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I can’t believe it’s been over five years since I graduated from college. Of course we had a whole pandemic in between, but time has flown by.
Yet I still vividly remember my undergraduate experience, including all the technology I relied on. A MacBook Pro from 2014 was invaluable for getting work done, while upgrading my budget Moto G 2015 to the Samsung Galaxy Note 8 every year made a big difference.
It should come as no surprise that a reliable phone and laptop are a necessity for most people in college. If you don’t already have these, these should be your top technology priorities.
However, since becoming a technology journalist, I have been fortunate enough to test out many different technologies. And during that time I realized that a few other products would have made my uni experience even better.
If you have the budget to do this, I recommend considering the following eight items that you may not have thought of yet.
1. Noise canceling headphones
This is one you may already have on your list. Looking back, I don’t know how I made it through the entire three years of college without noise-canceling headphones.
The benefits are obvious: listen to audio from your phone, laptop or other gadgets without disturbing people nearby, and crucially by blocking out much of that distracting noise.
If you’re trying to work from anywhere but your bedroom or the library (both of which can still be noisy), you’ll understand the specific appeal of the noise cancellation feature.
The noise-cancelling headphones I’ve used most since college are the PuroPro headphones, which combine decent sound quality with solid noise cancellation, excellent comfort, and decent battery life. They are also relatively affordable.
But if you want the absolute best of the best when it comes to noise cancellation, get the Sony WH-1000XM5 (shown below).
Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry
Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry
Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry
2. A watch (smart or basic)
Throughout my time at university, I often worried that I would be late. Whether it was an important lecture or worse, an exam, I would constantly wake up my phone to see what time it was.
You probably know the obvious solution to this: buy a watch. For me, having it on my wrist would have saved 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 valuable 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 normal, simple watch would have done just fine. The cheap Casio model I have now costs only €9.99but for me it does the job. While that particular model isn’t available in the US, a comparable 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 great. Whenever my phone was running low on battery, I could plug it in and not have to worry about finding a power source.
However, it just didn’t work on my laptop, which had a higher power draw. More than once I worried that my laptop would give up halfway through class.
If only I had known there were portable chargers powerful enough to charge my laptop back then! Since I got one in 2023, I’ve used it almost every time I traveled to a work event.
My favorite model is the Anker 737 PowerCore 24K, which usually costs £139.99/$149.99 but is often discounted, but there are plenty of alternatives.
Anyron Copeman / Foundry
Anyron Copeman / Foundry
Anyron Copeman / Foundry
As you’d expect, a portable charger for a laptop is also powerful enough to charge your phone, tablet, or almost any other gadgets you have.
4. A portable fan
As soon as I moved into college, my father bought a large tower fan for my bedroom. It was invaluable and made the room much more comfortable to live in.
Even if your room gets much cooler, I still highly recommend getting at least one fan. See our overview for the best fans you can buy.
However, I had underestimated how hot other university buildings could be, especially in summer and when there was no air conditioning in some places.
Therefore, a personal fan that you can take anywhere would have been very useful. The John Lewis Anyday hand fan costs only £12 in Britainyet offers excellent performance and battery life.
Emma Rowley / Foundry
Emma Rowley / Foundry
Emma Rowley / Foundry
Although not available in the US, there are many similar handheld fans on Amazon.
5. Trackers for my wallet and keys
It wasn’t until I lost my wallet in 2022 (and was miraculously reunited with it) that I realized the need to keep an eye on their location. If that had happened during my studies, I might not have been so lucky.
Almost immediately I bought a Tile Slim for my wallet and a Tile Pro for my keys. Since then I’ve been extra careful not to lose it, but it’s been invaluable a few times.
Alternatives from the likes of Chipolo and Pebblebee can use Google’s Find My Device network instead. The vast network of Android phones means this should work better in most locations in the long term, but the service has yet to fully establish itself at the time of writing, so Tile is a safer bet.
6. An electric shaver
As an 18-year-old man without a beard, you might be wondering how I managed in college without an electric shaver or regular razors. The answer? Not good.
For some reason I ended up sticking to the trimmer attachment of my hair cutting kit, which resulted in a rough and inconsistent shave.
I wish I had found the Philips OneBlade sooner. Since I got it a few months after graduating college, I’ve been using it several times a week.
Dominic Preston / Foundry
Dominic Preston / Foundry
Dominic Preston / Foundry
OneBlade’s affordability makes it easy to recommend to anyone, with a Face & Body kit that allows you to safely remove unwanted body hair. Most people won’t need the more expensive 360 or Pro versions.
However, if you’re unsure about the Philips OneBlade, you’ll find a range of alternatives in our best electric shavers guide.
7. An e-reader
When I was in college, reading for pleasure wasn’t really on the agenda. Other than the required textbooks for my course, all I read were news articles and social media posts.
However, I don’t recommend you do the same. Since I rediscovered reading in recent years, I realize how valuable it can be, especially when you have moments of peace in between your busy student life.
Instead of carrying a whole bunch of books with you, an e-reader is a great alternative. On 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 main brands to choose from. Amazon’s Kindles are generally easier to use, with some models supporting audiobooks from Audible. Meanwhile, with Kobo devices, you can read books anywhere (not just the official store) or borrow them 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 made my life better there, so maybe they’ll do the same for you or the young person in your life.