Top Ten Gifts for the Grad Student and the Post-doc

Great post-grad program. Now what? The new student is looking at long hours of study. Housing problems are not uncommon. Pulling all-nighters are the way to prepare for exams. There are some gifts that will become indispensable for the grad student and even the post-doc.

A digital voice recorder
Remember industrial biochemistry? Those notes were hard to come by. The questions in the test could not be tackled unless you knew the lectures by heart. A digital recorder is the perfect tool. While some exceed forty dollars, the e-bay is not a bad place to begin if you are looking to save money.

A scanner
This hard working student has to copy pages of sample questions, test from past semesters, term papers from peers. Hard copies are now a thing of past. Besides, its not like the student can make unlimited copies. Make the student's desk paper less with a scanner. This way, organizing documents and finding them on the machine becomes a breeze.

Printer
Include paper with the printer.( Now the student can print out those fliers and invitations for keg parties. No, that was a joke.) How ever, printing a ticket online will always get the student home for holidays. No trips to the library.
Printers come with mail in rebates, so you can save quite a bit with this gift.

An Mp3 player
Long hours in the lab are not unheard of when it comes to graduate work. Everyone deserves some music. Did you know that most digital recorders can record files in MP3 format? This way they can be burnt on to CDs. You must see many students sport this handy gadget. Did you know that MP 3 are the most reported item when it comes to theft? This gift will be much appreciated..

A wireless card.
Room mates making a noise in the living room? A wireless router and a wireless card for the students laptop will give more freedom. A wireless card makes quite study possible because it makes moving around possible. In addition , since the student does not have to be tied to a spot , he or she can go and study in cafes etc. Most campuses like Harvard, MIT, Princeton , Yale and VanDerbilt offer WiFi. Starbucks and Panera bread have been doing this for very long time now. Local libraries are upgrading their systems to WiFi as well. This gift will go places!

A DVD/CD burner.
Most students these days have access to computers. If you give them a DVD/CD burner, they can always burn their research files on to a disc. Be it an internal one or an external one : either way the student can benefit a lot.

An "iStick" or a portable data storage device.
Once again, this gift will help them carry around their data files on a keychain!
A Flash card reader is not a bad idea either. One must remember that while most of these devices come with USB connectivity. So, a USB hub will always be in demand.

A cell or cell phone-related gifts.
You have one. If you add a line, it wont cost you much, you can keep in touch and also, may be even keep track of your child.
This is a great parent-to-child gift. Speaking of cell phones, students would love a Bluetooth. Any upgrade would be greatly appreciated since grad students are always looking for more features. These days, most cell phone companies provide many options for upgrades. If you are lost, minutes are a great gift too.

Travel vouchers
Grad students often find it very hard to pay for air tickets. Hence the dependence on Greyhound. Any kind of travel voucher will come in very handy. While air travel has been traditional gift, these days traveling by train is very enjoyable and hassle free. Train tickets are flexible and have fixed fares.

A suit
The average grad student in a technological field faces at least twelve interviews in job fairs and campus interviews. A good suit will come in very handy. Tip: please take the grad student with you while shopping for this gift.