This is the essential appliance for a rising college freshman. Not only is it helpful for those late-night Ramen cravings, it also serves as a nice replacement for not having a personal microwave or fridge. Give this, along with a couple of packages of mac and cheese, and your grad will be eternally grateful.
If your grad is planning on using his/her floor's kitchen, make sure he/she has some cheap and easy recipes. A lot of college students are cooking for themselves for the first time, and if you don't want your grad to set the kitchen on fire, the "Cooking for College Students" guidebook is a good gift.
If your grad doesn't have one already, he/she will definitely need one for college. Everything, from papers, tests and even classes can be held online, so make his/her school life much easier with a brand new laptop.
Many graduates want to document every new experience on Facebook or Twitter, so giving grads a digital camera is a great gift. Sure, their smartphones can take pictures, but nothing beats the quality of a crisp camera.
High school graduates may be moving to a fairly large campus, so try giving them a bike to speed up their commute to class. Even college graduates would appreciate the gift -- especially if they can't afford a car to commute to work.
Having a bad roommate is the stuff of nightmares for many a rising college freshman, so prepare grads with a copy of "The Naked Roommate: And 107 Other Issues You Might Run Into in College." It will soothe their fears and help them deal with many uncomfortable situations.
Save your graduate some money on textbooks by getting him/her a Kindle. The sleek, portable Kindle is much easier to carry in a book bag than three or four heavy textbooks. And if you get your grad a Kindle Fire, he/she will be able to download apps or use it as a tablet.
Students trying to study in their lounge or even in their dorm rooms can be easily distracted. Get your grad some noise-cancelling headphones to drown out the sounds of annoying floor mates. Hopefully, this will result in straight A's.
Let your graduate shed his/her tattered old backpack for a shiny new messenger bag. Ideal for carrying laptops, tablets and notebooks, messenger bags are always seen on college campuses. Messenger bags are also a great fit for recent college grads who bike to work or just need something that is not a backpack to take to work.
College students may be waking up later than they did in high school, but that doesn't mean they will get out of bed. Get an alarm clock for your graduate so he/she won't sleep in for that 8 a.m. lab.
College -- and even post-college -- life drains a graduate's finances enough as it is, so try to soften the blow with a gift card. Whether it's to Starbucks, Barnes & Noble, Target or Amazon, your graduate will be thankful for any reason to save cash.
