Gift Giving Guy

#1. Official Collegiate Wear (price varies). Yes, this is a shameless plug for my new College Gift Finder, more than 1,500 links strong. Confirm his or her Big Freshman On Campus status with a college hoodie.

#2. iPod Speakers ($100-$140 from Amazon.com). I know a veteran university photographer who swears by this gift for the college bound. Many students have some flavor of iPod, and ConsumerSearch.com rates Logitech Pure-Fi Anywhere speakers as the best.

#3. Desk Lamp with iPod Speakers ($100 from Amazon.com). Another iPod speaker idea. Bring sound and light to student’s dorm-issued desk with an iHome halogen lamp combined with speakers.

#4. College Guide – The Naked Roommate ($10 from Amazon.com). Practical tips from syndicated advice columnist Harlan Cohen. Chances are, your student’s RA has read this college guide cover to cover. Also, consider the datebook planner version.

#5. Doorganizer ($15 from UncommonGoods.com). For the absent-minded genius, the Doorganizer keeps keys and important notes visible as your student leaves the dorm room. I wish I had one of these in college to keep me from locking myself out of my room.

#6. Freshman Survival Kit ($58 to $78 from HipKits.com). Give a collection of college essentials, including flip-flops for the dorm’s community showers. Hip Kits offer college gift baskets you can customize to nearly 150 universities. See more college care packages from Hip Kits.

#7. Milk Crates for Storage ($10 each from The Container Store). Authentic dairy crates are a classic stackable storage solution for tight dorm quarters. Pile up notebooks, textbooks, sweatshirts and anything else that will lie flat.

#8. Mini-Mantle Bedpost Shelf ($10 from Dormbuys.com). Throughout my college years, I always chose the bunkbed’s top bunk. I would have loved owning this mini-mantle. The 6-by-14-inch shelf attaches to a bed or loft post to rest a book, pens, glasses, a water bottle or TV remote.

#9. Book Bungie Bookmarks ($30 for a set of five from Levenger). Let your student wrap a book bungie around that massive Organic Chemistry textbook to mark his or her progress. Unlike a typical bookmark, these bungies won’t lose their place.

#10. Margin Maker Note Paper ($18 from Levenger). These self-adhesive strips of green and yellow paper maximize a textbook’s resale value by never marking up a page. Students can tear off the right length of paper and make notes in the margin.

#11. Bookbumpers ($10 for 10 sheets, 4 bumpers per sheet, from Levenger). One more book innovation from Levenger, offering “tools for serious readers.” Many textbooks come in paperback and take a lot of abuse. Prevent dogearred book covers with the plastic protection of Bookbumpers.

#12. JimiX Wallet ($16 from Mr. Smith, Inc.). The JimiX sports a super-thin design that stores four cards, plus a sturdy money clip. The translucent shell, made from 100% recycled polypropylene, makes flashing that university ID card simple. This compact wallet is available in light blue, safety orange, clear and stealth black.

#13. Kone Cordless Hand Vacuum ($40 from Amazon.com). It’s not a cheerleader megaphone; it’s a mini-vacuum. Dirt Devil has designed a rechargeable hand vacuum you don’t have to hide. While every dorm has an upright vacuum cleaner for check out, it’s handy to have the Kone for those quick clean-ups. Choose from six colors: blue, champagne, charcoal, pink, plum or white.