as heels get cold too!
Decent mittens
Fun socks
Warm pyjamas
Christmas lights make nice soothing indoor lighting, you could get the cute ones with little lanterns or doodads on them
posted by pseudostrabismus at 6:52 PM on August 14, 2016 [1 favorite]

Am I correct in reading that student #2 lives at home and commutes to school?
posted by jeather at 6:57 PM on August 14, 2016

Response by poster: Yes, jeather, you are right. She's living at home in a very difficult situation and has a very long commute.
posted by sadtomato at 7:02 PM on August 14, 2016

For student #2, perhaps more frequent notes would also be appreciated: collect pretty cards to write brief letters in (that she can respond to in kind if she wants, but doesn't feel like she has to (or even can, given space considerations on a card) write anything that takes more than ten or fifteen minutes), and send every other week. A pleasant routine hearing from a supportive person but without pressure to respond if she's feeling stressed may provide some needed stability?

I'm also thinking that one (not more; don't want to overwhelm) motivational book in an initial larger care package might be a good option. (eg., I haven't read "What the Best College Students Do" and it isn't getting quite as good reviews as the "What the Best College Teachers Do" book that I have read, but should be a fairly light read, and give her kind of a road map to follow; or a book about how sometimes successful people take roundabout paths - basically, I'm thinking something to help her feel less pressure about the academic end of things, which is the end that it sounds like she has a little bit more control over right now). The rest depends a bit on her. I was never much into traditionally girly things, so stuff like aromatherapy candles or toiletries wouldn't have done much for me, but many people do like those sorts of gifts. On the other hand, I would have appreciated a well-made, not cheesy or too childish, medium-sized stuffed animal still when I was starting university (am partial to cats, myself), or similar pillow-like object to hug during times of stress or loneliness. Also maybe look into if there are audiobook study guides that could accompany the classes that she is taking that she could listen to during her commute - a gift certificate plus link to a download site to purchase such items so that she can select the ones that she thinks will work best for her will likely be more useful than purchasing specific ones.

For student #1, although my brother was well-versed in basic housekeeping tasks before leaving home for university, many young men aren't and could use a book on cleaning, cooking, doing laundry, managing finances, etc. for young adults heading out on their own, written in a humorous though informative manner.
posted by eviemath at 7:16 PM on August 14, 2016 [1 favorite]

So for student #2, I'd get her something for her commute. Good headphones, perhaps, or a nice bag. Otherwise get her gift cards to somewhere near the school (whichever of Starbucks, 2nd Cup and Timmy's is most common).
posted by jeather at 7:17 PM on August 14, 2016 [4 favorites]

Student 2 - an iPad or other tablet, if it's in the budget, something with a great battery life, and a keyboard to go with it. She can use it to take notes in class, or entertain herself during her commute.

(Or, a light box. I did a similar commute [in Canada] for a few years. Between that, often staying in to study, and the weak and limited sunshine, I ended up with a severe vitamin D deficiency, with symptoms very similar to depression. If she is vulnerable to depression [and anxiety is a risk factor, first year of uni is a risk factor, unstable family definitely so, lack of sunshine doesn't help], it might be one of the little things that might make a teensy difference, that she probably wouldn't get herself. It might be an odd gift, but it's a care package...)
posted by cotton dress sock at 7:42 PM on August 14, 2016 [3 favorites]

Can't really add anything to the good suggestions above except the thing I appreciated most in college was getting a sweet note from my elderly aunt with $10 in it every month or so. You could slip a little cash in with the care package.
posted by It'sANewDawn at 8:02 PM on August 14, 2016 [3 favorites]

The worst thing about a long commute is forgetting to charge your phone beforehand and having no music. For the extended commute, she's likely going to want to use it to read and/or study. A portable battery charger could be very useful in stretching her tablet/smartphone/kindle batteries far enough to get home.
posted by cholly at 3:50 AM on August 15, 2016 [4 favorites]

Gummy vitamins - kinda fun, helps with their general health while their diet is likely to be non-ideal, and something the student isn't likely to buy for themselves.

Another vote for headphones, for either student - they will invariably need a spare pair as these are something that get daily use, guaranteed. Over-ear headphones in particular - I've found they take a lot more punishment than earbuds. Urbanears are of decent quality (both construction and audio-wise), they fold up for compactness, come in a variety of colors, are a good price, and available at any HMV or Indigo/Chapters.

Spare phone cables and usb to wall adapters - seems lame but will also be greatly appreciated. If they have iphones, the cheaply bought off-brand cables break within days.
posted by lizbunny at 7:23 AM on August 15, 2016

Another thought for the commute: a small thermos or good leak proof travel mug and some nice tea if that's her thing. Getting halfway and being able to oull out hot drinks is so lovely. A thermos food bowl could also be useful if her diet lends to it - excellent for eat-on-the-train oatmeal or leftovers for lunch. (I commuted 1 hour to uni each day, I'll probably think of more things that I would have loved later).
posted by cholly at 1:44 PM on August 15, 2016

For the young lady - love love love big scarves for commutes - they work as a bomb blanket or pillow if a nap are in order. Maybe hand cream, lip balm (burts bees?), something good to read, maybe one of those super cute emergency kits?

For both - a thermal mug thats totally sealable, so you can throw it in your pack without worrying about drenching everything. Muji MOMA pens (!!!!) some leathermen tool type thingy?

for the guy - tiger balm, protein bars, a compression shirt by under armour? a cool flashlight?
posted by speakeasy at 2:53 PM on August 15, 2016