Serious Eats - seriouseats.com

A bottle of the 8 year aged balsamic vinegar. They're seniors; if they haven't learned how to use it by now, it's time.

I think the most important thing about being a senior in college is the idea of crossing a threshhold from one lifestyle to another- from grown up in training to full fledged adult. The basket really should reflect it- it should contain morsels that any adult palate would appreciate, while containing a few grown up versions of comfortable favorites.

The cherry chocolate bread and Vosges hot cocoa would be fun, high end versions of familiar comfort foods. Expand the palate with adult favorites such as a beautiful crotin and some of the six year old balsamic vinegar paired with the french peasant bread. Include some adult tastes only foods like the bottaga caviar. Then finish with something that anyone can enjoy, no matter where they are in life: some delicious brownies and cookies.

These are all just suggestions- I only quickly browsed the website to look for ideas- I'm sure even better items than these listed would fit the idea of transitioning from (relatively) carefree college student to full time adult.

As a senior, I'd appreciate the Charles Chocolates Pâté de Fruit. They're classy, but also candy-like. It's the perfect metaphor for a young adult, methinks.

- the city goat round - because goat cheese and bread is the perfect late night snack (actually my favorite midterm creation senior year was strawberries with goat cheese and with a some dark chocolate)
- sour cherries in balsamic compote - sounds as good as the strawberries for the goat cheese
- paesano bread - because all that goat cheese and strawberries has to go somewhere
- cookies and brownies to share - and because classic and homey is the best way to go while staying up all night
- first flush black tea - just enough caffeine to help you stay awake but not so much so that you are twitching
- spiced pecans - they are awesome and delicious plus will probably go well with the -rangpur lime syrup which you will then use to make cocktails when you are done with exams, because you are seniors so you are probably 21 and can celebrate with booze.

- Vosges Mini Book of Bars (Books AND chocolate: now that's the way to study!)
- Chestnut Honey (Because as Saveur says, it's "A grown-up's honey.")
- Heirloom Michigan Apples (Something comforting, and familiar to pair with with following...)
- Vosges Sweet & Savory Caramel Collection (just because it sounds out of this world)
- Rustichella Italian Pastas (Basic student food, elevated with the addition of the following item...)
- Wild Fennel & Anchovy Condiment (A plunge into the unknown, i.e.: what seniors themselves will go through upon graduating)
- Espresso Blend #1 (How would you get through the last year of school without it?)

I'm going to be a senior in college in only a few months so here's my two cents on the perfect senior care package:

1. French Mountain Bread
2. Zingerman's Cookie Sampler or Brownie & Blondie
3. Peppermint Rosebud White Tea Blend
4. Duck Fat (Why the heck NOT?!)
5. French Lavender Honey

I think that everything I put on the list compliments at least one other item on my list.
I was on the phone with my non-English-speaking Grandma when I first started reading this article. She's also a senior (citizen) and she thinks that butter needs to be on this list, so I'm going to add

6. Vermont Cultured Butter

I think that previous posters who are focused on getting Seniors through exams or introducing them to new and cosmopolitan tastes are missing the point. Senior year is about lounging and lazing, about enjoying friendship and about a last opportunity to enjoy childhood comforts (with a twist) while watching Freshmen scurry about in a panic. To facilitate this, I propose:
• An assorted quartet of scones. (As an Ann Arbor resident, I personally prefer the croissants but have doubts about their ability to be shipped. Zingerman's scones are a remarkably close second.)
• American Spoon Sour Cherry Preserves
• Fort St. Antoine Comté
• Spiced Pecans
• Antonio Mattei Biscotti
• A choice of either:
- A pound of Sweet Yellow Brazilian Coffee
or
- One tin each of the Organic Wu Yi Oooling Tea and Organic Earl Grey Black Tea

Enough for a late morning breakfast before that 11 am first class, afternoon tea in your room overlooking the quad, and late night snacking with pals. Yes, I'm over budget if we're looking at a $100 target, but what Senior isn't over budget from time to time?

I agree with Shoneyjoe--the hard part was over. By senior year, I was taking the classes I loved, coming into my own as a real adult, and transitioning from a punk-ass kid trying to look cool to someone who really was cool :). I'd also venture to say any senior still living in the dorms needs a lobotomy (RAs excluded). For the package, I'd stick to high quality staples that would make every meal or snack seem more grown-up that couldn't easily be made in a small apartment.

