Winter break is top of mind for many college students right now and although it’s tough to imagine as we pack up our dorm rooms for a month away from campus, we’ll be back in class before we know it. We’re all aware of the expenses that go into being a college student – both in terms of academics and how we spend our time outside of school – and the holiday season is a perfect way to get some assistance on that front. Here are some items you can consider putting on your holiday wish list to make sure the second half of this school year goes smoothly!

• Tablet. This is on the higher end of the price scale but tablets can be seriously helpful. They’re great for taking notes and getting your textbooks as e-books can save you even more money in the long run.
• Headphones. Any college student will tell you music is a necessity in our day-to-day lives. Whether we’re listening to music during our commute or tuning out noise while we’re trying to study, a good pair of headphones can definitely be a college student’s best friend.
• Dorm/class supplies. This gift could be an all-expense-paid trip to Target, a Netflix subscription, some cozy new bedding or even a fresh set of notebooks – it all depends on what you need and the thought behind it. Gifts like these also eliminate a bit of stress from a student’s life and free up some funds for other things that will come up along the way.
• Gift cards. GCs can be better than cash because you have no choice but to use them at their intended location. The best gift cards for a college student? Barnes & Noble and Starbucks, of course! Enjoying a book – even if it IS required reading – with a cup of coffee is a great way to spend some downtime.

Angela Andaloro is a junior at Pace University’s New York City campus, where she is double majoring in communication studies and English. Like most things in New York City, her life and college experience is far from typical – she commutes to school from her home in Flushing and took nearly a semester’s worth of classes online – but she still likes to hang out with friends, go to parties and feed her social networking addiction like your “average” college student.

Connect with our massive database of millions of college scholarships by conducting a free scholarship search at Scholarships.com. Scholarships.com offers the simplest way to search for, apply to, and win college scholarships.