Yes – receiving the trendiest, newest, and most fashionable clothes, shoes, and books is lovely and will be well received, but if you really want to wow a university student and get us what we need (and want), keep reading!
Heated Blanket
Needless to say, Edinburgh gets very, very cold… And with only a student budget, the heating is not on often enough to keep ourselves warm and happy. So, the perfect solution is a heated blanket! They are around £50, roughly the price of five small bottles of Glen’s vodka, and would make any university student content.
Noise Cancelling Headphones
Whilst study spaces are meant to be quiet and focused places, there is always an odd bunch chatting away, phoning seemingly everyone and anyone, as well as the general noise of the lifts and doors. Like me, other students can be easily distracted by the hubbub and it can really stop them from starting their overdue essays. Luckily, the innovative inventors were really on to something when they created noise cancelling headphones! They vary in price, from the highly rated Sony WH-CH720N, costing a solid £65, to the wham Apple AirPods Max at around £500 (naturally out of a student’s budget)! So if you want us to get work done, you know what to gift.
Gym membership / sports membership
The common perception of the unhealthy, hungover, and lazy university student may be true, but this is partly due to the unholy price of a gym membership! Whilst the university gym membership is subsidised and cheaper compared to others, £175 is still too expensive for most students. Additionally, to join a sports team at university with the cost of uniforms, equipment, and membership can be in the hundreds. So, if you want us to challenge the stereotype, gifting a gym membership is a helpful start!
Railcard
Students at Edinburgh come from all over the country (surprisingly not just from London) and trains are the main mode of transport getting us to and from university. So, if you want us to save money in the long term, consider gifting a 16-25 railcard – they are £70 for three years or £30 for one!
Slippers, blankets and dressing gowns
If you know a university student who spends more time in their flat than at university, be kind and gift them items to make them comfy and snug. We will always appreciate more blankets, and new dressing gowns and slippers to replace our worn out, in need of retirement ones.
Cameras and photo albums
Though we all have cameras on our phones nowadays, the specialty of having a digital or film camera has not worn off! The image of future children looking back through a photo album of their parents’ “prime days” is exciting and much more special than just an album on a phone.
Air fryer
The passion I have for air fryers is not unwarranted. They are quite simply the best invention ever. They can turn cooking times from 40 minutes to 10. This has improved my life to an immeasurable extent – so if you want to change lives, gift an air fryer.
The recommendations above are mostly out of students’ budgets, making great and generous presents! Nonetheless, cheaper presents like gum, a supply of toothpaste, shampoo, and olive oil are also things that we need!
Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash
