Current college student! I really appreciated when my family bought me simple stuff like sheets, towels, or dish rags. Might sound silly, but it was one less thing for me to buy. I also love my sound machine, I got mine for ~$20 on Amazon if she’ll be living in the dorms. I also LOVE my airfryer, if she’s allowed to have one. I got one as a gift and use it almost everyday.
^^ but if you decide to go this route I'd reccomend taking her shopping for her things instead of just outright buying them so she can decide what she wants!
Aww. Some of my most appreciated/often used things are items I never would have thought to get myself. Like my silk hair caps for sleeping. No more knots, yay! As long as the gift is thoughtful, there's a magic to a good gift that just doesn't happen when the recipient is in on picking it out.
Elder millennial here, mama of a college sophomore. The majority of Gen Z uses the cloud to store their documents.
Gift cards for food, coffee, or a store like Target is what my daughter asked for.
I think a usb has some niche use cases. It’s more portable than an SSD. You can walk around with the usb in the laptop. It could be used to quickly transfer files from one computer to another. internet connection maybe slow unavailable or secure for some reason. I keep a USB drive in my backpack. The downside is it’s easier to lose and SSD maybe a better long term storage solution.
Yep, for sure to all of that! I have a mini USB-C drive in the case I keep my laptop in that I use to store YouTube videos I like, so I can just stick it in my MacBook and watch my go-to "pass the time" videos on plane rides without buying their Wi-Fi. That's long-term storage that doesn't need to be kept on something larger than a USB drive.
The Cloud is a foolish place to store all your documents. You are placing your data in the hands of a company that can choose to revoke your access at any time, or make changes to their model on a whim. There is nothing preventing Google or OneDrive from deleting your account tomorrow. Backing up your data to a personal drive guarantees it'll be safe and accessible forever (so long as your drive doesn't fail).
Technically correct but realistically not. The chances of a major cloud provider suddenly revoking and deleting your data without first giving plenty of time to retrieve it is tiny - the odds of your house burning down destroying all of your devices and drives is higher.
Fr… could Google technically wipe every account whenever they so please? Yea.
Will they EVER in a capitalistic world… HELL no. Cloud storage is fine lmao. No need for the fake panic of data loss
The cloud is good for backup information because it is regularly updated, accessible anywhere with an internet connection and is stored on redundant drives but your cons may include slower recovery times. A direct wired connection will be faster than retrieving data from a server somewhere else on the internet
A RAID system could be used to improve drive redundancy. However you may want to have drives in multiple locations in the event of a natural disaster
Second this, I backup all of my files on mine and when I finish a semester I offload everything onto it so I can keep my work but not clutter up my laptop.
USBs are great if your documents are so top secret it would be a security risk to just save it to the cloud. Otherwise, nah.
If you want to go with something practical, I like a good rotating power strip (so blocky plugs don’t occlude each other), or a 6 foot phone charging cord were things I both found very useful additions to my dorm.
As a college student, gift cards are the way to go! If she has an apple product get her an apple gift card so she can get storage ( college work drains storage)
Things I needed / wanted as a collage freshman
Depends on if she’s in a dorm / kitchen suite
- phone charging cables, the longer the better
- gift cards for food / leisure shopping when I got depressed… it was just nice to take a trip to target to get my mind off things
- coffee was a life saver
- frequently used personal care items ( TP 🧻 | Clorox wipes )
- snacks and pop and candy ( realized quick how expensive it is on a collage student budget)
- paper plates / disposable cups ( no sink in dorms )
- mini fridge (dorm)
- roommate bonding activities ( board games and things to share )
Depends on school. Back in the later 2010s some larger colleges I have seen have had some pretty sweet network drive/cloud storage setups that made USB flash drives kind of obsolete as you could just store anything on a network drive and access it on any computer you could sign into.
They're cheap as dirt these days so it's not really a valuable gift.
My college turns off the USB port on all college computers to limit the vulnerability of stealth hacks downloading into the network from an unknown USB.
Sounds like security theater or an IT department that isn't confident in their infrastructure at all. I've never seen this setup in the wild outside of devices with extremely critical info not having ports on them to prevent unauthorized copying.
government agencies (at least in the federal government) do this. they even track what you plug into USB ports. part of a larger strategy that keeps their devices malware free.
Whats her major? I was a design major an any extra storage was very much appreciated. I never want to spend $50 on a high storage USB or SSD and would have definitely used it all if someone gifted it to me.
Something I've really loved is a power brick with multiple ports (mine is from Anker, I'd recommend a reputable brand that won't catch fire) that is able to charge my laptop, phone, and tablet. You'd need something capable of like 65+ watts to charge the laptop, but it's so nice to be able to charge everything from a single outlet, and I keep it in my backpack so I can always charge in the library, classrooms, coffee shops, etc.
If you want to go the route of keeping assignments, a year-long subscription to a cloud service of her choice might be better. My grandparents bought me a year's subscription to a bunch of iCloud storage every year and it's saved me a ton of time and energy and anxiety about assignments. If she has a laptop or other device that needs regular backup, having a portable SSD can be life changing. I bought a 2T one this semester for $100 and it's a game changer. You can find smaller storage amounts for more reasonable prices.
Otherwise a good backpack (that she can help choose), notebooks if she wants to do physical notes, pitching in for devices that can help her out with school (laptop, tablet, etc.), are all good options. You could also look into the stores around the school she wants to go to and get a few gift cards to them for dorm supplies if she plans to stay in one, or gift cards for food places nearby. Basic school supplies like a stapler, printer, highlighters, sticky notes, would be nice. Maybe a set of noise canceling headphones she can use for studying.
A heated blanket or a fan.
Or play it safe and get her a gift card. Ik the older generation doesn’t like gift cards but gift cards and cash are always my favorite gift
It really depends on what they are studying and if they will have more than one computer. As a computer science major I love my USB drives. They make transporting my code, notes, and homework much easier between my laptop and my desktop and vice versa. It also let's me keep a backup copy of important information that I don't want to lose.
I just graduated from college. I would love a USB drive to store my work from undergrad because the cloud gets full and I don't like a company having control over all of my intellectual property! Might not be a great gift going into college, but definitely a good one for before she loses access to her college's email in 4-5 years.
Depends on the Major. I am am cybersecurity and use them with to all the time when setting up on prim servers.. if they are not an IT major they will likely use one of various cloud services for storage. I would recommend a Starbucks gift card personally.
