Must-have Gift Ideas for Your Soon-to-be College Student

You’ve nearly made it, after 18 years of parenting, your teen is preparing to graduate from high school and start college in the fall. But as this marathon comes to a close, it’s critical to help set your teen up for success in this new adventure by gifting him or her with useful essentials that can help ease the transition.

A New Cell Phone

Splurge on a new cell phone for your teen so that they don’t have any excuse not to keep in touch while they’re away at school. Not only will a new phone be useful for talking, texting, video calling and email, but the top mobile operating systems also have a ton of useful features to help keep your new college student organized as they adjust to life on campus. They can use the Maps app to get around, that great camera app to capture new experiences, the notes function to stay on top of things in class and the calendar to keep track of assignment due dates and exams. Just don’t forget to protect your purchase with an insurance policy or a care plan, as well as a screen protector and a sturdy case so that it can (hopefully) make it through all of those wild college nights.

Travel Gear

Whether your soon-to-be college student is going out of state for school or sticking around town, quality travel gear will be put to good use over the next few years. Between traveling back and forth between home and school, visiting friends at other colleges, taking trips during college breaks or even study abroad jaunts, there will be plenty of opportunities to pack up and go.

For a well-rounded collection of travel gear, you’ll want to get your teen a carry-on size suitcase, a large suitcase for longer trips and a duffel bag for an overnight stay or a weekend away. Help your undergrad stay organized with a hanging toiletry bag that can fit all of the essentials and a set of packing cubes.

Electronic Accessories

It’s all too easy to take the comforts of home for granted, but once your college student is on their own, they will understand just how good it was having mom and dad and all of their spare things around to use as needed. For instance, when your son or daughter misplaces their phone charger, what will they do when they can’t swipe yours? Prepare them for an array of electronic emergencies with a kit of electronic accessories. Include things like a power strip, a extension cord, extra-long USB phone charging cables, a spare pair of earbuds, batteries in an assortment of commonly used sizes and a headlamp flashlight.

Extra Privacy

Dorm dwellers all yearn for one thing at one time or another: privacy. Sharing a living space is no easy task, but sleeping in the same room as a stranger can be an especially difficult thing to get used to. Privacy Pop is the answer to the woes of decades of college students past. This clever bed tent sits atop the bed to create a space of solitude while reducing outside light thanks to zip-down doors that can be folded up when not in use.

The transition from living at home as a high school student to being on your own at college is rarely easy, but by preparing your teen with the right essentials, you can help make things a little simpler. Gifting any of these useful gifts will surely be appreciated, if not immediately, then as soon as your soon-to-be college student is in a pinch and has to use one of them.