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The Daily Wildcat

The Daily Wildcat

 

What to bring and what to show

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Gordon Bates / Arizona Daily Wildcat UofA loss to Stanford Saturday, September 17, 2011 at Arizona Stadium

Family Weekend is here, which means it’s time to clean your room of empty Papa John’s Pizza boxes, red plastic cups, dirty socks and everything else that makes Mom cringe.

It’s the time to show off your new friends and the campus and spend some quality time with family (whether you like them or not).

But if you’re like some, it’s also time for you to scribble down that quick list for parents of the things you miss from home or that you forgot in the frantic packing at the end of a long, fun summer.

Whether you already have a laundry list of things you want your parents to bring, or you’re striving to be completely independent, be sure to get the top five items students named when the Daily Wildcat asked what they wanted from home:

5. Cold medication and aspirin

The cold season is upon us. To avoid trips off campus to Walgreens and long lines at Campus Health Service, start stocking up now! Parents will jump on this opportunity to help you when you’re ill and they are far away. They might not be able to feed you soup, watch movies with you, or hover like moms and dads do, but a little extra strength medication should get you back to studying and the parents back to peace of mind in no time.

4. Duct tape

One parent might not understand this one, but it’s pretty likely the other will probably grin and chuckle, recalling the old college days.

So as to not let on that the tape might be used for crazy pranks in the dorm like taping your roommate’s hairy arm while he’s sleeping, a quick explanation about the practicality of duct tape for picture hanging and fixing your broken flip-flop should do the trick.

3. Clothes

If you packed for college in a rush this August, you probably managed to forget shoes to match your shirts and brought something like an entire drawer of belts at the back of your closet. Justify the duffel of clothes your parents are lugging from home to school by telling them fabric weighs a lot less than books.

Ugg boots are at the top of pre-journalism freshman Alexys Liggins’ list. “I hear it’s going to start getting cold here and I am not prepared for it,” she said. “I have a section in my closet that is taped off (and) labeled with arrows saying ‘bring’ in big bold black letters.”

2. Money

The bursar’s account is closed and you probably forgot about new headphones or extra dorm decorations that would complete your side of the room. Look no further than your parents’ wallets. If you strategize well, you could stay out of a heated argument by saving this request until Sunday night, right before they leave. Or use list item No. 1, food, as an excuse. Money could be even used for the more peculiar things. After experiencing the Tucson monsoons last week, Kyle Rollins, a pre-computer science freshman, plans to request money for a raft, “so I can have transportation here for when it rains.”

1. Food

Are we surprised? Students’ top request is food. Homemade food does reign supreme (maybe that’s why it is so easy to gain the freshman 15).

Also, if you’re clever, posting your college address on the refrigerator at home is the perfect guilt trip for parents. Each time they go for a snack, they’ll be reminded to send you a care package full of homemade brownies, cupcakes and other baked goods. How can they refuse if you emphasize, “Mom, your homemade snickerdoodles are the best! I miss them so much”?

And as for highlights to see?

Here’s a quick listing of places students want the ‘rents to take a peak.

5. Likins Hall, Árbol de la Vida Residence Hall (or insert other dorm here)

Parents are paying a lot of money for room and board. Showing them how no-swipe access gets you into a state-of-the-art residence hall that probably puts your parents’ dorms to shame might make that second round of payments a little easier for them to swallow.

But the charm of an older dorm like Coconino Residence Hall, where parents will imagine their little baby making new friends while watching comedies on the couch in the living room, can also do the trick.

4. The Student Union Memorial Center

Shaped like a boat and packed with history, the student union is a great place to show your parents how college students chow down.

3. The Student Recreation Center

It’s new, improved and really quite impressive. A late-night workout session might make a lot more sense to the folks if they see the mini-flat screens on the treadmills projecting Monday night football at you.

2. Athletic Centers

There’s no day like game day and paying a visit to McKale Center or Arizona Stadium is a great way to showcase the athletic prowess of your new home.

1. Anywhere off campus

The chance to get off campus is rare but always appreciated, especially freshman year when many of your friends might not have a car. Show off the charm of the little town of Tucson to the folks.

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