Electric kettles are good for anything that may require hot water, such as tea, hot cocoa, oatmeal, etc. Judging by your other thread regarding the rain coat, having ready access to the means to produce hot beverages on command would likely be a benefit for the cold, rainy days you’ll surely experience. I would say it’s worth the investment.
In terms of cost, you can easily acquire a suitable electric kettle for less than $20. If it’s just for your own personal use, you won’t need to worry about heating larger volumes of water, so spending more on large capacity kettles wouldn’t make sense.
Finally, if you are living in a dorm or university housing in general, make sure you are allowed to bring an electric kettle, as some universities aren’t terribly keen on students using appliances with open/semi open heating elements.