This post is all about gifts for dorm room – 65+ ideas to gift a college freshman girl.
If your child, sibling or friend is heading off to college soon, they will need some help making their dorm room a home. We’ve curated the ultimate list of dorm room essentials for a recent high school graduate.
Dorm life is often about late-night study sessions, cooking, getting a good night’s sleep, and optimising living in small spaces. So you’ll find that many of these 65+ gift ideas revolve around this.
We’ve split the gifting list into different categories:
- Study gifts
- Decor gifts
- Eat & Drink gifts
- Fun gifts
- Household gifts
Gifts For Dorm Room: Studying
1. USB Ports
Make studying easy by gifting USB ports to this college kid. They’ll likely need multiple ports for their webcam, mouse, phone, laptop etc. It’s a small yet appreciated gift.
2. Desk Lamp
Late-night study sessions require a desk lamp especially when you may be sharing a room with someone else and need to keep the lighting low. Make sure you find out the dorm room aesthetic this freshman is going for – tie the lamp into this decor look.
3. School Supplies
The perfect gift for any college freshman is school supplies. Top them up with a fresh set of pens, pencils, notepads, highlighters etc. You can never have too much stationary.
4. Alarm Clock
Another great dorm gift: an alarm clock. Help this freshman wake up for early morning classes with a sunrise alarm clock that mimics the sun rising. It makes for a more gentle awakening!
5. Reading Light
If this freshman has a roommate, a reading light is a necessity! With different sleep schedules, you need to be able to read and stay up late working without bothering your roommate.
6. Sticky Notes
College kids go through sticky notes like they go through pot noodles – super fast! So top them up with a variety of colors to help them stay on top of college life.
Dorm Room Decor Gifts
7. Wall Art
Help this college student make a house a home with some wall art that suits their dorm decor.
8. Bulletin Boards
Add to the dorm feel with a bulletin board for this first-year student. Bulletin boards are super practical in staying organised and motivated with your studies.
9. Affirmation Cards
Moving away from home and starting college life can be a difficult transition! Affirmation cards can be one tool in the toolkit to help ease this life change.
10. Calendar
For the visual planners, a calendar hung up in the dorm room is a great gift idea. Opt for a theme that suits their dorm decor or personality.
11. Digital Frame
It’s easy to miss home, family and friends when starting college. A great way to feel connected is with framed photographs. We recommend a digital frame that can alternate images throughout the day.
12. Storage Bins
One of the many dorm essentials – storage bins. Living in a small space means that your storage solution needs to be organized as heck! Figure out what options make the most sense given the dorm room they have.
13. Photo Collage
Gift this recent high school graduate with a photo collage! Add photos of all of their friends and family to help them feel slightly less homesick as they move away from home.
14. Sleep Mask
When roommates are up late working or waking up earlier, a sleep mask is essential! Get a super soft mask that creates a full blackout. We love these options below – they allow space for your lashes so you wake up without any crooked lashes or lines on your face.
15. Bedside Perch or Shelf
Especially for those top bunk spots, having a bedside perch can be so practical.
16. Mirror Vanity
With shared bathrooms, mirror time is a commodity. So make things easier by gifting a mirror vanity that can be used at their desk when needed.
17. Tiered Hangers
Hangers are a dorm room gift essential but get smart about it – opt for tiered hangers so space can be used efficiently.
18. Trinket Tray
Keep jewellery organized with a cute trinket tray.
19. Bedding
Bedding choice not only affects the aesthetic of the dorm room but also the comfort level! Gift this college freshman a comfy pillow and blanket, along with cute bed linens.
20. Graduation Blanket
Stay warm and cosy in the dorm room with a high school graduation blanket.
Dorm Room Gifts: Eating & Drinking
21. Instant Pot
Every dorm dweller needs an Instant Pot – with limited cooking space and time, this is the perfect gift.
22. Electric Kettle
For the tea drinkers, an electric kettle is a must in the dorm room! They can wind down in the evenings over a soothing cup of tea from the comfort of their dorm room.
23. Coffee Maker
For coffee lovers, a coffee machine is a must! They can brew up a hot drink within minutes and get their day started! Go above and beyond by also gifting a frother, coffee mat and some cute mugs!
24. Air Fryer
Air fryers are all the rage lately because they’re small (perfect gift for dorm rooms!), energy-efficient (perfect for quick meals), and help you cook healthy meals.
25. Late-night Snacks
Looking for some small gifts for college students? Snacks are always a must! Top up their snack drawer with their favorites.
26. Mini Fridge
While the dorm may have a shared kitchen down the hall, a mini fridge is always a plus! It offers ease of access plus avoids the issue of your food mysteriously disappearing in the shared fridge!
27. Water Bottle
Every freshman college student needs a handy water bottle that they’ll bring with them to campus. Staying hydrated is super easy when you always have a big bottle with you.
Gifts For Dorm Rooms – Having Fun
28. Card Games
With limited space, a great option for some fun is a card game. It’s an easy, fun way to bond with new friends.
29. Portable Bluetooth Speaker
Every college girl needs a portable speaker!
30. Instant Camera
Who doesn’t love an instant camera? There are so many options to choose from these days – there are the classic shoot and print cameras. There are also smaller options that take the photo and you can separately print the ones you want later.
Household Tasks Dorm Gifts
31. Laundry Basket
One of the dorm room gift essentials – a laundry basket! The laundry room will likely be a walk away so everyone needs a laundry basket in their own room.
32. Laundry Bags
Because the laundry room is often a walk away, every freshman needs laundry bags to haul over their clothes. We recommend opting for a laundry basket that has removable bags so it’s a 2-in-1 kind of situation.
33. Shower Caddy
Help your freshman keep their space tidy by gifting a shower caddy. Whether they’ll be sharing a private bathroom with their dorm roommate, or sharing a bathroom with several other rooms – a shower caddy is essential. They can keep their shower items organized and easy to carry to the bathroom if needed.
34. Dryer Sheet
Not all dorm room gifts are ‘sexy’ – like dryer sheets! They may not be the most exciting gift but they are a necessity that this freshman may not even know about yet. Teach them the ways of avoiding static on your dried clothes with the wonders of dryer sheets!
Now that you’ve explored this list of the best gifts for dorm room living, go choose what suits your giftee best! Remember, first-year college students need dorm room gifts when they start but also throughout the year – you can gift college kids a Christmas gift that helps them out too.
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