What To Buy Teen Guys Who Are Going To College - 18 Cool Gift Ideas

Are you looking to buy a gift for a teen guy who is at college or about to go to college? This article has tons of ideas of fab gifts for teenage boys who are studying and most likely partying and playing at college. There are ideas for his dorm room, study gifts and everyday gadgets to use at college or at home. In fact, there are lots of practical, useful as well as fun gifts for college teen boys.

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Read on for lots of ideas:

A Fun Book

There are lots of informative books that are really fun to give and read but offer lots of practical advice too.

One of my favorites is The Naked Roomate: and 107 other issues you might run into at college by Harlen Cohen.
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You can tell by the title that this is a fun book but there is lots of really practical advice in here too It covers all the topics he will need to know a little bit about before he goes to college including finances, roomates, relationships, sex or no sex, dorm life, friendships, laundry and lots more. ​

Appliances For His Dorm Room

If he is in a dorm room consider getting him some of his own appliances that will make his life  easier.

Some ideas include an electric kettle, this is great for making tea and for boiling water quickly for pasta. A microwave is another top idea. Great for making quick snacks or making quick popcorn for movie nights. A mini fridge is great for keeping drinks cool especially when he is studying.

​ Other useful ideas could be a coffee making machine or a toaster oven. Before you buy any stuff, check what is provided in his dorm. There is no use buying him a microwave is there is one just down the corridoor.

A little handheld vacuum can also be really useful for keeping a clean living space.  A travel iron or even a full sized iron to ensure he looks smart when he needs to. 

A Leatherman Tool 

If he has a leatherman tool, he are going to be in demand that's for sure. 
There are always times when he or somebody else will need a screwdriver, bottle opener, can opener or other tool and nobody else will have one. 
Or if you prefer, a tool kit can be even better. 

Student Cookbook

Students are notoriously bad at cooking for themselves. It always helps to have a cookbook aimed at using low cost ingredients and food. It will give him inspiration and help him master at least 2 or 3 meals he can cook when he needs something nutritious and homely. 

Money

Obviously money is appreciated by most students at college. It can be given as an allowance every week. Or you could give the occasional lump sum so he can treat himself..

Music Gadgets (Speakers and Headphones)

Many students like listening to music and if this is the case he might appreciate some bluetooth speakers. He can pair the speakers with his phone, tablet or any device with bluetooth capability. Then he can stream music from his device to the speakers. Most bluetooth speakers are lightweight and portable so are easy to transfer from a parent’s home to a dorm room. As they are so portable he can also easily take them to other people’s rooms to listen to music. Or take them to a party, outdoors or wherever he wants to listen to the latest tunes. ​​

Headphones might be another useful gift for a music fan. They can listen to music without disturbing anybody else. Also if it’s noisy he can listen to music on headphones to drown out any other noise. There are lots of different headphones available from earbuds, to high quality headphones such as beats headphones to wireless headphones. ​​

Gift Cards / Vouchers

If you want to make sure he is  spending some money on useful things for studying such as book supplies you could get him a gift card to a bookstore. ​ LIkewise if you want to make sure the money he spend is on food, give them a gift card to a grocery store, restaurant or cafe. 

Amazon Prime Subscription

It’s currently a no brainer to get Amazon Prime for a student as he can have a 6 month trial free to charge. It can then be cancelled after the six months or he can carry on and have prime membership at 50% off.

Amazon Prime gives lots of benefits which include free one day delivery. This is great for getting those all important text books. Other advantages include borrowing one kindle book per month from the kindle lenders library which has over 500 000 books. There is unlimited streaming of over 15000 videos with prime video. Listen to more than a million songs and hundreds of playlists, ad-free, with Prime Music. There’s unlimited free storage for photos as well as early access to kindle lightning deals and great student offers and prize draws. ​

Media Streamer

A media streamer device connects a television to the Internet and allows you to stream video and music from online services.
These are great to have in a dorm room as it can give you access to a lot more TV and music channels.
There are lots of media streaming devices available.
Apple TV will work with other Apple devices such as the ipad. There is the  amazon fire TV stick which works will if he has a prime membership.
Other media streamers include Roku which is a great choice if he wants to enjoy netflix. ​
There is also Google chromecast. 

