I’m excited to announce that the 3rd edition of my passion project, The ULTIMATE College Student Health Handbook: Your Guide for Everything from Hangovers to Homesickness, is now available. If you’re new here, welcome! My name is Jill Grimes, MD, better known as “Dr. Jill” or “the College Doc”. I’m a board-certified family physician who enjoyed private practice for roughly 20 years, then switched my focus to teen and young adult health. I treated college students in an on-campus university urgent care setting for about 7 years, until the pandemic hit, and I pivoted to public health initiatives. As … Read more
College first aid kit
College Health Checklist: 12 Things To Do Before Your Child Leaves Home
*This post was originally published as a guest blog on one of my favorite teen parenting sites, RaisingTeensToday Be sure to check out their site!
As parents, when we’re preparing to send our “kidults” off to college, we often spend the last few months before they leave cramming every possible nugget of wisdom into their brain – and rightly so.
And, even though our loving advice, (passed along with all good intentions, of course) might be met with an eye roll and an “Okay! I knoooowwww!” we have to press on because part of the separation process isn’t … Read more
#1 New Release: The ULTIMATE College Student Health Handbook
Cheers! I’m excited to share that the new, fully updated edition of The ULTIMATE College Student Health Handbook is now available both in stores and online!
What’s NEW? Well, I finished writing the first edition in December 2019, which was (barely) pre-pandemic. Updates obviously began, therefore, with COVID (*noting that recommendations will continue to evolve as we get more data). With online learning, the next immediate addition was practical and evidence-based tips for Zoom Fatigue. My favorite new topics, however, are ones we simply couldn’t squeeze into the first edition! Happily, today, they are just in time for Spring Break.
How to Make the BEST College First Aid Kit
Sending your kid off to college is exciting, happy, sad and scary, all at the same time! We want them to have “the BEST years of their life” (no pressure, right?) and either do all the fun things we did or perhaps the things we missed out on. As parents, we don’t want to see them hurt- physically or emotionally, and obviously, we want to see them succeed. The truth is that they will stumble along the way, whether that’s a bad grade, a bike accident, the flu (or yes, COVID), mono, test anxiety or heartbreak. It’s not the stumbling … Read more
5 Summer “Must-Do’s” Before Starting College
CONGRATS to the Class of 2021! While my Pandemic-Powered Seniors post shares why this class may turn out to be the best prepared college freshmen yet, there’s still some “summer homework” I’d recommend before they fly the nest. NOW is the time for students to begin actively preparing for and engaging with their new school and community. Here are 5 ways grads can get ahead:
- HOMESICKNESS is real, and ironically, often worse in students who stay close to home. Kids who are close enough to go home for meals and laundry often miss out on the spontaneous hang-outs, meals and
College Parent Q&A about Pandemic Problems & COVID Vaccines
As our college students head back to campus (or simply back to their rooms for online classes), it’s time for another question and answer session, with pressing parent questions brought to me by my amazing friend, Suzy Mighell, creator and founder of the popular blog and lifestyle brand Empty Nest Blessed (check it out if you haven’t already!) Let’s jump right in!
Q1. My college student is so sad about missing all the classic college experiences, like football games, parties, studying abroad, etc. Is there anything we can say or do to help?
No question we are ALL feeling this, … Read more
The Best 2020 College First Aid Kit
Ten years ago, I blended my craft-loving, Girl Scout leader “always be prepared” skills with my family medicine physician experience to create a practical high school graduation gift- a college first aid kit. That first kit had basic essentials for cuts and colds, a thermometer, an ACE wrap, and a few assorted remedies for seasonal allergies, migraines, and heartburn. I stuck a little index card inside that had a few tips about when to use what (like Tylenol vs Advil). Each year, I added more items and instructions, as our friends’ kids began using these kits and texting me for … Read more
Graduation Homework: Six Summer Assignments to Make You REALLY Ready for College
Graduations certainly look different this year, and many question marks remain for the fall. How will be dorms function? Will there be football? Large lecture halls? Schools know few specifics, and we definitely can’t control it. Since this uncertainty breeds frustration, let’s talk about what we CAN control. Start with readjusting the focus away from the missed proms, shows, banquets and ceremonies- not to minimize those losses, but to shift the view and push the momentum forward. Begin actively preparing for and engaging with your new school and community with these six summer assignments:
- Make a list of AT LEAST