We’d be willing to bet that most college students enjoy presentations about as much as they like their 7am class. Whether they’re designing them, or in the audience, there are likely a million and one things they’d rather be doing (like napping in their dorm room). In fact, 79% will say that most presentations today suck. And 35% of millennials say that they will only engage with content they feel has a great story or theme. With a reputation like that, it’s no wonder students avoid presentations at all costs.
As a result, many will end up procrastinating, losing sleep over choosing a topic, and piecing a deck together at the last minute. According to research, 47% of presenters put in more than eight hours into designing their presentations. You do the math. Eight hours at the eleventh hour equals an all-nighter.
Luckily, that doesn’t mean the final product has to be a poorly thought-out frankendeck.
Creative presentation ideas for college students
A lot can ride on a class presentation. It might be your last project at the end of the semester that determines the fate of your final grade, or maybe it’s a group project that counts for half of your participation in the class. Whatever the stakes are, we’re here to help you nail your next college presentation.
Pick the right topic
Before committing to your topics for presentations in college, you should consider things like what excites you, what you’re knowledgeable in and what you’d be interested in learning more about, books or movies that inspire you, world events, buzz-worthy pop culture, and what topics relate to your class course. How can you apply these things to your next class presentation?
You’re in college, so it’s very likely that your classmates will be sleeping, or staring out the window, while you’re presenting at the front of the room. To keep them engaged, make it interesting with these unique college presentation ideas.
College presentation ideas
- The evolution of a specific product— like the cell phone
- A presentation on your favorite celebrity
- A history of the most influential presidents of the United States
- How modern medicine is made
- The highest paid [BLANK] in 2021
- A how-to presentation on something you’re passionate about— like building cars
- A book that you think should be made into a movie (and why)
- Your favorite cultural recipe
- Who built the Sphinx of Egypt
- Social media now and then
- Shakespeare’s hits and misses
- Debunking a conspiracy theory
- Unexpected traditions
- Who invented the SAT, and what is it?
- The most popular travel destinations for young adults in their 20s
- What is van life anyway?
- How is education different now than it was in the ‘70s
- How to live a more sustainable life
- The evolution of humans
- The history of the Internet
- Is organic really better?
- How to get the most out of an internship
- What employers are actually looking for on your resume, and how to write one
- Everything you need to know about global warming
- The top places with the most expensive cost of living in the United States
- The rise of TikTok
- What is influencer marketing and why is it so important?
- Classic movies that should be cancelled in 2021, and why
- Is eating vegan really better for your health?
- Are aliens real?
- Everything you need to know about the Big Bang Theory
- Why streaming services are the demise of classic cable
- Marijuana then and now: the process of getting it legalized
- 15 Memorable things about [blank]
- A comprehensive timeline of feminism
- Is print— newspapers, magazines, books— dead?
- The easiest foreign language to learn on your own
- The best life hacks I learned on TikTok
- What does white privilege mean to millennials and Generation Z?
- Understanding finance for young adults 101
- Everything you need to know about life after college
- The difference between electric cars and gas cars
- What is artificial intelligence anyway?
- How thrifting can help the environment
- The evolution of presentations: from caveman to TedTalks
- Applying your degree in real life
- The origins of your favorite music genre
- Everything you need to about becoming a surgeon
- The life cycle of [blank]
- Life without technology: where would we be without modern technology?
Make it beautiful
You have your topic, now what? Did you wait until the absolute last second to get started? Here’s the good news: no need for an all-nighter. Beautiful.ai can help you nail your college presentation in a pinch. The ease of use, and intuitive controls, help you create something brilliant in minutes, not hours. Start inspired with our inspiration gallery of pre-built templates and customize them to fit your content.
It’s important to connect with your audience on an emotional level, so make sure to pick trendy colors, modern fonts, and high-quality visual assets to compliment your presentation and evoke emotion. Engage your audience (especially your professor) with dynamic animations, or videos, to help control the narrative and direct their attention to the key takeaways.
Pro tip: use the shareable link to share your deck out with classmates, teachers, or social media friends after class.
