Guide Combines Cool-Factor "Must Haves" and Moms' Advice for an Easier Freshman Year
OAKLAND, Calif., August 27, 2009 - Roommates, clothes, health, safety, credit hours, majors, laptops, bedspreads, mini fridges, empty nests, new friends… the list of things swirling through the heads of incoming college freshmen and their parents goes on and on.
While most freshmen are worried about their new roommates, parents are worried about keeping kids healthy as they start sharing space with the more microscopic residents of dorm life. In fact, a recent survey found that the majority of moms of incoming freshmen (60 percent) are worried about germs. That is why The Clorox Company teamed up with college students and moms across the country to develop an authentic College Survival Guide to ease concerns of parents and prepare freshmen.
"Our kids may tell us that we worry too much, but there is no doubt that college students are at risk for picking up lots of germs - bacteria, viruses, and others - when they head off to school," said Dr. Harley Rotbart, author of Germ Proof Your Kids and father of college students. "The College Survival Guide features tips kids can actually use that will ease parents' concerns and help us enjoy the empty nest."
The Guide includes advice on everything from region-specific "must haves" like board shorts on the West Coast to a "5-Minute Dorm Room Clean-Up." The "Clean-Up" tips include using disinfecting wipes on laptops and desktops, so when a crush drops by for an impromptu study session, freshmen share quality time, not germs. Parents and students can download the Guide at www.MomCentral.com/CollegeSurvivalGuide2009 or by visiting Facebook and searching for "College Survival Guide 2009."
The Guide also gives freshmen a "heads up" on the popular trends and quirks that come along with going to school in a certain part of the country from the students who are already there. As anyone who's traveled across the country to go to school knows…things are different! That's why the Guide is available in five region-specific editions - a Midwest Edition, a Northeast Edition, a South Edition, a West Coast Edition, and a National Edition for everyone. If someone is going to school in the South they'll know that boat shoes are as much a "must have" as textbooks, or that moccasins are the big thing at schools in the Midwest.
The idea for the Guide was inspired by Tiernan Cutler, a junior at Bowdoin College in Maine who sent tips to her friends back home in California after her freshman year on the East Coast. "I wanted to help my friends prepare for school by giving them the sort of information I wish I was told before heading off for my freshman year," said Cutler. "I think it's really cool that this guide is doing the same thing for freshmen across the country."
Become a Fan
To reach both freshmen and their parents, each edition of the Guide is available at www.MomCentral.com/CollegeSurvivalGuide2009 or by visiting Facebook and searching for "College Survival Guide 2009." More than a quarter of moms plan to keep in touch with their freshmen through Facebook, making it a hangout for both, even if they are across the country. Sorry, freshmen - they're more tech-savvy than they get credit for!
On the site, parents and students can download the Guide, submit before/after photos of dorm rooms, share advice, receive dorm room clean-up and health and wellness tips and become a fan of the page. Since no two schools are exactly the same, fans of the page will also be able to create and share their own guides using a template available on the page.
The Low Down on the Guide
The survey also found that less than half of moms had received health and wellness information from the school their child will be attending but information on reducing the risk of getting sick was cited as a main topic moms wanted to receive from colleges. To address this information gap, the Guide features the following, including educational health and wellness tips related to seasonal influenza and novel H1N1 2009 flu virus prevention, to address moms' concerns and help freshmen get off to a good start:
Advice from Those Who Know Best - A "heads up" on popular clothing and accessories to bring to school, as well as a list of activities and quirks that are to be expected in that region while at college
You're Not in Kansas Anymore: College Living "Must Haves" - Listings of the "must have" items for college - everything from a laundry basket to a bathroom caddy
5-Minute Dorm Room Clean-Up - Quick clean-up tips, great not only for the morning after a late-night get together, but also when a crush decides to drop by for an impromptu study session
Seasonal Influenza and Novel H1N1 Virus Prevention Tips - Tips to help reduce the spread of germs and viruses, such as getting vaccinated and regularly disinfecting items shared with friends like computer keyboards, cell phones or video games
The Boring Stuff Mom Has to Say - Lifestyle tips directly from moms to help keep college kids at their best
It's Not Just About What You Wear
There are way too many cool things going on freshman year to risk spending it in the campus health center. Despite flu jitters being higher than ever - especially with the close quarters in dorms - the survey made some surprising discoveries regarding moms' concerns about their child's health and wellness when sending them off to college.
Less than three quarters of moms said they would encourage their college student to get a seasonal influenza or novel H1N1 vaccination. Yet the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends all people up to the age of 18 years old, the age of many entering college freshmen, be vaccinated against flu.
- Of those not likely to encourage their child to get the seasonal influenza vaccine at school, 52 percent said their child did not need it even though a study published in the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine estimates that 9 to 20 percent of college students come down with the flu each year, and that's before the outbreak of the novel H1N1 virus.
Almost one third of moms cited not cleaning his or her room as the bad habit their child is most likely to engage in, while not studying took a back seat with only 15 percent of moms citing it as the most likely bad habit.
About The Clorox Company
The Clorox Company is committed to helping families live easier, healthier and better lives. As part of this commitment, Clorox is honored to support the College Survival Guide, a program where college students and moms worked to develop a Guide featuring lifestyle and health and wellness tips. For more information, visit www.clorox.com.
About the Survey
The results are based on a survey conducted online by Ipsos, a leading market research firm, on August 4-7, 2009. With a sample of 510 mothers who have a child starting freshman year of college this fall, the results are considered accurate within ± 4.3 percentage points of what they would have been had the entire population in the U.S. been polled. The margin of error will be larger for sub-groupings of the survey population. Respondents were reached as part of a general survey of the U.S. population. In addition, a boost was implemented with invitations being sent specifically to women with at least one 17-19 year old in the household.
Media contacts
Laura Yost
The Clorox Company
laura.yost@clorox.com
510-271-7000
Lauren Wasserman
Ketchum
lauren.wasserman@ketchum.com
202-835-7269