The number of ways in which we can communicate with our college students continues to increase almost daily.  You may use one method almost exclusively, or you may use several methods to keep in touch.  These days, most of our connections seem to be electronic.  We may communicate via cell phone, text messages, e-mail, Facebook, Skype, Google hangouts, Google chats, Facetime or any number of other interesting methods.  It’s important to stay in touch (although it’s easy to overdo it).

In the rush of the newest electronic forms of communication, one often overlooked and forgotten form of connection is good, old fashioned, snail mail.  Even with the advent of technology as a means of connection, most college students are still assigned a physical mailbox on campus.  The ritual of checking the mailbox is still a common one for most students.  No matter what means of communication you use most often, consider using this mailbox to reach out to your student. 

You don’t need to sit down and write a long, newsy letter to your student (although most students wouldn’t object to receiving one).  There are some simple ways to brighten your student’s day through mailbox contents.  Of course, there is the obvious practice of sending a full-blown care package to your student.  Students love receiving care packages.  You can contract a service to send a package, or you can put together a fun care package yourself.

Read more