8 Must Have College Tech Essentials for Students
It’s almost back-to-school time but you can’t go back without these must-have college tech essentials. Whether it’s your inaugural year of college or you’re headed back for another, tech makes your life much easier.
I could never imagine getting through my college years without ample tech. I LOVE my laptop and iPad. But the smaller things like a power bank and Apple pencil are great too.
When you’re prepping your college dorm essentials list, don’t forget to add these tech items onto it.
Best college tech essentials
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1. Editor’s pick: Laptop
I would have never gotten through college without my laptop. Seriously it was with me every second of my college career and during my undergraduate degree when it broke, I went less than 24-hours without one.
For most college students, a basic MacBook Air is going to be perfect.
This bad boy is thin and will fit into any backpack laptop sleeve. The screen size has grown over the years, now with 13-inches of gorgeous display. You’ll have more than enough visual space to take notes, surf the net and finish all of your projects.
If you’re working on a more graphic-heavy degree, anything that has to work with big fancy programs like graphic design — you might want to consider investing in a Pro.
If you’re looking for a cheaper laptop model, you can get a great HP for less than $350. While there is a blatant difference between Apple and PC computers, both are perfectly acceptable for school (and other options).
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2. Tablet
It was my second year of college where I discovered the beauty of e-textbooks and my iPad made working with them exclusively possible. This not only saved my back (do you know how expensive textbooks are?) but my wallet as e-textbooks are a fraction of the price.
I’m a top-of-the-line kinda girl, so I have the 11-inch iPad Pro. What I love about this model is that I can take hand-written notes using the Apple Pencil 2 and it has a split-screen so I can write notes while doing internet research.
During my Master’s degree, I spent two weeks on campus attending lectures and living in the dorm. While attending lectures, I left my laptop in my dorm room and only carted around my iPad. With a cheap wireless keyboard, your iPad can do almost anything your laptop can, making it a great lightweight alternative to carting around your laptop.
If you want a tablet to enjoy the low prices of e-texts, but can’t afford the Apple price tag (no judgement here) then I hear good things about the Samsung A8 tablet. While I don’t have this, I do have an 8-inch Acer that has all the capabilities to read e-texts and take notes.
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3. Portable charger
There is nothing worse than being in the middle of a lecture trying to take notes when your tablet dies. Not to mention the classroom real estate close to the power outlet tends to be in high demand. That’s why you carry a portable charger.
Portable chargers are great student tech—they’re lightweight and don’t take up much space in your bag. If you don’t want to get caught without access to your tech, then this is a must-have!
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4. Noise-cancelling headphones
Noise-cancelling headphones are definitely on my college tech essentials list, especially if you’re living the dorm life. They help to block out the sound and allow you to fully concentrate on your paper (if you have issues listening while you work, go with nature sounds or classical music).
I have Beats headphones. Despite some of the negative things I’ve heard about them, I use them every day, almost all day. They’re a total concentration lifesaver. They pair with my laptop, iPad and phone, and are pretty easy to switch between devices.
My only complaints have to do with the weight and tightness of the beats headphones. You definitely have to adjust them to be a little looser. And you definitely have to give your head a rest every once in a while too!
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5. Laptop lock cable
A laptop lock cable is definitely one of those college tech essentials that you need. These are especially important if you’re working in a public space like a library by yourself and need to get up to run to the washroom or to grab a book.
While nine times out of ten your student tech will be safe, you don’t want to be the tenth so play it safe by bringing one of these along with you wherever you go. It’s easy to use and will protect your things!
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6. External hard drive
While hard drive space for laptops is getting bigger, it’s not always enough. Plus the more space you have open on your drive the faster your computer seems to work (or that’s what I find).
That’s where an external hard drive comes in. I like the Western Digital brand because it’s both Apple and PC compatible. Now, you can’t necessarily use it in a PC or MacBook at the same time but if you have to change your computer you’ll be able to use it.
External hard drives are college tech essentials, especially if you’re in a program where you’re working with big files like filmmaking or graphic design. It adds extra safe storage to ensure your files are kept safe and accessible for when you need them.
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7. USB flash drive
Not everyone wants to cart around a portable hard drive, and that’s where an easy-to-carry USB drive comes in to play. While these might seem outdated, they’re incredibly handy to have so I highly recommend putting them on your college tech essentials list.
These small little devices like the SanDisk Cruzer have a ton of space, basically the equivalent of having a decent sized phone to store and cart around extra electronic material.
While you might not use it a ton, you’ll be seriously glad you have it when you’re in a situation where you need to transfer a file or save something in a pinch.
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8. Wireless speaker and proper alarm clock
Having a wireless speaker and a proper alarm clock is an absolutely essential college tech if you’re living in a dorm room, all students should really have one.
Yes, your phone can be your alarm clock, but I highly recommend using a proper one. You shouldn’t be using your phone in the minutes that lead up to you going to bed but if you’re setting your phone alarm right before you’re exposing yourself to the blue light which interrupts your sleep pattern.
Beyond that, while using your noise-cancelling headphones is great, you do need to give your ears and neck a break every once in a while and that’s where wireless speakers come in.
The i-box radio alarm clock and speaker combo is a great choice because it also acts as a charging dock for your phone!
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Carrying your college tech essentials
When it comes to carrying your college tech essentials, you need a good backpack. Even now when I go to business meetings, I cart my things around in a backpack because I feel like my technology is much safer, especially in a laptop sleeve.
When it comes to picking the best backpack, I love something stylish and fun like the Kingslong. Not only does it have a cute button design, but it’s also extremely packable. It has three zipped pockets for all of your goods and a water bottle pocket.
This bag is a great choice to store and cart around your back to school tech!
College tech essentials FAQs
What tech is needed for college?
At the very least, you’ll need to have a laptop and charger for college. Beyond that, it depends on how you work and what program you’re taking. I LOVE tech, so I have a laptop, iPad, backup chargers, solid headphones — all of which help make life easier.
What does a college student need in a laptop?
The laptop you need for college will depend on what you’re taking. If you’re in graphic design you’ll need to make sure that you have something that has a graphics card and the RAM to work with the programs you need. However, most students can get away with a fairly basic laptop — 256 GB and 8 GB of ram should be good, but make sure you check with your college to see if they have any recommendations.
Final thoughts: College tech essentials
It can be easy to get caught up when buying college tech essentials, you don’t need everything!
While you’ll need a laptop, charger, and I’d recommend a portable charger and noise cancelling headphones, you can absolutely start your college career and figure out what you need on the go.
You might find out that you need very little, or there might be a few specific tech items you need. For example, as a journalism student I needed to get a DSLR camera — you probably don’t need this, but your program might need something special too!
