This is not your average gift guide. Whether you are shopping for yourself, or for a student in your life, these are the internship essentials that you need. These are the internship essentials that you may not even know you need. That’s why I’m here — to help you out!
At the time I’m publishing this post, all of the products on this list are available on Amazon. For your convenience, I’ve provided links to each of them below*. Most if not all of these items are available via Amazon Prime. Did you know that Amazon offers Prime Student? You can sign up for a 6-month free trial of Prime Student here, and enjoy unlimited free two-day shipping plus other exclusive deals for students.
Now, let’s get to it…Keep scrolling for product descriptions and links.
15 Internship Essentials for the College Student
1. AeroPress Coffee & Espresso Maker Welcome to the real world — Where it’s not a matter of if you drink caffeine, rather it’s a matter of how much. So make it easy on yourself. The AeroPress is my go-to source for caffeine every morning. It’s so easy to use, and cleanup is even easier! Sure, a Keurig is easy, but in my opinion you just can’t beat the real (fresh-ground-coffee-bean) experience of an AeroPress. And the price point is hard to beat, too! Lastly, the AeroPress is super compact, so you can take it with you on the go. I’m kicking things off with this one, because caffeine is truly one of my top internship essentials…heck, make that top life essentials!
2. Portable Charger I don’t go anywhere anymore without one of these. Make sure you never run out of battery during your internship, and throw a portable charger in your bag. You never know when you’re going to need it. And if you want it to last, be sure to buy a quality one (like the one I’ve linked here).
3. Clear Organizer Pouches Throw these in your backpack or tote bag, and organize all.the.things. I have one for all of my chargers and cords, one for snacks, one for pens and highlighters…you get the idea. The use cases are endless. You need these in your life.
4. AirPods These may be an investment, but man are they worth it! Whether you find yourself taking calls from your desk in an open-layout office, or you’re playing background music on Spotify while cranking through data-entry in Excel, a good set of headphones is a necessity. And cords just get in the way. Once you go wireless, you’ll wonder why it took you so long to make the jump in the first place. The AirPods I linked are currently Apple’s lowest-priced option, but you can also shop their latest release, the AirPods Pro (with noise cancellation features), here.
5. Audible Membership Chances are, you will have some sort of commute to/from your internship each day. That’s where Audible comes in. Give those AirPods a test run, and use your commute to your advantage, by listening to audio books on Audible. If you’re looking for some suggestions, I’ve recommended these books in the past. I also encourage you to dive into any books related to the company or industry that your internship is with. You’ll have more to discuss with coworkers and you may even sound like you know what you’re talking about. Shopping for someone else? Give them the gift of Audible, here.
6. BLUNT Metro Travel Umbrella Speaking of commuting…if your internship commute involves walking outside at all, you’re going to want a solid umbrella. Especially if this is a summer internship. BLUNT has been voted the world’s best umbrella by GQ and Gear Patrol for a reason, and their Metro Travel Umbrella is both compact and durable. Meaning it won’t blow inside out in crazy weather, and you’ll likely only need to ever buy one. Plus, it’s sleek and professional. Win-win!
7. Travel Steamer Showing up sloppy to your internship is a big red flag. Do yourself a favor, and get this mini-steamer to get all of the wrinkles out of your work wear. I never iron anything…like, ever. A quality steamer is quick and usually does the trick.
8. Hot Logic Mini-Oven This thing is a game changer. As an intern, money is usually tight, and you don’t have the luxury of eating out every day for lunch. Whether you are meal planning and prepping each week, or you are more of the frozen-meal type (like me), you’ll need to heat up your lunch at work. Not every office has a kitchen with a microwave. This portable oven can plug into a normal outlet at your desk. Just start heating your meal about an hour before you want to eat, and you’re all set. Warning: Your coworkers will be jealous.
9. Compact Lint Roller Most professional outfits are black, navy or some other solid color. They tend to show everything, especially pet hair. This goes back to #7. Don’t show up sloppy to your internship. Throw this lint roller in your bag and you’re covered.
10. DIY Business Card Templates I like these business card templates for two reasons. 1) You should have a student business card, and designing and printing your own is the most cost-effective way to go. You can read more about my thoughts on student business cards here. 2) These cards are also great if you need to DIY some flashcards. For example, maybe you are interning in an industry that uses a lot of acronyms — printing out your own flashcards with this template is a great way to shorten your learning curve. Plus, the business card size makes them small enough to fit in your wallet and take with you on the go.
11. GoMacro MacroBars It’s never a bad idea to have snacks in your bag during your internship. Sometimes you may get stuck in meetings all day, or be working toward an important project deadline, and have no time for lunch. GoMacro MacroBars are my go-to snack. They come in so many different flavor options, and unlike a lot of other bars they taste good. They aren’t too chalky, and they aren’t at all cardboard-like. My favorite is Dark Chocolate Almond — It’s like a healthy candy bar.
12. Quality Pens Ever write with a terrible pen? Yea, it sucks. A friend brought me one of these pens back from Japan, and I haven’t been able to stop using them since. Thank goodness I found them on Amazon! They write so smoothly, and are a beautiful navy color (not too blue, ya know?). If you’re doing it right, you’re taking a lot of notes during your internship. You might as well make the process as enjoyable as possible. Get yourself some good pens!
13. YETI Rambler Do I need to tell you how important it is to stay hydrated throughout the day? It’s especially important to hydrate while you’re running around, multitasking at your internship. Do I need to tell you how good YETI products are? They just do what they are supposed to do. I don’t go many places without my YETI tumbler. It works to keep my coffee hot in the morning, and I continue to fill it up with water throughout the day. Pro Tip: Get the YETI straw lid for water. I find the straw makes me drink so much more water!
14. Osprey Daylite Plus Backpack Finding a good, versatile backpack for your internship can be tough. Personally, I want something compact that I can use for work, travel and adventure on the weekends. This Osprey backpack checked all of the boxes (see mine in action, here and here). It has an interior sleeve that can be used for your laptop at work, or a water reservoir while hiking. It also has a couple pockets for organization, and it is compact enough to make traveling a breeze. If you’re looking for a quality bag for your internship, that you will be able to use long into the future, you can’t go wrong with this one.
15. BestSelf Co. SELF Journal Saving the best for last. (See what I did there?) There are a lot of journals and planners in the world. So how do you choose one? For starters, I love the SELF Journal because it really helps you plan out each day, capture lessons learned, celebrate wins and note what you’re grateful for. All of this is important to do daily during your internship. I especially like the gratitude section, because it forces you to pause and reflect on what is going well — even on those days at your internship that may be over or underwhelming. There are also blank pages in the back of the journal where you can capture notes from meetings, brainstorm sessions, etc. This is by far my favorite journal/planner that I’ve ever used. Get one, and set yourself up for success at your internship!
Hopefully you found this gift guide helpful. All of these products are ones that I use and love! What other internship essentials are you snagging before your internship starts? Share in the comments below so that others can benefit from your suggestions! And don’t forget to bookmark this post so you can come back to it the next time you’re in need of some internship essentials.
*Full disclosure: This post contains some affiliate links. You pay the same whether you use my affiliate links or not, and the commissions I earn from your purchases allow me to continue to generate great, free content for you. I only recommend products or services that I use and love. Thanks in advance for helping a sister out!