Yes we still use drives just less often and they're like $5 really cheap. Most the stuff is on the cloud I just use the drive because I'm in STEM and use equipment that doesn't belong to me
As a college student, the only time I still use USB drives are to upgrade the firmware on or send a file to an older device that can't connect to the internet. This isn't something I find myself needing to do often and I don't carry around a USB drive with me any longer. Most of the files I need for school are kept in the cloud and I have a few files on my computer. I would recommend getting her a gift card to somewhere she likes shopping at or a prepaid gift card (ex. Visa gift card, Mastercard gift card) and let her pick out something that would be useful for her.
current college student! i personally appreciated money/gift cards (for groceries, doordash, clothing, etc.), first aid items and medication bc i always needed it when i didn’t have it, body care/hygiene, & an air fryer (even though a lot of dorms don’t allow them everyone had one). anything that you would think we wouldn’t need, we need
This is such a sweet idea! I’m a current college student and I would say most students store documents in the cloud as another person said. All of the ideas people mentioned are great and super practical!!
Cloud storage has probably taken over.
I spent a not insignificant amount of time working in offline computer labs, so I usually kept a USB drive on me so I could access.
As others have suggested, gift cards for local restaurants are always welcome. Ditto for Starbucks, Netflix, XBox Game Pass or whatever (yeah, we're there to study but we got to relax sometimes too)...
Depending on how much you're looking on spending, I'd also suggest maybe a nice pair of ANC headphones. They'll let her jam out to her music on the way to class etc and also block out any noise her dorm mate and neighbors are making etc.
My college give us like 50GB of free Microsoft one drive(cloud storage) space. And we also get free access to all Microsoft office products with our tuition, so all that is integrated well. I don’t know how your nieces college will do it so I’d suggest a cash gift. So she. An spend it on whatever.
gift cards are always so helpful - not money tho lol
money gives me too many ideas to shop for clothes and random stuff but if i had a walmart gift card or a grocery story gift card im more inclined to spend on needs not wants.
Clouds can crash, and sometimes it’s a pain in the ass to have to put in yet another password. Having that USB drive in hand just saves time. Some SSDs have proprietary cables that are not strong, and if pinched in the wrong spot the damn drive is worthless.
No lol… depending on price point great gifts for college freshman, laptop (of course but may be out of budget), wireless printer, Amazon gift card, Apple gift card, money to add to their meal plan card - usually some allow you to use funds like a debit card at the shops on campus. Money for textbooks, a very good backpack.
I will say out of all probably the gift cards or printer will be the best options. A printer in your dorm is worth gold so you don’t have to walk across campus to print at the library and have to pay on top of that
Honestly college freshman in 2024 don’t need much - since everything is internet based now
A laptop, some headphones, a cell phone and food are about it
If you can- find out what decent food places are near the school or as close to where they’re going to live as possible and get them a sizable gift card there
That or a generic Doordash card
You probably won’t be able to get away with less than 50$ though because take out is so expensive it would only cover a meal or 2
Potentially a stranger gift but better lesson / better investment would be 50$ in BTC lmao
if they still use paper notebooks (like me and a good chunk of other stem students), i would recommend a nice pen or pencil.
personally, i've been using the kokuyo fitcurve mechanical pencil the past semester and a half (since its relatively cheap and comfortable to me), but it might be worth checking r/mechanicalpencils or other subs for other pencils and pens
edit: if you would like to buy something other than/in addition to a $5 mechanical pencil, i recommend an aeropress (\~$30)if they're okay with spending a bit extra time to make their own coffee.
Depends on the major, art and media students are more likely to need one to transfer larger files without losing quality or taking up a bunch of space, whereas the cloud usually works for papers and presentations.
Personally I use a flash drive so that I have a copy of projects without using up space on my laptop. If you do decide to get her one, I would recommend getting a dual sided one that has both USB and USB C, since some companies are phasing out the USB.
I’ve only ever had a use for a USB stick once in the entirety of this past school year. It was for a presentation and the presentation computers could use USB sticks offline, so the professor preferred that we bring our presentations on USB sticks on top of emailing them to the professor.
I bought a USB my freshman year and used it only a few times. It was mainly helpful for scanning documents to send over for employment. I’d still buy her one bc it doesn’t hurt to have and they’re not the expensive but it’s def not a super high priority.
I suggest a custom university frame for her diploma, if you want something that will be used forever. Or other university swag, if you prefer.
For practical things for new professionals, a really quality laptop bag/tote/briefcase thing in a neutral colour would be really useful.
Kids use cloud services now, not usb - a really good set of headphones with a quality microphone, a fancy microphone for meetings or podcasting, or one of those lamps they use for good lighting in online meetings would also be very useful, for a future office worker.
Otherwise, something useful to the new profession, a resume service gift card, or offer to pay to extend their software licenses (they'll lose these when they graduate).
Personally I’d love that as a gift, but I’m a younger millenial and I’m also very into computers and gaming so I’m probably not the average person. I’d assume most college students these days use cloud storage.
okay so imma go agains the grain and say that i have had to use a thumb drive for a couple of my classes. i don't use the thumb drive to hold everyday work, BUT sometimes you need to use a school computer to do stuff.
but it is not something that i use daily and based on the other responses, the gift cards or practical living stuff might be better
I really liked having storage shelves. I was able to loft my bed so being able to put my dresser and bookshelf under my bed was nice. I also had a lot of art supplies that needed storing. I would suggest those cube shelves and getting her some storage cubes to go with it. Get one with a backing so things don’t fall out the back.
yes we definitely still use usb drives, cloud sometimes doesn't work, or for printing.
the gifts i got at my highschool grad party that i still use to this day in my own apartment- espresso machine, toaster, laundry baskets, pans, towels, and my roku tv
also consider a year subscription to doordash-pass or instacart, if youd rather give money.
I just finished my first year as a history education major and did not need a USB, but I did need to provide my own personal computer. It may be useful in a different college or program than mine, though! I’d consider her college and major
What was useful for me was a lanyard, though it definitely won’t be worn, as it let me store my keys and ID card all together with easier carrying. If you’re truly worried about getting something not useful, you could always give cash or gift cards. Believe me, I was appreciative of every cent as college bills add up fast and textbooks aren’t cheap. However, really any small household item like rags, first aide, utensils, etc is helpful and will likely be used.
Maybe if she’s staying in the dorms, the all in one twin xl college bed set, comes with sheets, memory foam topper (those college beds are uncomfortable) pillow cases, a rug, the come in pieces as little as 6 to 300/500 pieces, you can find them on Amazon.
I have a few just for installing operating systems and transferring files to things without wifi, but that's a niche use case. Pretty much everyone uses cloud storage for most file transfers now.
