What's a good birthday gift for a boy just starting college?

Question

Serious responses, please! I don't want to get him anything that might get him into trouble with the authorities.

I'd like to spend up to $30 on the gift.

Answer 1

How much are you looking to spend? My son is 20, he loves getting iTunes gift cards, and gift cards for restaurants.

If he has a digital camera, pda or cell phone--- memory cards are great. My son mails the memory cards home from his cell phone, then I print out the pictures for him. (Find out what kind of card though there are many different cards.

He likes getting food, if the boy is in college and staying in a dorm, a care package full of homemade cookies and food is great.

Flash memory (thumb drive) for a computer. If he has a computer he can use this for making backups of his work. If he does not have a computer, he can work on the school computers and then store his work on the flash drive and take it with him. He can attach it to his key ring and not have to worry about losing it.

Hope this helps.

Answer 2

If you can afford it a laptop would be excellent in school. He may not appreciate it yet though... took me about a year of goofing with it to finally go "wow class is so much more understandable/easy when I have a laptop to type and follow along" etc.

If he's going to be living in a dorm a gift certificate to places with decorative items - such as www.allposters.com - would be excellent as well.. .lots of kids put stock on what posters are in each others' dorm room. Kids with cool posters, are by default, cool. (True story.)

Something to play music on - ipod or another MP3 player - would also be an excellent addition, it's like having a "soundtrack to life" and High School / College are the years people attach themselves to music. Music, of course, being a good thing.

Or, a good cell phone... though that means paying for a plan and the # 1 complaint I remember people saying was they had this nice phone but the plan was so expensive and they couldn't afford it and they didn't want parents paying for it (though the parents did, anyway).

Clothing certificates!

Answer 3

If you're worried about the authorities - you're on the wrong track for a gift for a 18 or 19 year old.

Try giving him the gift of a home-cooked meal and doing his laundry for him.
Give him something useful for his dorm room - a washable laundry bag and laundry products; a desk lamp; an extra set of bedding; money (teenagers always like money!); etc.

Answer 4

Money or a gift certificate to use at his college bookstore.
A gift certificate from LL Bean, Freeport, ME
A single sized Down quilt
A foot locker...(school color)
Money
Money
Money

Answer 5

Money. He will be needing quite a bit of that in the near future.

Other then that. A small stereo or T.V. if he is staying in the dorms.

On a cheaper note. Food.

On a kinda corny cheaper note. School supplies???

Answer 6

A guft certificate from Borders Book Store.

Answer 7

Gift cards.

Answer 8

a gift card to McDonald's. no matter what the age the best way to a mans heart is through his stomach. plus, going to college he's probably going to be eating more fast food than usual.

Answer 9

money is always good. Or if you want to have some control over what he buys, give a giftcard from a store. That is really what we want anyway, becuase then we can buy what we want or need. Stuff for a dorm room is always good if he's staying in one.

Answer 10

A mini fridge for his room if he's staying in a dorm(and a chain and lock so his roomate cant eat any of the food he puts in it)