Most college students have a lot on their plate –– multiple classes, homework, a job, maybe an internship or some extracurricular activities, etc. –– all while trying to care for their mental health and keep their social life alive. Many live with roommates to save money on rent, which can result in minimal privacy and having to share multiple apartment appliances. These easy-to-use gadgets can help you survive the hectic college experience and make life a bit simpler.

 

Amazon Smart Plug - $25 on Amazon

 

Amazon’s smart plug adds the ease of the virtual assistant Alexa to any outlet. You can schedule lights, fans or appliances to turn on or off with voice control, and you can also control them when you’re away through the Alexa app. 

Its compact design leaves the second outlet free, the setup is extremely easy, and it’s a great gadget for saving energy. The Alexa energy dashboard also estimates your light consumption, which is handy if you’re trying to save on the electric bill.

 

Amazon eero 6 Mesh Wi-Fi 6 Router - $90 on Amazon

 

Living in an apartment full of roommates occupying different devices at the same time can result in slow Wi-Fi. Amazon’s new router features the best wireless standards of speeds that reach 500 Mbps and suit over 75 devices. 

 

The two-pack router can cover up to 3,000 square feet, but Amazon also sells a single router for smaller floor plans The device can stream in 4K, which is amazing for the abundance of Zoom calls college students have to partake in.

 

Ring Video Doorbell - $100 on Amazon

 

Ring doorbells are very popular due to their quality video surveillance – 1080p HD and night vision – and clear audio. If you live in an apartment building that has had a few break-ins or snatched packages, $100 for a Ring Video Doorbell is definitely worth it. With the Ring app, you can speak to anyone at the door, get notifications when someone uses your doorbell, view automatic recordings of surveillance and pair it with Alexa-enabled devices.

 

​​JALL Wake Up Light - $45 on Amazon

 

As someone who is definitely not a morning person, hearing my blaring alarm go off at 8 a.m. for class and realizing it’s time to go outside in the dead of winter is the most dreadful part of the day. I’m most likely not going to class if I wake up on the wrong side of the bed, but early mornings don’t have to be such a fight. 

 

This wake-up light makes getting up early much smoother by creating a sunrise effect –– a red-tinted light gradually growing into a bright white light. The light can also be combined with white noise or local radio to wake you up instead of the most annoying sound in the world. The gradual waking up process helps anti-morning people feel less tired and wake up in a better mood. The alarm clock even doubles as a bedside lamp and night light!

 

Anker Soundcore Life Q20 Noise Canceling Headphones - $70 on Amazon

 

Sometimes living with roommates can make it hard to focus on homework. A house of multiple college students can contain a lot of noise — which is great when you’re feeling sociable but not when an assignment deadline is right around the corner. The Anker headphones do a great job of blocking out such distractions so you can grind out your homework faster.

 

AdirChef Grab & Go Coffee Maker - $45 at Walmart

 

If you’re the kind of person who can’t function without a daily dose of caffeine but also can’t afford a $5 latte every morning from Starbucks, this one is for you. AdirChef’s personal coffee maker is not only practical and inexpensive, but it’s also eco-friendly as it features a permanent filter that will save you money and help cut waste. The easy-to-setup coffee maker comes with a dishwasher-safe travel mug — handy for your early morning lectures –– and is very compact for tight counter spaces. 

 

Amazon Echo Dot - $50 on Amazon

 

The Amazon Echo Dot makes life a lot easier. The smart home device is fast at answering your requests and features a built-in Zigbee smart home hub, which means it can be used to control home gadgets and appliances that are connected. You can manage your lights, locks, add items to your grocery list and connect to any music streaming service with voice control. The Echo also serves as an intercom and can tell you the weather, news or traffic report anywhere. It’s great for college students’ busy schedules because you can simply ask Alexa to add an event to your calendar or set a reminder for a certain time.

 

My Amazon Echo helps me out the most in the kitchen when I need to set up multiple timers for different things I’m cooking up. It’s also helpful when I have a pondering question but am too lazy to type it into Google.

 

Kodak Ultra Mini Portable Projector - $180 on Amazon

 

This 100" display projector with a built-in speaker fits in the palm of your hand and connects through HDMI, USB and Micro SD so you can watch anything, anytime on a big screen. You can appreciate the movie theater experience outside on a camping trip, in the car on a road trip with friends or even in the comfort of your own room when your annoying roommate hogs the TV. The projector is compatible with most of today’s entertainment devices. Simply connect your smartphone, PC, Mac, cable box, gaming console or HDMI video player without the hassle of confusing buttons and menu screens.

 

iRobot Roomba E5 (5150) Robot Vacuum - $200 on Amazon

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This robot vacuum is such a time-saver. Instead of fighting for the time to vacuum your apartment or with your roommate on who’s turn it is to do so, simply tell your Roomba to do the dirty work. The robot vacuum can be controlled using the iRobot HOME app and is voice-activated. This pricier appliance is a perfect gift to ask your family for Christmas or your birthday. There are cheaper knock-off brands, but I can tell you from personal experience, none of them are worth the investment or operate as successfully as a Roomba does. 

 

Other robot vacuums seem to get stuck everywhere around the house and can only vacuum hard floors. The Roomba has great suction and is ideal for homes with pets. The rubber brushes don’t get tangled with pet hair and can effectively clean carpet –– which was one of my biggest issues with the knock-off brands. You can create an everyday cleaning schedule and can even connect it to smart home devices like Google Home or Alexa. Roomba's built-in sensor allows it to find its way around and under furniture and prevents it from falling downstairs. The sensors also alert the robot about dirtier areas in your house that need more attention. 

 

Air Fryer

 

Luke Westerheide, Missouri State University sophomore accounting major, said the gadget he couldn’t live without is an air fryer. An air fryer works like a conventional oven: it doesn’t deep fry food like hot oil does, but it creates the same crispy result using hot air. Air fryers cook faster than ovens and cut down the calories from hot oil. Ninja and COSORI are the top-rated air fryer brands on Amazon –– both are around $100 and are very user-friendly for anyone who doesn’t have much experience in the kitchen. Most recipes that are typically cooked in the oven or fried in hot oil will be amazing meals to try in the air fryer.

 

Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K ($50) and the Amazon Fire TV Cube ($120)

 

Senior entertainment management major Madison Allen said the most convenient piece of technology she has is the Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K, which allows you to enjoy content from all major streaming services for a very inexpensive price. It’s basically like upgrading to a smart TV without having to pay hundreds of dollars.

 

The device is powered by Amazon’s Alexa, so you can find entertainment simply by speaking right into the remote. It has a very easy-to-use menu and the Fire TV Stick lets you turn your TV on and off and adjust the volume so everything can be done from one remote.

 

Additionally, if you’re tired of scrambling for the Fire Stick remote, then you can ditch it for good with a Fire TV Cube. This smart streaming device has several built-in microphones and a speaker that can pick up your commands from another room so not only can you ask Alexa to pause, increase the volume or turn off the TV, but you can even ask it to order pizza, change channels and switch inputs. Somehow streaming whatever you want just became even easier.

 

Life as a college student can be stressful and we can use all the help we can get. These gadgets are worth the investment if you can afford them. Anything that makes your life a little bit more enjoyable is a win in my book.