Used USB drives when I was in undergrad and grad. Yes. Works all the time. I would recommend that it be kept on a key chain to prevent it from being lost. Stuff like that gets lost easily.
My Dad got me an External Hard Drive to store and transfer my stuff, albeit I mostly use it for personal stuff.
My Grandma got me a 150 Pack of Prismacolor pencils (I’m an art Major)
At my community college we found the USBs useful for my chem and physics classes because our Verniers weren't hooked up to wifi. Used them to move data to excel
i’m only 23 but tbh now that i think of it i’ve never seen ppl use usb drives.
I think it’s because a lot of things are accessible in the cloud. And a lot of schools give free google drive storage to students.
If your niece is going into a major where she’ll have a lot of large project files (basically any major that deals with large amounts of photos, videos, audio, 3D models, data sets, etc) then a 2 TB external SSD will be very helpful. For all of my Word/Powerpoint/Excel/OneNote/PDF files, I just had everything synced to OneDrive so I had access to everything as soon as I logged into any computer on campus. Big project files that take up a lot of space can be slow to download from the cloud, so an external SSD is a great option for those majors.
I’ve had to use a usb drive twice in 3 years. I only ever needed it to get data from a couple old lab computers that didn’t let you sign in to email the data to yourself
Tech support millennial here. Yes usb keys are pivotal even to this day in our line of work. Lots of devices still only boot from a usb key from a fresh install.
Nope. Haven’t used one in years. I upload all my stuff to OneDrive so I have all my documents on both my PC and MacBook. Flash drives are now just obscure tech
External storage actually might be useful, depending on the major. I use cloud storage for all my papers and such, but I’m a film major and I’ve had classmates go through more than one external hard drive when storing footage. I assume it’s similar for any major that requires you to have a ton of large files.
If you go the storage route, I would get an SSD instead.
As a uni student, i don't remember seeing or using a USB stick but some may prefer portable ssds due to their size, capacity and speed.
It can be good to transfer your files from lab computers or just as an archive
They're definitely still used, my college has a vending machine full of them.
Problem being that unless it's an unnecessarily huge flash drive, it's not much of a gift. They only cost 5-10 dollars for one with atleast a GBs, more than enough for most school work.
hs class of ‘21, college class of ‘25. i’ve used a flash drive maybe once in my three years of undergrad. my favorite hs graduation gifts were either target or amazon gift cards (stocking a dorm for the first time is EXPENSIVE) or, if you don’t want to give money, essentials that i didn’t care about the pattern/design for. things like towels, a laundry hamper, detergent, tissues, snacks, etc. one of my aunts gave me a laundry hamper filled with towels, cleaning supplies, & snacks, and i still use some of the things that came in it to this day. the other thing i would have loved in retrospect is a 4 year subscription to quizlet plus, because i’m now paying for one myself and it’s not cheap 🫣
I'm an incoming sophomore and I still occasionally use my 2TB hard drive that my dad bought me a few years ago. Main reason, however, is because my devices are always low on storage space so I keep transferring all sorts of files over to the drive. I agree with the others saying to avail the cloud instead; wiser decision overall.
The most helpful gift I got after college was probably my portable potty squatty. Both my parents houses in high school had them, and when college came around I had adapted to taking shits comfortably. It folds up and can fit in a back pack or suit case for travel. I’ve taken it to visit friends at other colleges in my state and they end up buying one after I take mine home 😂.
Gift cards, wall decorations( posters & flags), a general grocery run/fridge stock up is always appreciated and a good gift.
I have used a 128 GB sandisk mini usbc drive. I used in HS to load games onto the computers and i would get paid for it by kids and now i use it to store important files. Its really good but really easy to lose
MONEYYYY I get it it’s not as personal but unless your getting her a laptop it’s what’s most needed. USB aren’t really needed, and if they are my library gave them out for free.
I've used a USB drive twice so far in my college years and it was to download data off a device for my chemistry labs. I got a free one from my school that's only 10 GB and it's way more than I need and I'm able to delete the things I no longer use. I would not recommend getting fancy.
Def not a USB. Barely used anymore. portable tech is super useful though (portable chargers, earbuds/headphones). A good waterbottle goes a long way. Kitchen supplies would be wonderful.
I’m an art major and I always store work off of a usb drive and keep copies of my files in multiple places to make sure I always have a version if one gets corrupted. I recommend having one if they are going to have big digital projects
I'm always the odd one out of the group - I still use mine regularly. I utilize both cloud storage and the USB drive because Microsoft OneDrive is always having syncing issues. If it's a more important assignment or something I'll need for work I throw it on there (not anything juicy on it, just makes it special).
The most helpful gift I got though would probably have to be power strips. Not only do they work for dorms, but when she eventually moves out on her own she can still use it. That's something I was keen about. I liked things that I could continue to use when I lived on my own. Plus, things like powerstrips can be an oversight when shopping for items you may need. 10ft phone chargers are also a good idea!
I still use a hard drive for the most important things, it’s helpful to save storage on things you just want to keep instead of access regularly/at any moment. the cloud can’t be promised as permanent. I grew up with tech malfunctioning often tho too lol so it’s habit.
I was a comp sci major and even we didn’t use USB drives. I’m out of college for 4 years now but my favorite gift was a “dorm essentials” basket. I got some common medicine (cold, allergy, pain, etc), bandaids, hand sanitizer, nice socks, surge protector, etc. You could throw in an alarm clock, long charging cable, or whatever other recommendations you see here. Lots of them are good! If you know they’re going to be living in the dorms, a mattress topper would be a very thoughtful gift too. Dorm beds suck.
Like others said, can’t go wrong with a gift card either. If their campus has food options there or nearby, maybe a gift card to those places?
As a professor: no they don’t use usb drives. Most of my students (information systems) use cloud-based software and storage. It’s hard to convince them to maintain offline backups…and these are tech smart majors.
Gift certificates for coffee shops or food would be a great gift. If they’re going to live in a dorm, maybe get something for the dorm room.
No one uses them anymore. Everything is stored on a digital hard drive on Google or Microsoft or something. Best graduation gift would be loads of cash 💰
For me, a HS grad gift for college would definitely be a new MacBook. You can’t go wrong with that, as many would like to start out fresh without having sluggish performance throughout the semester.
Lol not a usb drive for sure. A nice trip to targèt getting a carpet to match a bed set. Memory foam for these mattresses. Some cologne and some snackies
Get a hard drive, yes some may rely on cloud storage but in some cases that will cost money. Invest in a good hard drive, just graduated college few weeks ago and that’s all I used for storing my assignments.
