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Post by Texas Scrap on Apr 28, 2025 0:01:01 GMT
I am curious how many people give college grad gifts to their kids and what you give (read the Masters Grad gift thread). Our daughter will graduate in a few weeks with her BA and MA (5 year program she completed in 4). Our mindset is that us paying for college is the gift  . We are taking a very nice family vacation with her and her younger brother to the French Alps before she starts work and I am sure we will help her with a few things before work starts like some business clothes but there is no official graduation gift. Would love to hear from others what you chose to do. |
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katybee
Drama Llama
Posts: 5,610 
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Post by katybee on Apr 28, 2025 0:19:35 GMT
I think a small token or momento would be nice. It doesn’t have to be expensive. Just something she can hold on to to acknowledge her hard work.
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Post by Basket1lady on Apr 28, 2025 0:37:36 GMT
I am curious how many people give college grad gifts to their kids and what you give (read the Masters Grad gift thread). Our daughter will graduate in a few weeks with her BA and MA (5 year program she completed in 4). Our mindset is that us paying for college is the gift  . We are taking a very nice family vacation with her and her younger brother to the French Alps before she starts work and I am sure we will help her with a few things before work starts like some business clothes but there is no official graduation gift. Would love to hear from others what you chose to do. I responded on the other thread, but I went with jewelry. We were living in Belgium at the time and DD had her last clinical rotation over the summer, so a trip didn’t work for her. But DH and I went to the UK for 3 weeks with our own trip! DS did get a trip, so I do think that it’s a perfect gift. DD worked hard. Darn hard. And she was drawing Ehlers Danlos in the middle of her program, all while dealing with the pandemic. I wanted something to commemorate all of that. |
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bethany102399
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,860
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Post by bethany102399 on Apr 28, 2025 0:45:19 GMT
Well, when my daughter graduated high school we got her a laptop she now uses for College.
That's a fantastic accomplishment, and I think a trip is a lovely idea.
One of my most prized possessions is a photo of myself in my cap and gown with BOTH of my parents. No iphones at the time, so taking photos was a more deliberate act. But my mom (like me) hated to have her photo taken and photos of the 3 of us are rare, especially as I got older. They are both passed now and I'm still awful about taking photos with my own kids.
take the trip, take the photo, make the memory. and celebrate your daughter's achievement.
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Post by melanell on Apr 28, 2025 0:56:02 GMT
I'd like to do something to celebrate the accomplishment, but I don't feel that it necessarily had to be a physical gift, especially if the parents did cover the cost of college. Maybe do something special together to mark the occasion? Have a small get together? Whatever works for all involved, I guess. |
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Post by pantsonfire on Apr 28, 2025 2:23:38 GMT
When DD graduates from college she will be given a work bag and I will take her to get some outfits. Not sure if she will have to provide her own lab coat, googles, etc if the museum provides that for her (Paleontology). Either way, she will get things that are for her career and work.
I was given a custom made PC.
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sweetpeasmom
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 2,832
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Post by sweetpeasmom on Apr 28, 2025 2:28:56 GMT
I asked this question in a preparing for collage facebook group last week. I am looking for something small for someone. One person suggested dot card. It's a business card that they can customize the info and tap it to someone's phone and it transfers all the info. I think it also sets up a way to track contacts and such. The graduate is a budding photographer and is going into sports journalism. I think this would be a fantastic gift.
There are other versions out there.
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mich5481
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,181
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Post by mich5481 on Apr 28, 2025 3:17:41 GMT
I received a nice diploma frame for my B.A.
