15 Best Holiday Gifts for Online College Students (2023)
What are the best gifts for online college students in 2023? Check out these 15 trendy holiday gift ideas for college students taking online classes.
With the overnight transition from face-to-face college classes to online college via Zoom, almost every college student nowadays can consider themselves a “professional” online learner.
But for many college students, the transition from face-to-face to online classes was not easy. So for this 2023 holiday season, they deserve something special.
In today’s blog post, I am sharing 15 holiday gift ideas for online college students.
This 2023 holiday gift guide will cover a variety of gift options to give your online college student a holiday gift to help them stay motivated in college, make their college life easier, and increase their productivity.
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15 holiday gift ideas for online college students (2023):
- External monitor
- Dropbox subscription
- Computer security software
- Bluetooth earphones with microphone
- Heated blanket
- Keurig
- Laptop case
- Motivational print
- Coasters
- Joggers
- Zoom University apparel
- Habit tracker
- 2023 Planner
- Anti-stress facemask
- The Comfy
15 trendy holiday gift ideas for online college students (2023)
1. External monitor
An external monitor can be a game-changer for virtual college students by helping them their increase productivity.
Having a single laptop screen can be frustrating for online learners because there is limited flexibility of how they can see everything they need on their screen to complete an assignment.
Having an external monitor, like this one, allows college students to customize their screen, so for example, they can pull the instructions for their assignment to be viewed on the external monitor while they draft their paper on their main laptop screen.
If you do get your online college student an external monitor, make sure you also get them an HDMI cord that works with their computer or laptop, so they can successfully connect their laptop to their new monitor.
2. A subscription to Dropbox
One of the worst things that could ever happen to an online college student is losing all of their files if one day their computer suddenly crashes or they accidentally spill hot coffee on their laptop.
I’ve personally spilt hot tea all over my laptop and it was devastating!
The best way to prevent permanent loss of computer files is to simply have a backup of them. And while an external hard drive is a good way to make a backup of files, cloud storage, like Dropbox, is king.
Dropbox started in 2007 and they have created one of the best cloud storage solutions that will allow your virtual learner to access their files for their classes on their phone, tablet, laptop, or any web browser from anywhere in the world.
They offer a generous amount of storage with their Plus Plan (2 TB), which unless your college student has huge files, like videos or image files, they are not going to ever run out of storage.
Even if you help pay for half a year or 3 months of Dropbox for your online college student, it’ll be one of the best holiday gifts they have ever received.
Click here to purchase Dropbox for your online college student
3. Computer security and anti-virus software
Don’t let your college student’s online learning get destroyed by computer viruses or malware. Even the most innocent emails or websites can contain viruses or malware, so it is essential your online learner has high-quality computer security and anti-virus software. I personally use Bitdefender and I love its non-techy interface.
4. Bluetooth earphones with a microphone
For any online college student, a good pair of Bluetooth earphones with a microphone is a must-have.
Earphones with these two capabilities make it easy for virtual learners to interact with their classmates and professor during online lectures, take phone calls hands-free, and listen to music while studying. I personally love these Bluetooth earphones, but I do find that the left earbud sometimes doesn’t want to charge.
My boyfriend personally uses Apple Airpod Pros, and he loves them! He uses them at work constantly to make phone calls to his boss and communicate with his co-workers he manages.
5. Heated blanket
Who doesn’t love cuddling up in the winter with a heated blanket? Especially when your online college student is in their cold college dorm room all day, they need a heated blanket to have at their desk, so they can study and stay cozy at the same time.
6. Keurig
One of the classic college essentials is coffee. If your virtual college student doesn’t already have a coffee machine, like a Keurig, this 2023 holiday season is the perfect time to gift them one.
I love how Keurig makes it so easy for you to have a coffee machine even in the most compact of places. So you can get your college student a small Keurig machine like this one, which will fit perfectly in their dorm, or one like this that would fit in their apartment kitchen.
7. Laptop case
That expensive laptop your college student is using all day to attend online lectures, write up papers, and communicate with friends and family on Facebook needs a sturdy case as much as it needs a cloud backup solution, like Dropbox.
Having a good quality laptop case will ensure that if the computer is dropped, it has some impact resistance. For a more complete holiday gift, it can also be customized with stickers from RedBubble for a personalized touch.
8. Digital motivational print
With no physical class to attend and limited interaction with classmates, Online learning can make it harder to stay motivated than face-to-face classes.
Getting your online college student a motivational print to hang by their desk can be just what they need to keep going. Plus, digital prints are such an easy holiday gift to give to college students. Just print out the digital print and put it in a frame from the Dollar Store or Target.
9. Coasters
From hot coffee to ice water, your college student is probably bringing a variety of drinks to their desk. Help them protect their study space with trendy coasters to place all their drinks on.
10. Joggers
Sometimes the best motivation for online college students is to simply get dressed in the morning instead of wearing PJs all day. One of the best ways to stay cozy, but stylish, is a nice part of neutral-colored joggers. I personally love these french terry ones from All in Motion by Target.
11. Zoom University apparel
Let your online college student show off their “school spirit” with Zoom University apparel. It will also keep them looking trendy going into the 2023 school-year.
12. Habit tracker
As an online college student, days end up running together and it can be difficult to keep track if they’re consistently drinking enough water, exercising, or even showering. A habit tracker is great because it lets them visually see what habits they are keeping up with and which ones they need to improve on. It can even help motivate them to take more initiative.
13. 2023 Planner
A good planner is a must-have for any college student, but it is even more essential as an online college student.
As an online learner, due dates can be challenging to keep track of when the professor isn’t constantly reminding you about an upcoming test or paper that is due. Help your online college student keep their life together with a new 2023 planner.
14. Anti-stress facemask
College is beyond stressful and overwhelming. And all of the stress and overwhelm can wreck havoc on any college student’s mental and emotional health and their face.
A good solution? Self-care with an anti-stress face mask. And while it may not solve every problem, a face mask can help give your college student 15-30 minutes of bliss where they can do nothing while the face mask does its magic to reduce blemishes.
15. The Comfy
The last holiday gift idea for online college students is The Comfy, which is a product that was featured on Shark Tank.
The Comfy combines every college student’s favorite two things: a sweatshirt and a blanket. It’s absolutely perfect for studying in, watching TV in, and walking around their college dorm or apartment.
Concluding thoughts on 2023 holiday gifts for online college students
Getting your the online college student the perfect holiday gift this year doesn’t have to be challenging.
In today’s blog post, I showed you 15 of the best holiday gift ideas for online college students.
I hope you found this holiday gift guide helpful and I know you will give your virtual learner in college the best gift this year!
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