<p>D is at college far away and we won't be able to visit her for her Bday. We've always done fairly "big" birthdays, so I feel the need to send her a few nice things. But when I ask her if there's anything she wants or needs, she can't think of anything. I'd feel terrible not sending her anything, but I'm really stumped! Any creative ideas or obscure things a student might like or find useful?</p>
<p>I gave my D gift cards to places around her campus (frozen custard shop, bookstore, movie theater, pizza place) that she might not have discovered on her own. At some colleges you can get the food service to make a cake or brownies (we were able to order through Res Life, I think). We did that for D’s first birthday, too.</p>
<p>A night out with friends at an off campus eatery would be my choice. Treating your D and some friends to dinner at a place of her choosing would be fun. Sending a cake (or many cupcakes to pass out on her floor to dorm mates) would also be a simple way to know you are thinking of her on her special day.</p>
<p>Carrying on with the food theme: <a href=“https://insomniacookies.com/index.php?route=information/about[/url]”>https://insomniacookies.com/index.php?route=information/about</a></p>
<p>Warm cookies delivered to the door. I think they even have a cake-sized cookie. Can confirm that cookies were very good!</p>
<p>Love intparent’s suggestion.</p>
<p>Absolutely agree with finding out about local eateries and getting a gift certificate to one of them so she can treat herself & friends to a meal.</p>
<p>Two (or more) tickets to a concert, performing arts event or sporting event near her college. Or a membership to a museum or museums in the community. Or anything else that would encourage her to explore her new environment.</p>
<p>I just did birthday for my freshman son. I ordered a cookie cake from university catering, shipped 2 Mylar balloons in a box (yes, they arrived inflated), did another smaller package of silly hats, plates, napkins and blow horns, and then I sent a real gift ordered from an online store. It was fun to hear him on the phone blowing the birthday horns and see him on Skype with the hat on. We also told him he was allowed to take 2 friends to dinner on us. What I expected to be a sad day missing him actually was a lot of fun and we felt very much a part of his day.</p>
<p>I sent cupcakes from a local bakery. She was able to share that with her friends. Her big present was a handbag. A lady could never have too many handbags.</p>
<p>If your daughter’s college town has an active live theater, a pair of season tickets might be appreciated. My daughter also enjoyed books that were new or important in her major field of study. They were always very expensive, and she loved building a library.</p>
<p>Food and silly stuff. Check out the kids’ toy section and birthday favors aisle for ideas. A box of stuff preteens would play with can be fun. A bunch of inexpensive stuff she can share with others in her dorm can be a fun break from studying.</p>
<p>Thanks for all the great ideas!! Now I have the opposite problem… which of these great ideas to do? :)</p>
<p>I did cake + cupcake delivery, mylar balloon delivery from vendor near school, and a bunch of D’s friends were taking her out to bday dinner so I picked up the tab. Other family members sent Starbucks gift cards.</p>
<p>If you want to spend more (sounds like you have some pretty big gifts in the past), some places have a cupcake truck that you can rent and they roll up and you could treat her whole dorm floor.</p>
<p>^^^^Wow-That would be a let’s give them something to talk about event :D!</p>
<p>Divine Delights has wonderful petit fours. My daughter loves them.</p>
<p>For our kids, we told them to go out to dinner with up to 3 friends and charge it on our credit card. I also sent S a photo of him & us in a picture frame. A digital frame with scrolling photos of student & family would be a nice gift as well. Have also sent Harry & David pears and other gifts. Fun food from our HI home to the CA dorm was always a big hit as well.</p>
<p>Lots of great ideas, here! On a much more mundane note, I’d add, don’t overlook the appeal of money, plain and simple, at this age. My D is really getting into financial self management, and appreciates a money gift that she can choose to save or spend as chooses. She got money from grandparents at Christmas, and some went into savings and some into a couple of items that she really wanted for herself. For example, a drawing tablet that works with her computer. We didn’t know she wanted one that much and wouldn’t have known how to choose a suitable one either. She bought it herself and happily sent the grandparents a nice thank-you note.</p>
<p>Someone just told me about a website called ecreamery; they make purportedly amazing ice cream. (I haven’t tried it so I can’t speak from personal experience.) They will personalize packaging and flavors, ship it (!) and it will stay cold from delivery to the end of the day it arrives. It requires some planning - you’d have to make sure the recipient keeps an eye out for its arrival and lines up some folks to share it with or has a freezer to store it in. Seems like it would be fun to receive - I’m thinking about it for my daughter.</p>
<p>My DD’s college has something where you can have the school mascot deliver a b-day greeting in person (with cupcakes maybe? I don’t remember). Of course, my DD would absolutely kill me if I arranged this, so I couldn’t do it. But it’s a cute idea for the right student.</p>
<p>I have done some of the other things that others have written about here. Will need to come up with something good in September for DD’s 21st.</p>
<p>Amazon gift card is always a good choice for my boys. That’s what I’m sending my S for his 2/14 b-day.</p>