I can’t believe it’s been over five years since I graduated college. Sure, we had a whole pandemic in between, but time has flown by.
Still, I remember my undergraduate experience vividly, including all the technology I relied on. A 2014 MacBook Pro was invaluable for getting work done, while upgrading from my budget 2015 Moto G to the Samsung Galaxy Note 8 a year later made a big difference.
It’s no surprise that a reliable phone and laptop are essentials for most students. If you don’t already have them, they should be your top technology priorities.
However, since becoming a tech journalist, I’ve had the chance to test out a lot of different technologies. And in that time, I’ve realized that a few other products could have made my college experience even better.
If you have the budget to do so, I recommend considering the following eight things you may not have thought of.
1. Noise-canceling headphones
This might be an accessory you already have on your list. Looking back, I don’t know how I made it through three whole years of college without noise-canceling headphones.
Its advantages are obvious: listen to music from your phone, laptop or other gadgets without disturbing people around you and, most importantly, block out much of that annoying noise.
If you’re trying to work from anywhere but your bedroom or the library (both of which can be noisy), you’ll understand the particular appeal of the noise-canceling feature.
The noise-canceling headphones I’ve used the most since college are the PuroPro headphones, which combine decent sound quality with solid noise cancellation, exceptional comfort, and decent battery life. They’re also relatively affordable.
But if you want the best of the best when it comes to noise cancellation, go with the Sony WH-1000XM5 (featured below) instead.
Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry
Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry
Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry
2. A watch (smart or basic)
During my college days, I was often afraid of being late. Whether it was for an important class or, worse, an exam, I would constantly wake up my phone just to see what time it was.
You probably know the obvious solution to this problem: buy a watch. For me, having the time on my wrist would have saved me a lot of time and stress in college.
Since this is a tech site, you’d probably expect me to recommend a smartwatch here. And they can be very useful as a student, especially if you want to track your workouts, monitor your sleep, or never miss a call or notification.
But for me, I think a basic, classic watch would have done the trick. The cheap Casio model I currently own is only £9.99, but it does the job for me. While this specific model isn’t available in the US, a similar model costs just over $20 at full price.
3. A portable charger for my laptop
I had a portable charger when I was in college, and it was awesome. Whenever my phone was low on battery, I would plug it in and not have to worry about finding a power source.
However, it just didn’t work on my laptop, which had higher power requirements. On several occasions, I was afraid that my laptop would crash in the middle of a class.
If only I had known that there were portable chargers powerful enough to charge my laptop back then! Since I bought one in 2023, I use it almost every time I go to a work event.
My model of choice is the Anker 737 PowerCore 24K, which usually costs £139.99/$149.99 but is often on sale, but there are plenty of alternatives.
Anyron Copeman / Foundry
Anyron Copeman / Foundry
Anyron Copeman / Foundry
As you might expect, a portable laptop charger is also powerful enough to charge your phone, tablet, or almost any other gadget you might own.
4. A portable fan
As soon as I moved into my dorm, my dad bought me a large tower fan for my room. It was invaluable, it helped make the room much more comfortable to live in.
Even if your room ends up being much cooler, I highly recommend buying at least one fan – check out our roundup of the best fans you can buy.
However, I had underestimated how hot it could get in other university buildings, especially in summer and without air conditioning in some places.
So it would have been really useful to have a personal fan that you can take with you anywhere. The John Lewis Anyday Portable Fan costs just £12 in the UK, but offers excellent power and battery life.
Emma Rowley / Foundry
Emma Rowley / Foundry
Emma Rowley / Foundry
Although not available in the US, there are many similar hand fans on Amazon.
5. Trackers for my wallet and keys
It wasn’t until I lost my wallet (and miraculously found it again) in 2022 that I realized the need to keep tabs on their whereabouts. If this had happened while I was in college, I might not have been so lucky.
Almost immediately, I bought a Tile Slim to slip into my wallet and a Tile Pro for my keys. I’ve been very careful not to misplace them since then, but they’ve proven to be a huge help on a few occasions.
Alternatives like Chipolo and Pebblebee can use Google’s Find My Device network. The huge network of Android phones means this service should work better in most places in the long run, but the service isn’t fully established at the time of writing, so Tile is a safer bet.
6. An electric razor
As an 18-year-old man with no beard, you might be wondering how I managed to get by without an electric razor or regular razors in college. The answer? Not very well.
For some reason, I persisted in using the trimmer attachment on my hair cutting kit, which produced a rough, uneven shave.
If only I had discovered the Philips OneBlade sooner. Since I bought it a few months after graduating, I have been using it several times a week.
Dominic Preston / Foundry
Dominic Preston / Foundry
Dominic Preston / Foundry
The OneBlade’s affordable price makes it easy to recommend to anyone, with a face and body kit allowing you to safely remove all unwanted body hair. Most people don’t need the more expensive 360 or Pro versions.
However, if you’re unsure about the Philips OneBlade, a range of alternatives can be found in our guide to the best electric shavers.
7. An e-reader
When I was in college, reading for pleasure wasn’t really on the agenda. Aside from the textbooks required for my course, the only reading I did was news articles and social media posts.
I don’t recommend you do the same, though. Since rediscovering reading in recent years, I’ve come to appreciate how valuable it can be, especially when you have moments of respite between your busy student days.
Rather than carrying tons of books with you, an e-reader is a great alternative. In a device the size of a small tablet, you can hold thousands of books and more, without straining your eyes to look at a color screen.
There are two major brands of e-readers. Amazon Kindles are generally easier to use, with some models supporting Audible audiobooks. Kobo devices allow you to read books from anywhere (not just the official store) or borrow directly from your local library.
Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry
Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry
Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry
None of these products are absolutely necessary if you’re going to college, but they would have improved my life there, so they might do the same for you or the young person in your life.
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