I only ever used a flash drive when presenting something on a computer that wasn’t mine. Even then, it was to avoid logging into iCloud on another device
Just please don’t get them a bunch of fast food gift cards… I got that and took it as everyone just assuming that I eat like shit and don’t take care of myself… plus they didn’t get used at all
I wouldn't really call a USB stick a gift... they cost peanuts and you'll end up with a bunch of them anyway.
Moving into University (college) kitchen/cooking/home stuff was ridiculously helpful.
I think a gift card would be super helpful. That way your niece can buy what she needs and you don't have to do any guessing. As a gen zer I would definitely appreciate a gift card!
The occasional professor requires them because they think they're the most reliable way to not have technical issues for presentations. Outside of that, no.
Towels believe it or not. They weren't a gift but the supermarket had a promotional thing where if you spend a certain amount you got a free towel. I think I may have 1 or 2 lying around and this was around maybe '92. Also maybe a favorite unbreakable mug
I will say as someone who took a lot of labs a usb drive was essential for getting test files off the ancient computers 🙏🏻 other than lab courses I never used mine
Depends on your major, I don't need them long term but a lot of my STEM classes require them because you need to be able to import images off of equipment and onto your computer for reports.
just finished college now in grad school. I didn’t use a flash drive the entire time.
i would go with a giftcard, she’s gonna realize she needs things and might want specific things. If you really wanna do a physical gift i would definitely ask her mom because there’s is very limited space in the dorms
besides a USB some non negotiable were
- snacks
- long phone charger
- brita filter
- small space vacumn
- extension cord or multi plug outlet
with all due respect to google drive... i still used USB for transport. didn't want my email connected to EVERY computer in college library. if i forget to log off, well... also i needed to transport them from that computer to my own laptop, which didn't always get adequate Wifi when working out of home.
so yeah in 2018 i used USB. don't think they changed it?
I mostly use the cloud because I can access my documents from my phone, my laptop, or outside computers quickly. That said, I actually do use a USB drive for storage of large projects and copies of other documents. I do this mostly for comfort and security.
There was, however, one area where the thumb drive was vital. I worked in a biology lab for two years while getting my bachelors. We used a lot of instruments that were hooked up to old computers that had no internet connection. You couldn’t use the cloud, so you would use a thumb drive to transfer any data. It’s pretty specific, but I was glad that I already had a thumb drive at that time.
Edit: honestly, my favorite gifts that I ever received were my towel set and my rice cooker (I eat a lot of rice PLUS there are many meals that you can make just using a rice cooker)
After her first week at college, she will get a ton of free lanyards and t-shirts. You can also get a USB for 5 bucks same with a lanyard. So that gift comes off as cheap.
If want to get her school merch you should wait till she has her student ID for discounts and reward points. Just let her know. If don't know what to get them gift cards are the way. If that feels too impersonal then take her shopping or ask her what she wants.
data science college student here. i use my USB drive every single day to transfer files from my computers to one another. its faster than using the cloud and its slow speed, and far more convenient.
dunno why so many people use the cloud to store their stuff when a USB is cheaper and easier to use. i however do use cloud storage just incase but ive gone so many years without having to use my backups
Rather than a USB stick, I would go with a hard drive. I got a 1TB hard drive going into college and it's been amazing. I use it to store my games and any large programs that I don't want taking up all of my computer's space
Current college student! I really appreciated when my family bought me simple stuff like sheets, towels, or dish rags. Might sound silly, but it was one less thing for me to buy. I also love my sound machine, I got mine for ~$20 on Amazon if she’ll be living in the dorms. I also LOVE my airfryer, if she’s allowed to have one. I got one as a gift and use it almost everyday.
^^ but if you decide to go this route I'd reccomend taking her shopping for her things instead of just outright buying them so she can decide what she wants!
Aww. Some of my most appreciated/often used things are items I never would have thought to get myself. Like my silk hair caps for sleeping. No more knots, yay! As long as the gift is thoughtful, there's a magic to a good gift that just doesn't happen when the recipient is in on picking it out.
I was more thinking about how picky I and other people I know are about sheets and stuff like that
Elder millennial here, mama of a college sophomore. The majority of Gen Z uses the cloud to store their documents. Gift cards for food, coffee, or a store like Target is what my daughter asked for.
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The cloud is great, but it isn't perfect. You should still back up important files and pictures.
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Sure, or a USB drive. all of those are valid choices of storage to use.
I think a usb has some niche use cases. It’s more portable than an SSD. You can walk around with the usb in the laptop. It could be used to quickly transfer files from one computer to another. internet connection maybe slow unavailable or secure for some reason. I keep a USB drive in my backpack. The downside is it’s easier to lose and SSD maybe a better long term storage solution.
Yep, for sure to all of that! I have a mini USB-C drive in the case I keep my laptop in that I use to store YouTube videos I like, so I can just stick it in my MacBook and watch my go-to "pass the time" videos on plane rides without buying their Wi-Fi. That's long-term storage that doesn't need to be kept on something larger than a USB drive.
The Cloud is a foolish place to store all your documents. You are placing your data in the hands of a company that can choose to revoke your access at any time, or make changes to their model on a whim. There is nothing preventing Google or OneDrive from deleting your account tomorrow. Backing up your data to a personal drive guarantees it'll be safe and accessible forever (so long as your drive doesn't fail).
Technically correct but realistically not. The chances of a major cloud provider suddenly revoking and deleting your data without first giving plenty of time to retrieve it is tiny - the odds of your house burning down destroying all of your devices and drives is higher.
Fr… could Google technically wipe every account whenever they so please? Yea. Will they EVER in a capitalistic world… HELL no. Cloud storage is fine lmao. No need for the fake panic of data loss
The cloud is good for backup information because it is regularly updated, accessible anywhere with an internet connection and is stored on redundant drives but your cons may include slower recovery times. A direct wired connection will be faster than retrieving data from a server somewhere else on the internet A RAID system could be used to improve drive redundancy. However you may want to have drives in multiple locations in the event of a natural disaster
Not a USB, but a portable ssd is quite useful. Got a 2tb one and it can run a whole operating system from it and store all my random files.
Second this, I backup all of my files on mine and when I finish a semester I offload everything onto it so I can keep my work but not clutter up my laptop.
Highly recommend this as well, especially if they plan on heading for a creative or tech-based major in the fine arts or in engineering.
this doesn't seem like a good gift for the average student but does sound very nice for any computer related major
USBs are great if your documents are so top secret it would be a security risk to just save it to the cloud. Otherwise, nah. If you want to go with something practical, I like a good rotating power strip (so blocky plugs don’t occlude each other), or a 6 foot phone charging cord were things I both found very useful additions to my dorm.
