If you’ve just watched one of your family members or friends don their cap and gown to collect their high school diploma, you’re probably counting down the days until they leave for college – either because you don’t want to leave and cry yourself to sleep every night because of it (yep, we’re talking about you, moms) or because you can’t wait for them to leave (more likely). Either way, the best way to say ‘I’ll miss you, don’t party too hard at college’ is to buy them a gift. But what do you buy prospective students who are just about to go to college?
Headphones
Any college student will tell you that headphones are the holy grail in the world of college – and we’re not talking about the flimsy ones you get with your iPhone because those things will go missing on the first day. Instead, gift your college freshman with a fresh pair of over-ear headphones that can travel with them at all times. This way, the student can take themselves away from the hustle and bustle of the college canteen and crack on with their growing pile of homework in the library. They can also be used to block out the dorm neighbors who are getting jiggy with it every… single… night (eugh).
An alarm clock
Let’s be honest, one of the main aspects of college is sleeping through your alarm, turning up late to your lecture – or just not turning up at all. However, if you can buy your college freshman a brand new alarm clock that will wake them up with a bang in the morning, you might just contribute to their education. Or, y’know, they’ll just turn it off and go back to sleep. But at least you tried.
A backpack
As well as making you gain weight thanks to the masses amounts of pizza and drink, college does make their students pretty darn muscled, because carrying around masses of books is an intense workout. To carry all of the books, laptops, pens (and hip flasks), your college goer will need a strong and sturdy backpack to take around with them. This isn’t your average $10 backpack from Target. Instead, you’ll need one with numerous pockets, strong straps, and one that will fit right into the college lifestyle. Then they’ll only have one problem – will they one-strap or two-strap?
A bicycle
If your son, brother, daughter or sister is going off to college, there’s a high chance they’re going to need to be in three places at once – because that’s just how it works in college. If the college campus is spread out, or if they live off-campus, walking just won’t cut the mustard. So, why not buy them a bicycle? This way, they can travel from home to the campus in less time and get a workout in the process (which will burn off the pizza). It’s the best of both worlds.
Pajamas
Although college is pretty intense, you college goer will have a lot of free moments to catch up on their masses of homework or just chill out after a pop quiz – and let’s be honest; nobody wants to chill out in denim. Having a decent pair of pajamas at college with be the ultimate lifesaver when it comes to chilling out, maxin’, relaxin’ all cool, and be will a small, homely luxury that the college student will miss when they’ve run out of clean underwear. So, buy them a pair!
If you know someone who is going off to college soon, there are loads of cool gifts to send their way. They can be expensive, they can be bulky – or they can just be comfortable and sentimental. The choice is yours.
