Awesome Gift Ideas for College Students

Here’s a list of great gifts for the college student(s) in your life. College students are exceptionally busy folks, so they need things that will help them streamline their workload and maximize the efficiency of their efforts. These gifts are sure to help your student do just that. And to sweeten the deal for you, these products are sold through Amazon, so you know you’re getting the best prices out there and a generous return and exchange policy as well.

If you haven’t heard of this yet, fasten your seatbelt. This is my #1 recommendation for the college student on your list, particularly if he or she has science and/or math courses, making notes solely on a laptop impossible. This magical pen does some impressive things. First, when used on the special paper notebooks provided by Livescribe, the pen records the images written down by the student. Second, it records the lecture being given by the professor and syncs it with the words and pictures being written/drawn by the student. Later, when the student taps on any words/drawings in his notes, he can then play back what the professor was saying at the time he was taking those particular notes. This is a powerful way for students to recall what was being taught during the class. Finally, students can save these notes and audio to their computers, iPads and iPhones and share them with others. If you’re looking for a smart and genuinely helpful gift to give the college student on your list, then you must consider this very smart pen. There is a 2 GB and 4 GB version. Pair one of these pens up with the special notebooks.

I can’t tell you how much ramen I ate when I was in college. My favorite was a recipe my boyfriend (now husband) showed me, ramen and cheese. Delicious. Here’s a humorous and practical book of alternative ramen recipes. Bon appétit!

It’s hard to miss with a new iPod, iPad or laptop. The student on your list is likely just as susceptible to the latest Apple gadgetry as the rest of us. Here are the current choices, with something for just about any budget.

The iPod Touch boasts WiFi connectivity, access to apps galore in the Apple Apps store, iTunes, calendar, contacts, games, books (via a free Kindle app that works with Amazon) and the ability to sync with his laptop makes this the uber iPod, which makes it the most popular product on people’s list this year. The Touch offers 8, 16, 32 and 64 GB options, the 8 and 32 GB versions being the most popular. The 32 GB option will provide more space for videos, games, books and music, but the 8 GB is also a nice gift at a slimmer price.

The new, 6^th generation iPod Nano is a great choice for the music-loving student. This new model sports a cute little touch screen and comes in an 8 GB and 16 GB option. Choose from a variety of fun colors. There’s music, an FM radio and a pedometer on board. This little player is easily stashed in a pocket or clipped onto clothing. Here are some of the more popular colors.

For the no-fuss types, this is a great little iPod. The shuffle plays music and that’s it. It’s great for commuters and runners or bikers. Comes with a clip and a variety of fashionable colors. These are small devices, 2 GB each.

While I recommend a laptop over an iPad for the college student, mostly because it’s easier to take notes with the laptop’s dedicated keyboard and trackpad, it’s hard to resist the pull of the iPad. Music, games, books, video, movies, email and the internet are all housed in this tablet format. Options are 16 GB, 32 GB and 64 GB and each size comes with either WiFi only or WiFi and 3G. For the student who already has a laptop, I recommend this for the wow factor and the enjoyment of a larger-scale experience that the iPod Touch cannot provide. Do not expect to get textbooks with this device. The technology is not yet ready for that.

If your student is in the market for a laptop, definitely consider this on the top of your list of possibilities. Unbelievably thin with technology that reduces the size of the hard drive and speeds up the responsiveness of the web, this laptop will increase productivity without breaking her back. Comes in small and smaller (11-inch and 13-inch) in a variety of configurations. Click on these and explore the options from there.

If your favorite student already has a computer, he or she may need the latest version of Microsoft Office 2010 for Home and Student, which includes Word, Excel, Power Point and OneNote. Here I’ve included both the PC version and the Mac version, which is a 2011 version without OneNote.