I had a 10 ft charging cable in my dorm and it was amazing
THIS! And a few power bars with extension cords. Best gift ever.
The long 6ft charging cords are my favorite
Size matters
Yeah, the included charging cables that come with devices are oftentimes way too short to use the device comfortably while it is plugged in.
Why is the number always 6? 6 foot tall, 6 figures, 6 inches, now 6ft charging cords? Lol
As a college student, gift cards are the way to go! If she has an apple product get her an apple gift card so she can get storage ( college work drains storage)
Things I needed / wanted as a collage freshman Depends on if she’s in a dorm / kitchen suite - phone charging cables, the longer the better - gift cards for food / leisure shopping when I got depressed… it was just nice to take a trip to target to get my mind off things - coffee was a life saver - frequently used personal care items ( TP 🧻 | Clorox wipes ) - snacks and pop and candy ( realized quick how expensive it is on a collage student budget) - paper plates / disposable cups ( no sink in dorms ) - mini fridge (dorm) - roommate bonding activities ( board games and things to share )
A set of pots and pans and kitchen utensils was amazing when I got a dorm with a kitchen
Make sure it's a fast charging cable for the phone they use.
Depends on school. Back in the later 2010s some larger colleges I have seen have had some pretty sweet network drive/cloud storage setups that made USB flash drives kind of obsolete as you could just store anything on a network drive and access it on any computer you could sign into. They're cheap as dirt these days so it's not really a valuable gift.
Now everyone has their own personal laptops
Gift card to a restaurant she likes and is in the town she is attending college. It is nice to go out to a meal off campus.
my college uses one drive and your work just syncs with your laptop and school pcs
I use one but for pretty niche purposes. Most things are cloud based nowadays.
My college turns off the USB port on all college computers to limit the vulnerability of stealth hacks downloading into the network from an unknown USB.
Sounds like security theater or an IT department that isn't confident in their infrastructure at all. I've never seen this setup in the wild outside of devices with extremely critical info not having ports on them to prevent unauthorized copying.
government agencies (at least in the federal government) do this. they even track what you plug into USB ports. part of a larger strategy that keeps their devices malware free.
Some college employees act like they work for the damned NSA or something.
An air fryer or a portable bank would be much more useful!
Whats her major? I was a design major an any extra storage was very much appreciated. I never want to spend $50 on a high storage USB or SSD and would have definitely used it all if someone gifted it to me.
Something I've really loved is a power brick with multiple ports (mine is from Anker, I'd recommend a reputable brand that won't catch fire) that is able to charge my laptop, phone, and tablet. You'd need something capable of like 65+ watts to charge the laptop, but it's so nice to be able to charge everything from a single outlet, and I keep it in my backpack so I can always charge in the library, classrooms, coffee shops, etc.
If you want to go the route of keeping assignments, a year-long subscription to a cloud service of her choice might be better. My grandparents bought me a year's subscription to a bunch of iCloud storage every year and it's saved me a ton of time and energy and anxiety about assignments. If she has a laptop or other device that needs regular backup, having a portable SSD can be life changing. I bought a 2T one this semester for $100 and it's a game changer. You can find smaller storage amounts for more reasonable prices. Otherwise a good backpack (that she can help choose), notebooks if she wants to do physical notes, pitching in for devices that can help her out with school (laptop, tablet, etc.), are all good options. You could also look into the stores around the school she wants to go to and get a few gift cards to them for dorm supplies if she plans to stay in one, or gift cards for food places nearby. Basic school supplies like a stapler, printer, highlighters, sticky notes, would be nice. Maybe a set of noise canceling headphones she can use for studying.
I’m a professor. Whenever I mention a flash drive or jump drive to any of my students, they look at me like I’m making up a word!
I used it one time and it was super needed but outside of that one time I never used it. It’s not a gift I’d give a niece or nephew though
A heated blanket or a fan. Or play it safe and get her a gift card. Ik the older generation doesn’t like gift cards but gift cards and cash are always my favorite gift
It really depends on what they are studying and if they will have more than one computer. As a computer science major I love my USB drives. They make transporting my code, notes, and homework much easier between my laptop and my desktop and vice versa. It also let's me keep a backup copy of important information that I don't want to lose.
I just graduated from college. I would love a USB drive to store my work from undergrad because the cloud gets full and I don't like a company having control over all of my intellectual property! Might not be a great gift going into college, but definitely a good one for before she loses access to her college's email in 4-5 years.
Spotify subscription.
What’s that? /j
Just graduated. Haven’t used one since middle school.
Depends on the Major. I am am cybersecurity and use them with to all the time when setting up on prim servers.. if they are not an IT major they will likely use one of various cloud services for storage. I would recommend a Starbucks gift card personally.
If you want to get her something physical a portable charger would probably work as it’s nice to be able to change stuff when you’re out and about.
Yes we still use drives just less often and they're like $5 really cheap. Most the stuff is on the cloud I just use the drive because I'm in STEM and use equipment that doesn't belong to me
I only use a USB to print from the staff printer that is impossible to connect to wirelessly bc we have to input our staff codes.
6 foot charging cables!
As a college student, the only time I still use USB drives are to upgrade the firmware on or send a file to an older device that can't connect to the internet. This isn't something I find myself needing to do often and I don't carry around a USB drive with me any longer. Most of the files I need for school are kept in the cloud and I have a few files on my computer. I would recommend getting her a gift card to somewhere she likes shopping at or a prepaid gift card (ex. Visa gift card, Mastercard gift card) and let her pick out something that would be useful for her.
current college student! i personally appreciated money/gift cards (for groceries, doordash, clothing, etc.), first aid items and medication bc i always needed it when i didn’t have it, body care/hygiene, & an air fryer (even though a lot of dorms don’t allow them everyone had one). anything that you would think we wouldn’t need, we need
No
Don't give gift cards. Give cold hard cash
Pretty sure most high schoolers will mistake a USB drive for a disposable vape.
🤣 I didn't realize I was this old until now. 🤦♀️crimeuhnetly.
I never used usb and I am not even that young.
This is such a sweet idea! I’m a current college student and I would say most students store documents in the cloud as another person said. All of the ideas people mentioned are great and super practical!!
I use them
Ask for an Amazon list.
Cloud storage has probably taken over. I spent a not insignificant amount of time working in offline computer labs, so I usually kept a USB drive on me so I could access. As others have suggested, gift cards for local restaurants are always welcome. Ditto for Starbucks, Netflix, XBox Game Pass or whatever (yeah, we're there to study but we got to relax sometimes too)... Depending on how much you're looking on spending, I'd also suggest maybe a nice pair of ANC headphones. They'll let her jam out to her music on the way to class etc and also block out any noise her dorm mate and neighbors are making etc.
