Slippers for the cold dorm floors.

My kid at a cold-weather SLAC wants skates! Also gear for a club sport they're trying.

Projector. My DC uses theirs all the time to host movie nights in their dorm room.

For my first-year's birthday late last fall, I got her an assortment of GCs for places near campus-- favorite bookstore, bakery, coffee place, plus one for Uber. She had such a small dorm room that there wasn't any point in buying her a bunch more "stuff".

Hat and gloves to replace the ones they lost

My son will be thrilled with a Door Dash giftcard.

DD, Biology major and plant lover.

Grow lamp for her house plants
Lego Orchid & Bonsai

I bought my kids gift cards to favorite walking distance restaurants and coffee shops.

Wire cutter has some good suggestions for desk/office supplies, some of which would be helpful for college kids. I am getting three college/hs kids the combo pencil holder/wireless charger.

Anonymous wrote:Small desktop humidifier
Gloves that work with phone screen
Mini projector
Good winter boots like Timberlands
Noise canceling headphones
Subscription to a streaming service

+1. These are good ideas.

Ipad with apple pencil

Both of my college kids ended up needing/wanting this.

Small desktop humidifier
Gloves that work with phone screen
Mini projector
Good winter boots like Timberlands
Noise canceling headphones
Subscription to a streaming service

All good ideas. Uber GC.

GC to the on campus Starbucks or coffee place
GC to a local barber / hair place
Spring break $

Of course every student is different, yada yada, but — if you've had a first-year college student, what are some not-so-obvious things they've enjoyed as holiday presents in their first year? Maybe things they weren't thinking about when they left for college four months earlier, but now realize might make their lives easier or more fun. (This could include non-physical things like digital subscriptions, certificates for services or products in their college town, etc.)

For what it's worth, my own first-year is a dude at a cold-winter LAC, in a dorm, STEM-focused, not an athlete or Greek guy, but I imagine there are some useful things that cut across gender or academic focus.