College life represents a unique experience. Late nights, living with bunches of strangers, balancing an active social life with school and work – it’s good to have the right tools to get the most out of a complex existence.
That leads to the two most daunting challenges of college life: a lack of money and finding eight hours a day for video games. You can help with the first one (and maybe with the second, if you purchase the right gift.)
Here are some presents that will make life easier for your favorite college student.
Rapid Mac Cooker
College life flies by in a blur of ramen and mac & cheese. This product makes preparing one of the staples of dorm life as easy as possible.
As promised on the product, this microwavable dish will cook a box of mac & cheese in less than 5 minutes.
Rapid Noodles Cooker
Alright, we’ve figured out how to cook mac & cheese in under five minutes. But that doesn’t solve our ramen problem.
This product has that covered. Compact and portable, your college student can whip up a cheap meal in minutes.
And it doesn’t stop with ramen. They can crank out any soups, eggs, or oatmeal. Basically, if they want, your college student can live out of their hot pot.
Mini Beauty Refrigerator
Dorm bathrooms don’t exactly provide an ideal environment for high-end beauty products. This mini fridge lets your college student keep their top creams and ointments safe and in top form.
Meanwhile, it’s portable and low-key enough for
even the smallest dorm space.
Weekly Calendar Dry Erase Board
Life with roommates can get complicated. Organization can go a long way in avoiding misunderstandings.
College Campus Glass
Here’s another way for your college student to express their school spirit. (You might want to avoid a discussion of what will go into the cup.)
Mountain Classic Cordura Duffle
In some ways, college kids live an itinerant lifestyle. Like carnies or hobos.
College students head home for weekends, change dorms after each year, and constantly plan weekend getaways with their friends. If they’re going to live out a suitcase, why not get them a good one?
College Student Care Package
All-night study sessions. Occasional 24-hour video-game benders. Possible meal replacements. Whatever the reason, any college student would appreciate a basket-load of snacks.
And, in this case, you can ensure that they at least eat something healthy.
LED Desk Lamp with USB Charging Station
The all-in-one solution for anyone’s desk, this product provides everything your college student will need to get their work done. Compact and stylish, it combines a desk lamp with a charger, clock, and calendar.
Echo Dot
Back when they lived at home, you were there to answer any question your college student had. Now that they’ve flown the nest, you can let Alexa fill that role.
Plus they can listen to music, make calls, turn off lights, and adjust the thermostat. If only the Echo Dot could clean their rooms or wash their sheets.
Hydracy Water Bottle
The best way to fight the freshman 15? Exercise. Make that easier by gifting this multi-use water bottle.
Travel Laptop Backpack
College life involves a lot of lugging. Students have to carry their laptops from class to class, as well as anywhere else they want to go. This product simplifies the process.
Buzzed Card Game
Two key aspects of college: drinking games and learning how to operate within an organized structure. Here’s a way to master both at the same time. This game provides 180 ways “to drink the game away.”
Never Have I Ever College Edition
Okay, maybe you don’t want to encourage excessive drinking in your college student. Fair enough.
Here’s another entertainment option for those late nights in the dorm. They can intimately get to know their roommates with this version of Never Have I Ever.
Elite Sportz Ring Toss
Here’s another entertainment choice.
How do you procrastinate when you’re strung out on video games? What’s a fair way to decide who’s running out for the midnight snack? What can you bring to the quad when you’re bored of frisbee?
This ring toss game provides an answer to all those questions.
Good Vibes Tufted Tapestry
Dorm life comes with many challenges. That includes decorating in a low-impact way. This tapestry lets your college student express themselves in a laid-back style.
Home Theater Projector And Screen
Take movie night to the next level. You can’t carry around a TV and a laptop or phone doesn’t give you much of a screen.
Here, you get the best of both worlds. Your college student can carry this projector anywhere.
And, if they want to use it to make a presentation in class, that’s a bonus.
Temperature-Control Travel Mug
With late nights and early classes, college kids often live on caffeine. But it’s hard to bring home-brewed coffee on the road and stopping by Starbucks gets expensive.
This product solves that problem. It provides a carry-along mug that comes with built-in temperature control. Fresh, hot coffee all day, without the expense of take out.
Laurie Bed Tray
Late-night study sessions, lazy Sundays, or just a way to nurse a hangover, this tray lets your college student stay in bed while still getting stuff done. It helps…even when that stuff is just sipping coffee and streaming Netflix.
Bedside Shelf Accessories Organizer
Here’s another product that will allow your college student to spend as much time as possible in bed. In other words, it will let them live the life they always dreamed of.
This low-key, easy-to-install wall organizer provides areas for things like glasses, earphones, phones, and remote controls. You know, the necessities.
Portable Steamer for Clothes
Ah, college life. A time to look wrinkled and ungroomed.
But still, sometimes even college students have to appear crisp and professional. This is true even if they have a deep psychological aversion to a washing machine or an iron.
This product makes that possible. They can get ready for a job interview or a big presentation without dealing with the full ironing process.
Scanmarker Air Pen Scanner
Well, the gifts so far have helped your college student to decorate their rooms, to stay fed, and to keep entertained away from home. That covers every aspect of college life, right?
Oh wait, guess we should touch on studying. Here’s a product for that.
This air pen scanner takes highlighting into the 21st century. It allows your student to take detailed notes if they ever, you know, open a book.
Portable Shower Caddy
One gross aspect of college life that doesn’t get enough attention: shared bathrooms. It’s fundamentally four years of dealing with other people’s shampoo and wet towels.
This product provides a solution. Your college student can keep everything they need in one place.
In addition, they can carry it with them. They can head to the gym or to pretty much anywhere else.
Maybe it’s best not to ask where they use their shower caddy. It’s enough to know they have their conditioner with them.
How to Choose Gifts for College Kids
This list was meant to provide suggestions. When making your specific gift-giving decision, you should keep your particular college kid in mind and select something appropriate for them.
There are a few things to keep in mind as you browse for the perfect gift. When buying for a college student, you have to remember that they lack living space and often move around a lot (dorm rooms don’t represent a permanent home.)
That’s why we focused on compact and portable items. Anything too elaborate will have to stay in the box until later in their 20s.
Meanwhile, keep in mind their overall lifestyle. It isn’t the regimented, organized, repetitive schedule of a middle-aged professional.
Look for gifts that cater to a more casual approach to existence. Keep these details in mind and you’ll find the perfect present for your college kid.