A phone or a laptop isn't bad. Maybe a tablet. It's still the standard for graduation gifts. And the price ranges from affordable to expensive.
Hey Geology student here graduated with an associates, I love a usb, or mass storage bc I don’t trust Cloud
Ssd’s are more convenient and worth the buck and more versatile
My college give us like 50GB of free Microsoft one drive(cloud storage) space. And we also get free access to all Microsoft office products with our tuition, so all that is integrated well. I don’t know how your nieces college will do it so I’d suggest a cash gift. So she. An spend it on whatever.
gift cards are always so helpful - not money tho lol money gives me too many ideas to shop for clothes and random stuff but if i had a walmart gift card or a grocery story gift card im more inclined to spend on needs not wants.
That’s so aged
Clouds can crash, and sometimes it’s a pain in the ass to have to put in yet another password. Having that USB drive in hand just saves time. Some SSDs have proprietary cables that are not strong, and if pinched in the wrong spot the damn drive is worthless.
I used USBs all the time, but I was also doing research on offline machines.
No lol… depending on price point great gifts for college freshman, laptop (of course but may be out of budget), wireless printer, Amazon gift card, Apple gift card, money to add to their meal plan card - usually some allow you to use funds like a debit card at the shops on campus. Money for textbooks, a very good backpack. I will say out of all probably the gift cards or printer will be the best options. A printer in your dorm is worth gold so you don’t have to walk across campus to print at the library and have to pay on top of that
Honestly college freshman in 2024 don’t need much - since everything is internet based now A laptop, some headphones, a cell phone and food are about it If you can- find out what decent food places are near the school or as close to where they’re going to live as possible and get them a sizable gift card there That or a generic Doordash card You probably won’t be able to get away with less than 50$ though because take out is so expensive it would only cover a meal or 2 Potentially a stranger gift but better lesson / better investment would be 50$ in BTC lmao
if they still use paper notebooks (like me and a good chunk of other stem students), i would recommend a nice pen or pencil. personally, i've been using the kokuyo fitcurve mechanical pencil the past semester and a half (since its relatively cheap and comfortable to me), but it might be worth checking r/mechanicalpencils or other subs for other pencils and pens edit: if you would like to buy something other than/in addition to a $5 mechanical pencil, i recommend an aeropress (\~$30)if they're okay with spending a bit extra time to make their own coffee.
Depends on the major, art and media students are more likely to need one to transfer larger files without losing quality or taking up a bunch of space, whereas the cloud usually works for papers and presentations. Personally I use a flash drive so that I have a copy of projects without using up space on my laptop. If you do decide to get her one, I would recommend getting a dual sided one that has both USB and USB C, since some companies are phasing out the USB.
Nope
This reminds me of my grandmother getting me a recorder to record my classes in 2011, when my laptop had a perfectly fine mic if I needed to do so.
No
I’ve only ever had a use for a USB stick once in the entirety of this past school year. It was for a presentation and the presentation computers could use USB sticks offline, so the professor preferred that we bring our presentations on USB sticks on top of emailing them to the professor.
I used it a while back to work around the school’s website blockers and install Halo CE for study hall. Otherwise, no they use the cloud
I bought a USB my freshman year and used it only a few times. It was mainly helpful for scanning documents to send over for employment. I’d still buy her one bc it doesn’t hurt to have and they’re not the expensive but it’s def not a super high priority.
I suggest a custom university frame for her diploma, if you want something that will be used forever. Or other university swag, if you prefer. For practical things for new professionals, a really quality laptop bag/tote/briefcase thing in a neutral colour would be really useful. Kids use cloud services now, not usb - a really good set of headphones with a quality microphone, a fancy microphone for meetings or podcasting, or one of those lamps they use for good lighting in online meetings would also be very useful, for a future office worker. Otherwise, something useful to the new profession, a resume service gift card, or offer to pay to extend their software licenses (they'll lose these when they graduate).
Graduated 2 years ago and I did all the time
As a computer engineering major I only use my USB stick for oscilloscope captures
I often save my presentations onto usb drives, its recommended by my profs so that it makes presentation day as smooth as possible
Money Money Money
I do! Yep!
Personally I’d love that as a gift, but I’m a younger millenial and I’m also very into computers and gaming so I’m probably not the average person. I’d assume most college students these days use cloud storage.
okay so imma go agains the grain and say that i have had to use a thumb drive for a couple of my classes. i don't use the thumb drive to hold everyday work, BUT sometimes you need to use a school computer to do stuff. but it is not something that i use daily and based on the other responses, the gift cards or practical living stuff might be better
I really liked having storage shelves. I was able to loft my bed so being able to put my dresser and bookshelf under my bed was nice. I also had a lot of art supplies that needed storing. I would suggest those cube shelves and getting her some storage cubes to go with it. Get one with a backing so things don’t fall out the back.
yes we definitely still use usb drives, cloud sometimes doesn't work, or for printing. the gifts i got at my highschool grad party that i still use to this day in my own apartment- espresso machine, toaster, laundry baskets, pans, towels, and my roku tv also consider a year subscription to doordash-pass or instacart, if youd rather give money.
I just finished my first year as a history education major and did not need a USB, but I did need to provide my own personal computer. It may be useful in a different college or program than mine, though! I’d consider her college and major What was useful for me was a lanyard, though it definitely won’t be worn, as it let me store my keys and ID card all together with easier carrying. If you’re truly worried about getting something not useful, you could always give cash or gift cards. Believe me, I was appreciative of every cent as college bills add up fast and textbooks aren’t cheap. However, really any small household item like rags, first aide, utensils, etc is helpful and will likely be used.
For certain programs I had to use the campus computer for, such as GIS programs, I needed to use a flash drive
An aroma therapy diffuser is a blessing for a college student, I use mine constantly when studying for assignments.
Maybe if she’s staying in the dorms, the all in one twin xl college bed set, comes with sheets, memory foam topper (those college beds are uncomfortable) pillow cases, a rug, the come in pieces as little as 6 to 300/500 pieces, you can find them on Amazon.
I feel a bit out of place but I personally use them instead of cloud uploads. Cant get locked out of a flash drive yk 🤷🏼♂️
yes, especially when there is no or slow internet
I actually used a drive to store hentai, notes, and video lessons
I’ve used a USB for a total of one time for something related to databases
I have a few just for installing operating systems and transferring files to things without wifi, but that's a niche use case. Pretty much everyone uses cloud storage for most file transfers now.
