Back to School 2011: 'What to buy your kid for college' guide

By | July 31, 2011, 5:56pm PDT

Summary: Back to School 2011: College is an investment, not just for those who go, but for parents too. Give your kid a helping hand with these tech essentials.

Back to School Guide

You all knew it was coming…

Each year I throw together a different slant on the ‘back to school’ tech stories that make their way around the web. The truth is, as a recently graduated student — unlike most other journalists, I know exactly what students will need at college.

But the main drawback is that students-to-be, or students ready for their second or third years, often can’t afford the vast majority of technology on offer.

I’m a strong believer that for college and university, buying the tech to keep a student going should be a two-part arrangement: the parents get the bare essentials, and the student maintains the necessary levels of tech awesomeness over the course of the year.

Gallery
In this gallery, you’ll see
20 bits of tech to buy your college kid. Of course, it’s a guide and you don’t have to buy everything there is. There’s no point in buying a netbook as well as a MacBook, for example. From fun to productive, subscriptions and tech for on-the-go, here are the essentials for your college kid to get started in their new home.

Click here to go to the gallery.

But as you wave off your son or daughter for the last time, crying and sobbing into your partners shoulder as you drive away for the last time — not knowing the next time you will see them sober, you should feel proud that you contributed to their college life through means of college tuition and technology goods.

You – yes, you — are a good parent.

I’ve been through the university experience. I know exactly what the new student will need, or if they are going into their second or third years, what they will need for that too. I’ve been there. I’ve made stupid mistakes buying junk I didn’t need. But I’ve also made investments throughout — things that will last me for the whole time in college, without need for replacements.

I declare the back to school report open!

Related content:

Kick off your day with ZDNet's daily e-mail newsletter. It's the freshest tech news and opinion, served hot. Get it.

Topics

Zack Whittaker, a criminologist who studied at the University of Kent, Canterbury, is a journalist, writer and broadcaster.

Disclosure

Zack Whittaker

I worked briefly with Microsoft UK in 2006 but no longer have any connection with the company. Regardless, I remain impartial and unbiased in my views.

I don't hold any stock or shares, investments or industrial secrets in any company, but have signed confidentiality agreements with a number of UK and U.S. organisations, whose names I am not at liberty to disclose.

I was involved with Kent Union, the University of Kent's student union, undertaking voluntary, non-salaried, elected positions between early 2009 and mid-2010.

No other company, body, government department, non-governmental organisation or third sector organisation employs me or pays me a salary in any capacity whatsoever.

As a freelance journalist, whenever expenses are given and taken by a company that is not CBS Interactive, these will be disclosed in each relevant post to ensure transparency.

I currently work with a UK law enforcement unit, but this is an entirely separate position which bears no connection to other work.

(Updated: 23rd October 2011)

Biography

Zack Whittaker

Zack Whittaker, criminologist who studied at the University of Kent, UK, is a journalist, writer and broadcaster.

After studying criminology at university, though still in his early-20's, he has already had a series unconventional work and voluntary positions. He has worked with researchers studying neurological illnesses like Tourette's syndrome (which he suffers from), has given lectures on the nature of disabilities in the public community, and occasionally ends up speaking on television and radio discussing the events of the day.

He first had academic work published at the age of 22, then still an undergraduate, and has been cited by a wide range of publications: from the Huffington Post, Business Insider, AllThingsDigital, The Atlantic Wire and CBS News.

8
Comments

Join the conversation!

Just In

What to buy your kid for college.
eric22vhs 9th May
Leaving the nest is pretty rough. I don't think it's a bad idea to help out some. Some people might become tremendously independent with tough love, but I saw a lot of kids nearly destroy their lives when their parents wouldn't help out much. IE. Going hungry for the next 12 hours when the dining hall closed, or when their meal plan ran out (a lot of the tough love parents' kids seemed to have meal plans that didn't really do the job). Another friend of mine started selling drugs because he had no money for a social life, and no time to have one while going to school full time and holding a job. A social life is important. You learn just as much there growing into an adult as you do in the classroom. It always seemed to me, the parents who forced their kids to stack up loans while working nearly full time through college were resentful, rather than supportive of their kid's accomplishments.

Anyways, if you are shopping for your kid before they go to college, I found this website: http://whattogetforcollege.com to be pretty handy for finding stuff that was a basic necessity, as well as some extra stuff to spruce up my dorm room. They also have a dorm room checklist that was really handy.
0 Votes
+ -
Message has been deleted.
ohnikalb Updated - 1st Aug
0 Votes
+ -
Message has been deleted.
davidfrankk Updated - 1st Aug
Normally I dislike your articles because they always seem a bit disconnected from reality, but this list is actually pretty good. There are still a few gimmicky items, but nowhere near what most of these lists seem to have.
@Aerowind That's good for the blog writter that any one who not read their article but if you like this article and give the good review sounds intresting i am also reading this post and fell good that spend my time to read their post, Great Article. essay Help | termpaper | custom research paper
0 Votes
+ -
I'm not a father...
cornpie 2nd Aug
...but I am old enough to be yours. The last thing my parents ever bought me was a plane ticket to the first day of school.....a one way ticket that is. After that I was on my own. So from my perspective if you want to help the kid with school, help him write a resume (CV for you Brits) and teach him some interviewing skills - cause he is going to need a job.
0 Votes
+ -
Buy them? why?
martian@... 3rd Aug
Seriously?
Why buy them anything?
This is how the false "feeling of entitlement" I constantly see being exhibited from that generation is fomented.
Do like I had to, pay your own way.
They'll appreciate it more.
@martian@... yea you right that is Do like I had to, pay your own way. is more appreciable. Custom Assignment | Dissertation Help
0 Votes
+ -
Leaving the nest is pretty rough. I don't think it's a bad idea to help out some. Some people might become tremendously independent with tough love, but I saw a lot of kids nearly destroy their lives when their parents wouldn't help out much. IE. Going hungry for the next 12 hours when the dining hall closed, or when their meal plan ran out (a lot of the tough love parents' kids seemed to have meal plans that didn't really do the job). Another friend of mine started selling drugs because he had no money for a social life, and no time to have one while going to school full time and holding a job. A social life is important. You learn just as much there growing into an adult as you do in the classroom. It always seemed to me, the parents who forced their kids to stack up loans while working nearly full time through college were resentful, rather than supportive of their kid's accomplishments.

Anyways, if you are shopping for your kid before they go to college, I found this website: http://whattogetforcollege.com to be pretty handy for finding stuff that was a basic necessity, as well as some extra stuff to spruce up my dorm room. They also have a dorm room checklist that was really handy.

Join the conversation!

Formatting +
BB Codes - Note: HTML is not supported in forums
  • [b] Bold [/b]
  • [i] Italic [/i]
  • [u] Underline [/u]
  • [s] Strikethrough [/s]
  • [q] "Quote" [/q]
  • [ol][*] 1. Ordered List [/ol]
  • [ul][*] · Unordered List [/ul]
  • [pre] Preformat [/pre]
  • [quote] "Blockquote" [/quote]
ie8 fix

The best of ZDNet, delivered

ZDNet Newsletters

Get the best of ZDNet delivered straight to your inbox

Facebook Activity

White Papers, Webcasts, & Resources
ie8 fix