Tablet, Laptop or Cellphone

Most students will have some kind of laptop to do his work on, but if not and you have a budget this makes the perfect gift for a student. A tablet is also great for entertainment, reading and doing some research on the internet. The Amazon Kindle Fire’s cheapest version is only $49 and it's great for accessing the internet, e-mails, watching video and reading books so would make an awesome gift for a teenager who doesn’t already have a tablet. ​
A prepaid cellphone can also be very useful. You can always get in touch with him and he can get in touch with you too. 
A portable charger is another idea, so he can charge his devices wherever he goes. 

Student Id Holder / Lanyard

,It’s just a small gift but a student ID card holder or lanyard can be extremely useful. Students are forever having to show their ID, especially to get in and out of college. Therefore, a card holder or lanyard that he can quickly have to hand can save him a lot of time searching through his bag to find where he's put his ID.

Bathrobe

A warm comfortable bath robe can make a practical gift especially if he might have to share bathrooms. Even, if not they are nice to get cozy in after he have just had a bath or shower or just when he want to keep warm.
There are some really fun themed bathrobes including Jedi knight robes. ​

Care Packages

It’s good to go to college fully stocked. So you could create packages of things they really need. For example, lots of toiletries such as toothpaste, razors, shampoo, conditioner, lotions, floss etc. Another idea is a food package or laundry supplies.
You can also take this idea a little further and post him small packages throughout the year of things he might need and appreciate. There is nothing better than receiving a package from home.

You can add whatever you want to these packages. Perhaps think of things that are easier to post such as  a pizza gift card or some new socks and underwear. ​

Decor, Accessories and Other Items for Their Dorm Room

A bedrest - gives support when looking at a laptop or tablet on a bed or couch.

There are all kinds of decor and accessories you can get for a dorm room to make him feel at home.
Some ideas include a nightlight, an electric blanket (great if he is going to a colder climate), some wall art or a poster, an alarm clock, a bean bag chair, throw rugs to cover any cold floors or a comfortor.
Some organisational stuff such as a shower caddy to store all his stuff in the bathroom or a room tidy for his bedroom. ​Fluffy towels are also useful and comforting to have. 
You can also personalize a gift for him for his dorm room. What about some framed photos or a personalized mug. 
A bed rest is great if he likes to study, read or watch TV while on the couch or in bed. Bed rests give some extra support when lying or sitting on the bed. 
A lapdesk is another idea. Put your laptop on the lapdesk while working on the bed or couch. It will stop your legs getting hot from the laptop and make it comfortable to use.  
A foldable clothes drying rack is another practical idea. 

Clothes

It can be nice to have some new clothes to take to college. They can be very practical for everyday wear such as hooded sweatshire and jeans. Sporty types may appreciate some new sportswear. And if he is likely to be partying some smarter and more dressy attire. If in doubt, get a gift card to a clothing store and it's difficult to go wrong. 

Games Console

If you are certain it won't distract him too much from his studies, you could also consider a games console. Many teen guys enjoying gaming to relax and use it to connect with their friends when they play games together.. 

Tech to Help Them With Their Studies

There are also lots of other tech items that will help him with his studies. You could consider getting him his own printer. Voice recorders or an mp3 player can be useful for recording lectures and making sure he doesn't miss any important pieces of information. An e-reader is more comfortable to use to read text books on then a tablet or a phone. There are writing tablets such as the boogie board that enable students to work out problems, write lists and record messages without having to use bits of paper which can be useful when he is studying. 
A lifescribe smart pen is another idea. It will records everything he writes and heasr in lectures. 
Don't forget essential but perhaps not very exciting stuff such as USB cables. 

Study Supplies

As well as tech, there are study supplies that are essential. Pens, paper, post it notes and highlighters are all obviously very important. You can give your loved one a supply of the stationary that he will need.
Backpacks and laptop bags are perfect for carrying all his stuff to and from college.