College Care Package Co., a start-up co-founded by former and current Sauder School of Business students Vrinda Gupta and Pratham Jaiswal, wants to help incoming students settle into their new homes at UBC.
The company launched four months ago and provides incoming students with dormitory essentials, including bedding, cleaning supplies and kitchen essentials.
Gupta and Jaiswal knew they wanted to start a business that would help new international students at UBC, as they had both faced the challenge of transitioning to living independently in a new country.
“I moved to Canada in 2019 for my education, and I came here all alone,” said Gupta, who graduated from accounting at UBC this past year.
“I didn’t know a single person in Canada. I had no family. When I came from India, I didn’t even know what a Compass card was,” she said. “I kind of just got dumped here with 70 kilos of luggage, with nowhere to turn to.”
“The first thing that people struggle with is when they get here [is] they don't even have a blanket,” Gupta said. “I can tell you about friends of mine who just had to sleep in their jackets for a week, because [they] couldn't figure out where the Walmart was.”
First-year dorms like Orchard Commons, Totem Park and Place Vanier require students to purchase all bedding and other dormitory essentials. UBC partners with Campus Linens of Canada, through which students can order dormitory packages with bed sheets, comforters, and towels to be delivered right to their dormitory.
However, these packages do not include other items students may want, such as plates and closet hangers, and retail for more than College Care’s packages.
According to the company, their business model cuts out the middlemen, allowing them to keep prices low.
“We were thinking, it’s not just about the students but their parents, because I know my parents were shocked when I came here,” Gupta said. “We’re [re]assuring people’s parents that when they come here, they can have that first good night of sleep and spend their time being productive, making friends, learning about the community [and] getting to visit the campus instead of… running around.”
This will be College Care Package Co.’s first year providing their service, but Gupta said they have already spoken with UBC campus mail so that students can find their packages at the front desk when they arrive.
Currently, there are three dorm packages available focused on bedding, kitchen essentials, and cleaning supplies. However, the company is hoping to add other options such as snack boxes, particularly with foods that international students may miss from home.
“I know my diet really suffered when I came here and all I was eating was pizzas and burgers all day,” Gupta said. “What we need is like an Indian snack box. We're used to those flavors, we want them they're a part of our diet.”
College Care Package is run entirely by current and former international students, and part of their site is a blog dedicated to advice for new students.
Gupta’s advice for new students arriving to Canada is to “focus on building community from the get go.”
“When things get tough, that’s the emotional and social support you’re going to need.”