Wondering what could be the perfect present for a friend, family member or colleague who are working towards a PhD? Choosing gifts for a PhD student can be tricky, we’re often living in shared houses with limited personal space and there are only so many novelty mugs a person can store!
Whether it’s to celebrate passing their viva, a special occasion or simply to show that you care, here are a few of my favourite suggestions.
Experience Gifts
I’m a big fan of gifting experiences rather than ‘things’ and I believe they are particularly well suited to those early on in their PhD, as a lot of students may be fairly new to the place they’re now studying. PhD stipends only stretch so far, so gifting experiences can be a great way to build memories for those with limited disposable income.
When I lived in London during my PhD I always asked my family for gift vouchers for experiences. This allowed me to visit escape rooms, walk over the O2, go for afternoon tea and see some fantastic West End shows (courtesy of Love Theatre vouchers).
Experiences can be varied to fit every personality type and some may also allow you to support great causes at the same time, such as Migrateful cooking classes for those in London, Bristol or Brighton.
Tripadvisor is a great place for finding ideas for activities. Groupon can also be handy place to check for deals, just make sure that any restrictions on dates/times won’t be an issue.
Subscription Gifts
Lots of us sign up for subscriptions these days, whether for the obligatory Netflix or for various apps. If you’re stuck for a gift for a PhD student why not offer to pay for a few months of a subscription to their favourite apps?
Some ideas for app subscriptions:
- Super Duolingo for language learners
- Spotify
- Headspace or other mindfulness and meditation apps which could come in handy with managing stress during a PhD
Relaxing Gifts
It’s always nice to have a break from work and a voucher for a massage or spa day could provide much needed relaxation. I’d again suggest using Tripadvisor to find recommendations and try to find a deal through Groupon.
Check with the giftee whether they’d be able to attend mid-week. If so you may be able to get more for your money with an off-peak rate and they’ll find it easier to relax with fewer people around.
Food Gifts
A PhD student can never have too much food, particularly if it’s quick to prepare or readily available for snacking. Food gifts are brilliant for every budget and here are a few of my favourite suggestions.
Brownies by Post
My partner recently went on the hunt for the best vegan brownies and came across the Best Ever Brownie Company. I can attest that their brownies are absolutely delicious and everyone I’ve sent them to has loved them.
Hamper
If you know your PhD student well then a gift hamper can be a lovely way to show that you care.
Hampers put together by someone you know can be a fun way to try out things you wouldn’t normally have seen. For Christmas/birthdays by Dad has started giving a selection of new vegan foods he finds and they’re always appreciated. If in doubt pick a theme and roll with it. For my sister’s birthday I recently made up a shoe-box sized hamper with American treats all themed around rainbow sprinkles!
If you don’t live nearby you can also find some lovely hampers online from companies such as:
Whether homemade or shop bought I think hampers make great gifts for a PhD student.
Healthy Ready Meals
If you’re keen to gift more substantial meals then COOK and Mindful Chef are two options. Both allow you to buy gift vouchers which your recipient can use to buy whatever they fancy.
I’ve gifted COOK vouchers to several friends and family members and the meals feel home cooked and are very tasty. Do check whether your giftee lives near a store, as if not they’ll probably want to order several items in one go and as such will need a fair bit of freezer space. Therefore COOK vouchers may not as suitable for those living in house shares.
I haven’t personally tried Mindful Chef ready meals, although I have tried several of the recipe boxes, but they look like a fantastic choice for anyone looking for quick and healthy meals.
Takeaway Voucher
If you’re keen to get a food gift but not sure what’s best then a takeaway gift voucher could be the perfect solution. Just Eat do gift vouchers and they’re sure to go down well.
Educational Gifts
PhD students are by nature very curious and plenty will be keen to expand their knowledge beyond their particular field. I’m personally always keen to learn more about the world so anything which helps me expand my horizons goes down favourably.
