We’ve collected a list of gift ideas for your premed student, fit for any occasion. Whether you’re coming up on the holidays, a birthday, graduation, or celebrating your student crushing the MCAT or getting into medical school, any of these gifts would be a great option. This collection includes gifts at a range of price points to fit every budget.
Links marked with * are affiliate links, meaning we make a small commission on purchases made with that link.
Gifts under $25
Food Delivery Gift Cards
Most premeds spend hours and hours studying, and might find it hard to make time to cook food and end up relying on delivery, especially during finals. You can pick up a gift card for your premed’s favorite delivery service like DoorDash, GrubHub, or Uber Eats on your next grocery run. You can also send a gift certificate through the app, or have one sent to them through Amazon*. Many gift cards allow you to choose the amount, allowing you to customize the gift according to your budget.
Similar to the food gift card, is the Starbucks gift card. Many premeds run on coffee, making this a great gift.
Coffee Mug
This “Trust Me I’m Almost a Doctor” Mug* pairs excellently with a bag of coffee, or your premed’s hot beverage of choice.
The Premed Playbook Series
Finally in this section, we have the Premed Playbok series*, my guide to the application process. Each book covers a different topic from the MCAT, to the personal statement, to the interview. And my most recent book in the series covers the entire medical school application process.
Gifts under $100
Coffee Maker
Many premeds fuel their studying with caffeine, and they can save some money on all their coffee shop trips by making it at home. Plus, their in-home coffee shop never closes.
Coffee pots* come in a range of sizes and price points, making them a very versatile option.
Build A Bear Doctor Gift Set
If your premed could use some company while studying for the MCAT, a doctor-themed stuffed animal makes a great studying companion. One of the best ways to learn is to teach it to someone else, and if you don’t have a friend nearby to teach, a stuffed animal is a good substitute student.
Suture Practice Kit
This kit*, paired with instructional videos, comes with everything you need to learn to suture. While suturing isn’t something premeds need to know how to do, if your premed is a future surgeon they might enjoy the process. This kit can also carry them into medical school when they will learn to suture.
Comfortable Desk Chair
If your premed’s desk chair is small or falling apart, it’s time to upgrade them to something more comfortable and ergonomic. Having a better chair* helps stave off fatigue during long hours of studying.
Big Ticket Items Over $100
Good Noise Cancelling Headphones
Studying in the college library or with roommates around can make it difficult to concentrate. Any noise cancelling headphones can be helpful, but these come highly rated*. They can be paired with multiple devices, have multiple levels of noise canceling, and pause audio playing automatically when the headphones are removed.
MCAT Prep Books or a Prep Course
Any set of MCAT Prep books published after the 2015 rework of the test will serve you well. The most popular set among premeds is the Kaplan MCAT books*.
Many students find an MCAT course helpful, but they can get expensive, so your premed could probably use some help paying for their prep course. If it’s out of your budget, don’t worry, because a prep course is not necessary for success on the MCAT. If you do decide to go with a course, we recommend any of the Blueprint MCAT courses.
