MindyKnows offers college students local, parent-like help when families live far away, from prescription pickups and support during illness to company during ER visits. Its unlimited Washington University package costs $525 a year.
MindyKnows operates at 10 campuses, with a local provider and pricing structure at each; similar businesses include Bama Mama, the GA Mom and Campus Mom. One Houston family told The New York Times it had paid about $1,600 for unlimited help since its son began college. Horwitz’s services can include chicken soup, birthday deliveries and coordinating a bedbug exterminator.
The Princeton Review’s 2025 College Hopes & Worries Survey found 50% of parents said their child’s ideal college would be within 250 miles of home, compared with 35% of students. A sociologist and a human-development professor raised concerns that doing too much for students could limit their self-reliance or reliance on peers; Horwitz described the service as a support system.