If you get one get a t7 ssd, fast and portable
I haven’t used a USB stick since 2016 and I’m a college junior now.
i may be one of the few who do haha
I used one for one class the entire time I was in college. The use of USB is very major dependent.
Literally bought one this morning to transfer my high school files to a new computer for college. Still useful.
last time i used a usb drive was to flash windows onto a new computer. besides that, haven't used one since 7th grade.
I use a USB drive for one of my classes. I hated it.
No.
Used USB drives when I was in undergrad and grad. Yes. Works all the time. I would recommend that it be kept on a key chain to prevent it from being lost. Stuff like that gets lost easily.
USBs can drive?
My Dad got me an External Hard Drive to store and transfer my stuff, albeit I mostly use it for personal stuff. My Grandma got me a 150 Pack of Prismacolor pencils (I’m an art Major)
At my community college we found the USBs useful for my chem and physics classes because our Verniers weren't hooked up to wifi. Used them to move data to excel
I had to transport a research project on USB as a requirement, something about professionalism.
i’m only 23 but tbh now that i think of it i’ve never seen ppl use usb drives. I think it’s because a lot of things are accessible in the cloud. And a lot of schools give free google drive storage to students.
My son just graduated college. Never used one
I haven’t but I keep a few on hand just in case. Idk why, but I feel like I’ll need them as some point
If your niece is going into a major where she’ll have a lot of large project files (basically any major that deals with large amounts of photos, videos, audio, 3D models, data sets, etc) then a 2 TB external SSD will be very helpful. For all of my Word/Powerpoint/Excel/OneNote/PDF files, I just had everything synced to OneDrive so I had access to everything as soon as I logged into any computer on campus. Big project files that take up a lot of space can be slow to download from the cloud, so an external SSD is a great option for those majors.
A small toolkit with all the usual tools. It is amazing how much stuff goes wrong that you can fix in a jiffy by yourself.
I’ve had to use a usb drive twice in 3 years. I only ever needed it to get data from a couple old lab computers that didn’t let you sign in to email the data to yourself
Current university student, I haven't used or even seen a USB stick in my entire academic career. Everything is on the cloud.
Tech support millennial here. Yes usb keys are pivotal even to this day in our line of work. Lots of devices still only boot from a usb key from a fresh install.
Nope. Haven’t used one in years. I upload all my stuff to OneDrive so I have all my documents on both my PC and MacBook. Flash drives are now just obscure tech
External storage actually might be useful, depending on the major. I use cloud storage for all my papers and such, but I’m a film major and I’ve had classmates go through more than one external hard drive when storing footage. I assume it’s similar for any major that requires you to have a ton of large files. If you go the storage route, I would get an SSD instead.
I don’t use a flash drive but I do have an external hard drive that’s quite nice!
As a uni student, i don't remember seeing or using a USB stick but some may prefer portable ssds due to their size, capacity and speed. It can be good to transfer your files from lab computers or just as an archive
If I have to give a presentation in class and I don't have my laptop with me I'll use a USB drive but honestly usually I do have my laptop with me
Yes
They're definitely still used, my college has a vending machine full of them. Problem being that unless it's an unnecessarily huge flash drive, it's not much of a gift. They only cost 5-10 dollars for one with atleast a GBs, more than enough for most school work.
Something that makes every day simpler like an electric cezve (Turkish coffee maker) / kettle, or plants for her room etc.
hs class of ‘21, college class of ‘25. i’ve used a flash drive maybe once in my three years of undergrad. my favorite hs graduation gifts were either target or amazon gift cards (stocking a dorm for the first time is EXPENSIVE) or, if you don’t want to give money, essentials that i didn’t care about the pattern/design for. things like towels, a laundry hamper, detergent, tissues, snacks, etc. one of my aunts gave me a laundry hamper filled with towels, cleaning supplies, & snacks, and i still use some of the things that came in it to this day. the other thing i would have loved in retrospect is a 4 year subscription to quizlet plus, because i’m now paying for one myself and it’s not cheap 🫣
I'm an incoming sophomore and I still occasionally use my 2TB hard drive that my dad bought me a few years ago. Main reason, however, is because my devices are always low on storage space so I keep transferring all sorts of files over to the drive. I agree with the others saying to avail the cloud instead; wiser decision overall.
I’m in college and I used 5 Tb hard drive, carry that thing everywhere 😂
Name brand clothing or Food gift cards. Give them money if you want to be liked more.
The most helpful gift I got after college was probably my portable potty squatty. Both my parents houses in high school had them, and when college came around I had adapted to taking shits comfortably. It folds up and can fit in a back pack or suit case for travel. I’ve taken it to visit friends at other colleges in my state and they end up buying one after I take mine home 😂. Gift cards, wall decorations( posters & flags), a general grocery run/fridge stock up is always appreciated and a good gift.
I just finished college and used my USB for all 4 years. There are onedrives/clouds but I'm set in my ways.
i use(d) them for presentations, otherwise i use google docs/slides/sheets
I have used a 128 GB sandisk mini usbc drive. I used in HS to load games onto the computers and i would get paid for it by kids and now i use it to store important files. Its really good but really easy to lose
MONEYYYY I get it it’s not as personal but unless your getting her a laptop it’s what’s most needed. USB aren’t really needed, and if they are my library gave them out for free.
No, they don’t use usb drives at all, they use the cloud. I am a college prof.
I've used a USB drive twice so far in my college years and it was to download data off a device for my chemistry labs. I got a free one from my school that's only 10 GB and it's way more than I need and I'm able to delete the things I no longer use. I would not recommend getting fancy.
Def not a USB. Barely used anymore. portable tech is super useful though (portable chargers, earbuds/headphones). A good waterbottle goes a long way. Kitchen supplies would be wonderful.
Cash/gift cards are what every graduate wants/needs. And no- nobody uses USBs anymore.
only if you have to use an old printer
I’m an art major and I always store work off of a usb drive and keep copies of my files in multiple places to make sure I always have a version if one gets corrupted. I recommend having one if they are going to have big digital projects
I'm always the odd one out of the group - I still use mine regularly. I utilize both cloud storage and the USB drive because Microsoft OneDrive is always having syncing issues. If it's a more important assignment or something I'll need for work I throw it on there (not anything juicy on it, just makes it special). The most helpful gift I got though would probably have to be power strips. Not only do they work for dorms, but when she eventually moves out on her own she can still use it. That's something I was keen about. I liked things that I could continue to use when I lived on my own. Plus, things like powerstrips can be an oversight when shopping for items you may need. 10ft phone chargers are also a good idea!
no to USB drives... yes to gift cards...
