It’s that time of year again. Black Friday. Small Business Saturday. Cyber Monday. We’re thinking about family and friends and we’re thinking about gifts. If you have a college student, or an about-to-be college student, you may be searching for some ideas for useful or fun gifts.
You know your student best, and can tap into interests and needs, but we’d like to offer some suggestions that may stimulate your imagination. We have some new suggestions for 2016, but we’ve offered some suggestions in the past. Don’t stop with this post! Check out our earlier posts for additional suggestions — most are timeless and still good ideas.
Check out our ideas, and then let your own creativity take over!
Monitor Stand with 6-port USB Hub
Whether your student uses this as a monitor stand or just as a shelf to hold stuff, it provides 6 charging outlets. It may even help your student keep that dorm desk tidy!
Personalized Latitude-Longitude Bracelet
Your student may be far away from home, but help her remember where her roots are! Personalize this bracelet with the latitude and longitude of your home.
It’s not a new idea to lift the bed in college dorm rooms to increase usable storage space underneath. But this set includes outlets for charging devices in one of the lifts.
Most college campuses are relatively safe places. And students should always be aware if they are walking at night — especially if alone. But both your student — and you — will feel safer with a personal alarm that will make a piercing noise if activated.
This device can help your student with class notes and personal memos. Your student can take notes just as he would on paper or in a notebook, and save thousands of notes to the device. Later, notes can be shared to Evernote, email or social media.
With this fun device, your student can listen to music, check the weather, set an alarm or timer ask questions, turn devices on or off, or even order food.
Dorm rooms can get dry in the winter months. Consider a personal sized humidifier to help keep the air more comfortable.
This idea for a stocking-stuffer may seem silly, but it could be the one things that makes your student a favorite with professors. Students still hand in hard-copy assignments — not everything is digital. And most professors prefer stapled pages. But if your student prints papers in the library or computer lab on the way to class — no staples. A small stapler that can live in a backpack or purse could be a life-saver!
A fun game that involves attempting to get glowing Frisbees into cans while your opponent attempts to deflect them. Fun for all ages and a hit on college campuses.
Your student and college friends can have fun putting together a time capsule of their college years. Wherever they choose to bury or hide it, they can return to enjoy their memories 5, 10, or 25 years from now.
Freedom Journal — Goal Planner and Time Management Journal
Two of the most important characteristics of successful students are having goals and managing their time. This journal will help your student do both. Unlike traditional planners that just provide a calendar, this journal helps your student plan goals and keep track of progress.
Scratch Off World Travel Tracker Map
With this map, students can scratch off each place that they visit to uncover that country or state. Map becomes increasingly colorful as they travel. This is an especially great gift for a student who plans to study abroad or go into a career that involves travel.
Multimedia Mini Portable Projector
With this mini projector, your student can watch favorite programs, videos, movies, sports, or play games.
Coloring isn’t just for kids anymore. This kit provides everything your student needs to engage in this relaxing, meditative activity.
Flying a drone can be a fun way to view the world from a new perspective.
If there aren’t enough suggestions here for you — or you still haven’t found just the right gift, be sure to check out our earlier gift suggestions. They never go out of style. If you check out all of our lists, you’ll have nearly 100 ideas to choose from!
Holiday Gifts for College Students — 2015
Holiday Gifts for Your College Student — 2014
Holiday Gifts and Stocking Stuffers for Your College Student
Holiday Gifts for College Students: Some Suggestions
Holiday Gift Ideas for College Students — 2012
And if you have a student graduating, you might want to check out these suggestions:
25 Gift Ideas for Your College Graduate
Ten More Gifts for College Graduates
Note: We think these are great gift ideas for your student no matter where you purchase them. If you use our links, College Parent Central receives a small percentage of your purchase price. This does not change the cost to you. We think it’s only fair to let you know that.