- Bridgewater Cheese: Simple, classic, elegant--a perfect way to display that you've become seasoned and knowledgable in the past four (or more!) years, and recognize a classic.

- 8 Grain 3 Seed Bread: Days of limp white are over. A chewy grown-up flavor with amazing complexity. The honey background keeps it young and playful.

- Siurana Olive Oil: Again, a classic to keep coming back to.

- Vecchia Dispensa's Sweet 16 Year Aged Balsamic: Something for the arsenal to break out for special occasions (there seem to be tons of them during senior year).

- Vermont Cultured Butter: Because good butter makes even lowly bread beautiful.

- Papua New Guinea Coffee: What better way to prepare for corporate life than beginning (if it hasn't already been established) a habit for good coffee?

- Michel Cluizel Chocolate Bars from France: Even grown men will drool. A required sweet treat at the end.

ok, i don't mean to be debbie downer here people, but i seriously think zingerman's is highly overrated.

So I don't know if there's a price limit...assuming we need to keep it close to $100?

I just graduated this past May, and this is what I would have loooved to see in a basket:

La Spineta Olive Oil - I didn't start to cook for myself until I graduated, because I figured it was time to stick a toe into those adult waters. When I told my mom I wanted to give it a shot, the first thing she said was to get some olive oil. Good advice, as it's pretty much indispensable!
Sumatran Mandheling Coffee - Between job and apartment hunting, moving, working, and going out to you know, actually enjoy yourself, life after college is pretty exhausting. You will need good, strong coffeee.
One Loaf Membership - Ok, maybe this is just because I love bread, but I think a loaf a month is such a good idea! Good bread can be expensive, but it's filling and versatile. Poor grads need bread.
Magic Brownie
Buenos Aires Dulce de Leche Brownie - uhh, self explanatory, these sound delicious and no gift package is complete without chocolate.

I totally went to Zingerman's when I was in Ann Arbor, it's ammaazing!

So let's see...I'm going to go with an "International wine and cheese party" theme that is completely 100% based off of a cheese I sampled while I was there: the Comte French cheese.

Of course this package will not provide the wine but the other elements for a makeshift wine and cheese party (and hey, they're seniors so they're old enough to go out and buy the wine themselves). The idea is bread with jams and dips and lots of cheese!

Here goes:
-1/2 lb. Comté from Fort St. Antoine French cheese
-1/2 lb. Lincolnshire Poacher British cheese
-1/2 lb. Raw Milk Aged Tallegio Italian cheese
-2 kilo loaf of French Mountain bread
- American Spoon sour cherry preserves (totally wanted to go with the fig and walnut confit jam but it's sold out!)
-British Lemon Curd
-Arbequina Olives (to represent Spain)
-4 Zingerman's Magic Brownies for dessert

Hillary
Chew on That

I'm currently a junior, wishing I were a senior, and wanting to receive these items...

-Either the gianduja cream or hazelnut/chocolate cream... I LOVE nutella, and most people do... so a decadent grown up version of it would be greatly appreciated by most I believe
-Chocolate sourdough bread or chocolate cherry bread... to eat with the hazelnut cream!
-Zingerman's cream cheese... for seniors who think they have experienced it all but actually have not
-Rustichella Italian Pastas: pasta, the staple food of college students. transform the experience with rustic style pasta!
-Il Mongetto's Original Tomato Sauce: abandon the prego!
-Edward's Butter Toasted Peanuts: Everyone loves Honey-Roasted... why not Butter Toasted?? I love having huge tins of nuts to snack on.
-1 magic brownie, 1 dulce de leche brownie, 1 orange almond brownie, 1 pecan blondie. 1 for each year of school completed? Or....just because then you'd get to taste 4...

I'm not sure how much $ this amounts to, but give or take, this would make a wonderful, perfect basket for me! :) Not too many things that would go bad without eating them quickly (even though, theoretically people share and eat a lot in college, I am still one to worry about these things), and yet, still a wonderful assortment of foooood!!!

I would have loved to receive one of the listed care packages when I was in college. Or even better, one containing these items from all of the food groups...perfect for meals and snacks :)
-Heirloom Michigan Apples
-8 Grain 3 Seed Bread
-Vermont Shepherd Cheese
-Magic Brownies (chocolate)
-Vosges La Parisienne Hot Cocoa
-Zingerman's Marshmallow Gift Box