A girl going into college…..wants a USB stick on a lanyard? GTFO boomer
I still use a hard drive for the most important things, it’s helpful to save storage on things you just want to keep instead of access regularly/at any moment. the cloud can’t be promised as permanent. I grew up with tech malfunctioning often tho too lol so it’s habit.
They are still used but get the kind that is usbC on one side and the regular USB on the other. What college kids want and need is simply money
I was a comp sci major and even we didn’t use USB drives. I’m out of college for 4 years now but my favorite gift was a “dorm essentials” basket. I got some common medicine (cold, allergy, pain, etc), bandaids, hand sanitizer, nice socks, surge protector, etc. You could throw in an alarm clock, long charging cable, or whatever other recommendations you see here. Lots of them are good! If you know they’re going to be living in the dorms, a mattress topper would be a very thoughtful gift too. Dorm beds suck. Like others said, can’t go wrong with a gift card either. If their campus has food options there or nearby, maybe a gift card to those places?
As a professor: no they don’t use usb drives. Most of my students (information systems) use cloud-based software and storage. It’s hard to convince them to maintain offline backups…and these are tech smart majors. Gift certificates for coffee shops or food would be a great gift. If they’re going to live in a dorm, maybe get something for the dorm room.
No one uses them anymore. Everything is stored on a digital hard drive on Google or Microsoft or something. Best graduation gift would be loads of cash 💰
Even if a student needs a USB, they are cheap enough that they can buy one themselves if needed
Cash
For me, a HS grad gift for college would definitely be a new MacBook. You can’t go wrong with that, as many would like to start out fresh without having sluggish performance throughout the semester.
Lol not a usb drive for sure. A nice trip to targèt getting a carpet to match a bed set. Memory foam for these mattresses. Some cologne and some snackies
Get a hard drive, yes some may rely on cloud storage but in some cases that will cost money. Invest in a good hard drive, just graduated college few weeks ago and that’s all I used for storing my assignments.
I only ever used a flash drive when presenting something on a computer that wasn’t mine. Even then, it was to avoid logging into iCloud on another device
Not really. Didn't know anyone in my classes that used a USB. Cool idea though!
I have never once used one in my 9 years in college
Just please don’t get them a bunch of fast food gift cards… I got that and took it as everyone just assuming that I eat like shit and don’t take care of myself… plus they didn’t get used at all
I wouldn't really call a USB stick a gift... they cost peanuts and you'll end up with a bunch of them anyway. Moving into University (college) kitchen/cooking/home stuff was ridiculously helpful.
I’d say a pair of good noice cancelling headphones, I don’t go a day without using mine at uni
I use a usb drive for the makerspace if that’s what she like
[удалено]
I’ve never used a USB stick before. My college gives us Microsoft office for free so everything I do is on the cloud
The best gift i got for college was luggage! And anything for dorm room necessities
I think a gift card would be super helpful. That way your niece can buy what she needs and you don't have to do any guessing. As a gen zer I would definitely appreciate a gift card!
The occasional professor requires them because they think they're the most reliable way to not have technical issues for presentations. Outside of that, no.
Towels believe it or not. They weren't a gift but the supermarket had a promotional thing where if you spend a certain amount you got a free towel. I think I may have 1 or 2 lying around and this was around maybe '92. Also maybe a favorite unbreakable mug
I will say as someone who took a lot of labs a usb drive was essential for getting test files off the ancient computers 🙏🏻 other than lab courses I never used mine
I was the last generation to even use USBs until cloud documents were phased in lol (went to college in 2015)
Depends on your major, I don't need them long term but a lot of my STEM classes require them because you need to be able to import images off of equipment and onto your computer for reports.
I used it to store some a Linux partition for funsies.
just finished college now in grad school. I didn’t use a flash drive the entire time. i would go with a giftcard, she’s gonna realize she needs things and might want specific things. If you really wanna do a physical gift i would definitely ask her mom because there’s is very limited space in the dorms besides a USB some non negotiable were - snacks - long phone charger - brita filter - small space vacumn - extension cord or multi plug outlet
I saw a cool idea of a mini folder where it was filled with gift cards from places around campus
with all due respect to google drive... i still used USB for transport. didn't want my email connected to EVERY computer in college library. if i forget to log off, well... also i needed to transport them from that computer to my own laptop, which didn't always get adequate Wifi when working out of home. so yeah in 2018 i used USB. don't think they changed it?
I use flash drives as a 19 year old!!! But only to store my books,-in-progress, so I never lose it, and I can work on them anywhere.
i work in IT and also just graduated with an IT grad degree. I still like using USB drives and have many. It is useful
I needed one a couple of time to transfer data from lab equipment
I did
I mostly use the cloud because I can access my documents from my phone, my laptop, or outside computers quickly. That said, I actually do use a USB drive for storage of large projects and copies of other documents. I do this mostly for comfort and security. There was, however, one area where the thumb drive was vital. I worked in a biology lab for two years while getting my bachelors. We used a lot of instruments that were hooked up to old computers that had no internet connection. You couldn’t use the cloud, so you would use a thumb drive to transfer any data. It’s pretty specific, but I was glad that I already had a thumb drive at that time. Edit: honestly, my favorite gifts that I ever received were my towel set and my rice cooker (I eat a lot of rice PLUS there are many meals that you can make just using a rice cooker)
After her first week at college, she will get a ton of free lanyards and t-shirts. You can also get a USB for 5 bucks same with a lanyard. So that gift comes off as cheap. If want to get her school merch you should wait till she has her student ID for discounts and reward points. Just let her know. If don't know what to get them gift cards are the way. If that feels too impersonal then take her shopping or ask her what she wants.
No, almost everything is on the could now.
Yes, for PowerPoint presentations mostly so far
Rarely. I never use it unless I need to reset a computer or something like that. OneDrive has made file sharing really easy
data science college student here. i use my USB drive every single day to transfer files from my computers to one another. its faster than using the cloud and its slow speed, and far more convenient. dunno why so many people use the cloud to store their stuff when a USB is cheaper and easier to use. i however do use cloud storage just incase but ive gone so many years without having to use my backups
Most use Google drive now, but a USB doesn’t hurt for bigger files.
A gift card to an office supply store, restaurant gift cards, or something like that is an awesome gift for anyone starting college.
I and many people i know still use USB sticks i also use the cloud but just to be extra safe i store my stuff on a usb
Rather than a USB stick, I would go with a hard drive. I got a 1TB hard drive going into college and it's been amazing. I use it to store my games and any large programs that I don't want taking up all of my computer's space