Subscription to a Learning Platform
Brilliant – Provides interactive courses to help people expand their knowledge of concepts within Maths, Computer Science, Data Analysis, Programming, Science and Engineering. Subscriptions start from a three month period.
Nebula – Nebula has advert-free educational videos and podcasts from over 150 Youtube content creators. Some of the videos on the platform are also available to watch on Youtube with ads, but there are around 60 original shows on the platform as well.
Subscription to Kiwi Crate
If you’re keen to gift a physical present then a subscription to Kiwi Crate could be a lovely idea.
For those who like working with their hands the Eureka Crate is a great way to build skills and explore engineering in a fun and immersive way. Who wouldn’t want to build their own desk lamp? They also do Maker crates for those with an artistic side.
Practical Gifts
So far nearly everything on our list has involved either experiences or consumables, but there are a few practical gifts which could be of great benefit to a PhD student and not take up too much space.
Flask
Whether it’s for keeping water cool or keeping coffee hot, a drink container will always come in handy. It could also help with minimising costs if drinks are prepared at home and then taken into uni.
Macbook Air Laptop
A recommendation of a £1000 laptop probably isn’t going to be applicable for most readers. However, if you’re a family member looking to spend money on a computer for someone starting a PhD I can highly recommend MacBook Airs. These days almost all software can run on both PC and Mac and even the M1 MacBook Air which is now several years old is more than powerful enough for most people.
Be sure to make use of Apple’s educational discount for up to 10% off.
Moleskine Notebook & Fisher Space Pen
Notebooks always come in handy, so why not gift your PhD student one at the top of the range. Combine a moleskine notebook with a fisher space pen and you’ve got the perfect way to keep experiment notes orderly and neat.
Moleskine notebooks are vegan, come in a range of colours and you can even pay extra for personalisation. Fisher space pens were originally designed for use in zero gravity and can be used upside down, underwater and at extreme temperatures. Perfect for all kinds of science-ing!
E-reader
For those who don’t own one already an e-reader is a great way to get back into reading. I personally found reading to be a great way to take a break from my PhD. E-readers such as a Kindle are light and easy to pop in a bag!
Through Project Gutenberg you can access loads of classic books for free and if you opt for a Kindle there are often Amazon offers available for 99p books.
Novelty Gifts
If you are keen to get your PhD student a novelty gift I’d recommend buying a handmade item from a small business on Etsy. I’m a big fan of getting something practical such as a notebook, mug, keyring, chopping board etc.
Just make sure to check where it ships from – I typically filter so that only businesses in the UK are shown.
Here are a few of the potential gifts for a PhD student that I found in just a few minutes of browsing:
- Atoms to Astronauts – STEM mugs and notebooks
- Science Scribbles – Enamel pins and stickers
- My Mini Laboratory – Microscope keyrings and virus planters
- Chemistree Crafts – Wide selection of scientific jewellery, including conical flask earrings
- Bakerology – Science themed cookie cutters – who wouldn’t want to eat a neuron shaped cookie?!
Charitable Donations
Q: What do you get for the person who has everything?
A: A gift for someone else!
It can be hard to know what to get someone when they say there’s nothing that they want, but if your giftee would truly prefer to not receive a gift then make a charitable donation on their behalf.
Choose a charity or cause which is close to their heart and you’ll have a meaningful gift which provides benefit to others as well.
Top Tips on Buying Gifts for a PhD Student
- If your PhD student is short on space stick to gifting an experience or a consumable item
- Everyone needs to eat, so food gifts can be a great safe choice for PhD students
- Feeling stuck for what to buy? Ask! Some people enjoy surprises and others will prefer to set strict guidelines for present buying. I’m very frank and honest with my own family now around receiving gifts as I’m fairly minimalist and don’t like receiving anything I won’t use.
- Short on money? Why not make something homemade. Cupcakes in particular can be a quick and easy gift and are always sure to go down well.
Do you have any other suggestions for gifts for a PhD student or graduate? Are there any gifts you received during your own PhD which you really valued? Let me know in the comments!
