What are the gifts that college students want? The list below describes gifts which are not only popular among young people, but are useful items to have at college. In future posts we will continue to add to this list.
The following list was based of the input of college students.
Pre-Paid Gas Cards
Most major gasoline companies offer pre-paid gift cards which may be used at their gas stations. Gas cards make it easier for students to come home without blowing their budget.
Stress Relief Gifts
Students face a great deal of stress from academics and college life. There are a variety of gifts which may help allieviate these issues, for example: portable massagers to ease tension; relaxation CDs, yoga instructional DVD’s, herbal teas. Items like these could be given individually or combined into a ‘stress relief’ gift basket.
Money along with Money Management Skills Audiobook
Students love to get gifts of money, mainly because they always seem to be running out of it! Unfortunately most young people are very weak at managing money matters. With that in mind, a thoughtful additional gift to go with the money is the informative audiobook: ‘Money Management For Young Adults- Learn the Essential Skills That No One Ever Taught You’. This popular audiobook is 42 minutes long and gives an excellent overview of money management skills, from a young adult’s perspective. It clearly explains important topics such as personal budgeting and living within one’s means; responsible use of credit cards; banking basics; maintaining a strong credit rating; identity theft and fraud prevention tips, etc. This audiobook is available at the educational website:MoneyManagement101.org
USB FlashDrive
These are tiny, portable, digital storage devices that plug into the USB port in a computer. They are primarily used to store and transport personal files including documents, pictures, and music files. They make it easy to transfer files from the computer lab to their laptop or to their desktop computer back home. Some FlashDrives come with info security features which help prevent other people from being able to access the content on the device.
In future posts we will add to this list. We will also list gifts that many parents think are popular, but are actually not wanted by most college students.
More college student gift ideas to come..
What happens if your student’s possessions are stolen or destroyed on campus ? Do you need insurance at college? or does your homeowners insurance cover your students possessions at college?
It depends on your insurance policy. You should definately check with your insurance agent.
As we saw in our earlier blog entry, valuable items can be easily stolen, including bikes, scooters, computers, etc. Unfortunately, theft on college campuses is extremely common. Parents need to alert their kidsabout the importance of protecting their property; plus parents also need to do a bit of homework about their insurance coverage. For some insights on this subject, the following article from the NY Daily News gives an excellent overview of insurance coverage as it relates to students living away from home.
http://www.nydailynews.com/money/2007/10/11/2007-10-11_insurance_101_for_parents_sending_kids_o.html
Let us know your experiences regarding this important subject.
Identity Theft: Prevention Tips for Parents and Students
College students need to understand how to protect themselves from falling victim to identity theft and information fraud.
Many young people have a lax attitude about security. They also tend to be more trusting of others and have a casual attitude about taking precautions. Parents and young people should talk about personal information security. They should also discuss how their individual circumstances might put them at increased risk of being victimized. Although the following tips may seem obvious to experienced adults, many young people don’t follow some of the following:
-Never lend your credit card or debit card to anyone, and never share your password.
-Do not print your driver’s license number, birth date, or social security number on your checks.
-When you write a check at a store, don’t allow the store to confirm your check by writing in your credit card number.
-Do not put outbound mail in your mailbox for your postal carrier to pickup. Take your mail directly to a US postal mailbox.
-If your credit card or ATM card is lost or stolen, alert your bank/credit card issuer immediately.
-Avoid using passwords or PIN numbers that might be easy for a thief to figure out (i.e. avoid birth dates, common names, etc.)
-Shred any financial documents or anything containing sensitive information before putting them in the trash.
-Always check your credit card statement for charges you did not make.
-Order a copy of your credit report at least once per year. Look out for creditors on your statement that you never applied for.
Parents, make sure you discus the topic of identity theft with your college student.
Students need to understand how to protect themselves from falling victim to identity theft and information fraud.Identity thieves often know their victims; either directly or indirectly. Thieves might be acquaintances, siblings of friends, classmates, co-workers, current or ex-boy/girlfriends, etc. Names, addresses, birthdates, social security numbers, account numbers, and other personal data are valuable commodities on the underground market. An ex-boy/girl friend could easily possess all of this info. In fact, he/she might even know inside information such as passwords, PIN number, mother’s maiden name, etc.
In upcoming entries, we will post tips to relay to your college student, on how they can reduce their risk of being victimized by indentity theft.