My daughter turned 19 years old today, and she is a freshman at the local community college. I didn’t have any idea what to buy for a college student, so I decided to take my pad and pen and go sit on the bench at the college and stop the students as they walked by and ask them what the top gifts they’d like to have this year.
So what you see here is a compiled list of the top 10 items the 72 students I was able to talk to over a three day period told me they would like to receive as gifts. Whether for birthday gifts, high school graduation gifts before they enter college, gifts for the upcoming holidays, or ‘just because’ gifts, you surely can’t go wrong with these ten suggestions for gifts for college students.
1. iPod
I couldn’t believe as I sat on the bench just how many people were walking around campus with all sorts of various iPod products. Earphones in ears, I had to tap these college students on the shoulder to poll them, they were so engrossed in their iPods. But that doesn’t mean every college student has one. If you know a college student who doesn’t have an iPod, chances are, they want one. Exceptional gift idea for the college aged student.
Everywhere on campus, in the three hours I spent researching these college student gift ideas, I saw groups of college students snapping pictures of everyone and everything. A nice, high picture quality digital camera, with a memory slot so they can take as many pictures as they’ll ever need is an excellent gift idea for the college student who doesn’t have one. Many of the college students I interviewed informed me that they and their friends have their own websites or blog sites where they regularly take, post and update pictures and albums.
3. Cell Phones or Cell Phone Accessories
Cell phone technology is changing nearly daily, so that cell phone your college student received as a gift a year a go is obsolete now by college student’s opinions. A good cell phone, with radio, internet access, email and text message capability, and a digital camera will likely be one of the best gifts you can buy a college student. If they already have a good phone, look for cell phone accessories to compliment the cell phone they have. Quality headphones or earplugs, credit or vouchers for free minutes or free downloads on the phone, cell phone cases, car charges, replacement batteries – you name it!
4. Pre-paid Credit Cards
A pre-paid credit card works just like a regular credit or debit car at any store of location that accepts credit cards. College students can spend this gift just like cash, feel grown up by having a ‘credit card’ and buy whatever they actually want for a gift. Additionally, if you purchase the type of pre-paid card that is rechargeable, the college student can use this card over and over again.
5. Pre-paid Gasoline Cards
College students usually live on a tight budget, and gasoline in the car is a large expenses if they have a vehicle. With gas prices soaring, gas cards are a wonderful gift for a college student. Many convenience stores or gas stations even offer a discount to people who use their particular pre-paid card. Be sure you choose a card that can be accepted in the city in which your college student attends college or else the card is useless to them. Not all cities have the same gas stations and conveniences stores.
6. Food Gift Cards
One of the things that nearly every college student I spoke to on campus said was that eating out for lunch was one of their biggest expenses, and in fact, between lunch and dinner and early morning study cramming sessions, eating out becomes both a necessity and a huge entertainment expense. Food coupon booklets or food gift cards to any of the major chains in their city would really take a lot of stress off the college student’s budget. Wendy’s offers coupon booklets. Burger King offers a gift card. For casual dining, and not fast food, you can purchase gift cards and booklets for chains such as Olive Garden, Chili’s, TGIFridays, Outback Steakhouse, and even most of your pizza chains. Again, be sure that the chain you buy your gift cards for has a location in the city where the student goes to college.
7. Portable DVD/CD Player, Internet Capable
Good for long road trips back home to see the parents, trips with friends, or those long breaks between classes when the college student doesn’t want to go back to the dorm or apartment, a portable DVD/CD player allows your college student to catch a movie or listen to music, whatever their choice. If you purchase one with internet capability, where the student can plug up to a computer or with wireless ability, they can even download movies and songs from approved sites to watch without having to purchase DVDs or CDs. Be sure to buy one that has a car battery charger and AC/DC power ability. College students don’t have a lot of money to work with, and batteries are expensive and don’t last long in today’s technologically advance products.
8. Electric Skillet, Hot Plate, or a George Foreman Grill, Microwave, Coffee Pot
These are particularly good gifts for a college student who lives in a dorm or even one who has their own apartment. Dorm rooms don’t usually have kitchens, and eating out or on campus is expensive. But with one of these handy items, your college student can save money and cook quality meals right in their dorm. For the student who has their own apartment, these are still great gifts, because they are easy to use, cook food quickly, and don’t require a lot of clean up. Best of all, most college dorms in the country allow these in the student’s dorm room.
9. Snack & Small Gift Baskets
This is one that is sure to make any dorm dweller immediately popular. Be sure to include a lot of goodies-enough to make their roommates and friends jealous and begging for a bit.
For guys, buy non-perishable meat sticks, sausages, crackers, chips, nuts, salsa, cheese spreads, and maybe throw in a coffee mug, a couple of magazines you know he’ll like (have to have that bathroom reading material), and of course, some breath mints.
For the girls, you can’t go wrong with chocolate, and lots of it, in many different varieties, along with flavored popcorn, hot cocoas or flavored coffee individual packages, jelly beans, hard candies, and maybe throw in some scented lotions or perfumes, a couple of magazines she might like, and hair care products likes brushes or scrunchies. Some girls also like little notebooks, journals or diaries, fancy pens and pencils or stationery sets, and pre-stamped envelopes so they will write you real letters and not just send email.
All the college students I spoke to said that care packages were one of their favorite things to receive and a gift basket or care package with lots of goodies in it that they can share with their friends and dig through to see what else they can find is not only useful, but fun too.
10. College Insignia Brand Items
Call the college where your student attends and ask if you can purchase a line of credit for your student from the school bookstore or student union. If not, purchase items online and have them ready for your student to pick up. College sweatshirts, book bags, hats, computer cases, cell phone cases, key chains, bumper stickers, notebooks, coffee mugs-well, you name it, college students wear it with pride.
There you have it – ten things college student at my local college told me they would like to receive as gifts. There were, of course, other things on the list they told me, such as paying for a spring break trip, a new car, a new computer or laptop, furniture for their apartment or dorm, bedding comforters and sheet sets, etc., but the items I listed here received more than one vote from students across the board.
Happy shopping for your college student.