Not sure I got anything for my masters degree. 🤣
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Post by ~summer~ on Apr 28, 2025 4:26:54 GMT
I gave my oldest some money and a month trip to Europe. I’m giving my next kid who graduates in June a trip to Hong Kong. They both had/have jobs so I don’t give them any money after this…
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gorgeouskid
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 2,517
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Post by gorgeouskid on Apr 28, 2025 4:41:16 GMT
I am curious how many people give college grad gifts to their kids and what you give (read the Masters Grad gift thread). Our daughter will graduate in a few weeks with her BA and MA (5 year program she completed in 4). Our mindset is that us paying for college is the gift . We are taking a very nice family vacation with her and her younger brother to the French Alps before she starts work and I am sure we will help her with a few things before work starts like some business clothes but there is no official graduation gift. Would love to hear from others what you chose to do. Our son is graduating (not from a US university, we are US based) late this summer. DH, who earns extra $$ for his refereeing spring efforts, plans to give him his earnings. It is very generous and hopefully will allow DS some extra funds to explore in Europe before DS has to start working abroad or come home to try (fingers extra crossed in our climate today) to find a job here. I love my husband. DS is absolutely privileged that he will graduate from his masters (and undergraduate) with zero debt. I really hope he knows the extent of the gift he has been given (I think he does). I was still paying off my $7500 graduate student loans 15 years after I graduated. |
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Post by monklady123 on Apr 28, 2025 11:26:32 GMT
I took my dd to Israel after she graduated from college. Ds went directly from a BA to an MA and when he finished that we helped him finance a new-to-him (i.e., used, lol) vehicle. His old one was 20 years old -- omg, Hondas last forever  -- and was finally starting to be unreliable. So that was a combined BA/MA gift. |
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Post by Texas Scrap on Apr 28, 2025 12:48:11 GMT
Thanks all. So sounds like a trip is a common gift. Lots of good ideas here and I like the idea of combining the trip with some "getting started" help. I might make her a card and include a reference to helping her get started with things - a new work outfit, etc. We want to celebrate her, and she is thankfully very grateful for our paying for her degrees, so it's a tricky balance. We feel like these young 20s are such an impressionable time in terms of work ethic, entitlement (or lack there of), becoming independent and maturing in ownership and values. Also, what a time to be entering the workforce, adulting, when the cost of living is SO HIGH.
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Post by littlemama on Apr 28, 2025 12:54:39 GMT
We paid for ds' board exam prep materials and his board exam. I dont know of any of his classmates who received actual gifts.
We also paid for all of his books, food, supplies, car, insurance, gas, etc for the 5.5 years he was in school (bachelors and masters).
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iowgirl
Pearl Clutcher
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Post by iowgirl on Apr 28, 2025 13:07:34 GMT
Paid for college and a new (brand new) car when they graduated high school.
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Post by littlemama on Apr 28, 2025 13:28:17 GMT
Thanks all. So sounds like a trip is a common gift. Lots of good ideas here and I like the idea of combining the trip with some "getting started" help. I might make her a card and include a reference to helping her get started with things - a new work outfit, etc. We want to celebrate her, and she is thankfully very grateful for our paying for her degrees, so it's a tricky balance. We feel like these young 20s are such an impressionable time in terms of work ethic, entitlement (or lack there of), becoming independent and maturing in ownership and values. Also, what a time to be entering the workforce, adulting, when the cost of living is SO HIGH. We also let ds live with us, rent free while he got started. He was always a saver so he wasnt out there wasting money and we could afford to have him stay at home so to us, there was no reason to charge him rent. He was able to buy a house last year with a large down payment as well as a new car the year before. We always said that we wanted him to have an easier start in adulthood than we did, so Im glad we were able to make that happen |
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Post by JustCallMeMommy on Apr 28, 2025 14:34:59 GMT
I haven’t decided yet. I was thinking a piece of jewelry would be nice. As a little happy, I got her a custom Funko Pop. ETA: she already has a big free-to-her trip to England planned.  |
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Post by epeanymous on Apr 28, 2025 15:16:20 GMT
I got my oldest a necklace with their birthstone. I wanted to do something that could be a keepsake.
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Post by Darcy Collins on Apr 28, 2025 17:45:53 GMT
We also did trips with our kids. I really liked the idea of a family trip and making memories. We also gave them both a start on an emergency fund. We combined it with a detailed discussion around budget and saving goals etc. We've been teaching them about financial independence forever, but wanted another chance to really talk around making good choices when they start out. I thought about a keepsake, but really couldn't come up with anything so figured cash was king.
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peppermintpatty
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Post by peppermintpatty on Apr 29, 2025 19:10:58 GMT
My dd will finish her PhD in December. Her gift is our paying for most of her wedding in October. I didn't get her anything when she finished her masters while working on her PhD. My DS will graduate from Maryland next month. His gift is the gift of no student debt. We paid for both kids undergrad.
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. We are taking a very nice family vacation with her and her younger brother to the French Alps before she starts work and I am sure we will help her with a few things before work starts like some business clothes but there is no official graduation gift.
. We are taking a very nice family vacation with her and her younger brother to the French Alps before she starts work and I am sure we will help her with a few things before work starts like some business clothes but there is no official graduation gift._on_the_beach.jpg)
-- and was finally starting to be unreliable. So that was a combined BA/MA gift.
