Plan Ahead
This pre-posted message is an amalgamation of many past posts with packing/move-in advice.
I am a big fan of planning ahead, so today is all about thinking through contingencies of what your students might need to have on hand in their rooms this fall.
It is a given that at some point, your student is likely to get sick while at Wake. Particularly at the start of the year, when students are in close quarters, sharing food or drink with friends, or – how shall I say this? – sharing romantic moments 🙂 Whether they get a cold, discover they have allergies to new flowers and trees that don’t grow in your hometown, or have stomach flu, mono, etc., it’s best to be prepared with some over-the-counter medicines in their room, so they don’t have to go shopping when they are feeling under the weather.
Consider prepping a first aid kit for your students with anything you feel is necessary. Here are some suggestions, but you might have other things your Deac needs:
Basic first aid supplies
thermometer
Band-Aids
antibiotic ointment
gauze pads
eye drops
Over the counter medicines
pain medicine/fever reducer
benadryl/antihistamines
cold and cough medicine
cough drops
digestive meds (anti diarrheal, heartburn, etc.)
A supply of any prescription medications they take regularly
Birth control/condoms (only you will know what is appropriate for your family’s values)
In addition to the meds proper, you might also want to include a supply of replenishing drinks (such as Gatorade) and food they could eat in the room without a lot of preparation (soup, crackers, granola bars, etc.). Those could sit, untouched, in a container in their closet or under the bed so they’d be ready when your Deac needs them (and does not want to have to go to the Pit to get lunch or dinner).
Just some food for thought as you begin to think about packing for August.