28 Useful College Graduation Gifts They’ll Actually Be Excited About
College graduation gifts are pretty common—who doesn’t want to wish the young adults in their life good luck as they polish their graduation cap ideas and start life after college? But all too often, those gifts for college grads turn into checks, cash, and gift cards. No self-respecting college graduate will turn down a cash gift, but thoughtful gift-givers might want to pick a college graduation gift that’s a little more personalized—but still just as useful.
The best college graduation gifts solve problems for the new grad—and these gifts solve all sorts of problems, from how to prepare for work life to organizing and decorating that first apartment. For the people that give them, these gifts serve as a sort of care package for the graduate as he or she wanders into the working world, possibly far from home.
With these thoughtful, carefully curated college graduation gifts, the grad will have some of the little details of life in the real world figured out, so he or she can focus on adjusting to a new city, meeting new people, and thriving at work.
These graduation gift ideas are great for older adults to give to new graduates, but they’re also great gifts for grads to give their friends, possibly as they prepare to move to different cities. Whoever is doing the giving can be assured that these great graduation gifts will get a lot of use. Some even serve as gentle reminders to the grad to practice some good habits. A nice suitcase is a reminder to plan some trips (hopefully a few to visit their family back home); kitchen gear serves as encouragement to get the grad to cook at home sometimes; and a stellar lunchbox might just make brown-bagging to save a few dollars still seem special.
College graduation and the festivities that come with it (think those graduation songs) may feel far from the chaos of the college packing list and college checklist, but it’s the same sort of transition from the familiar to unknown. With these trusty, practical graduation gifts in tow, the college grads in your life are sure to thrive, wherever their paths may lead.
