Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
For a guy graduating high school money is more than appropriate. It's funny how people will have such angst and feel obligated to "get something else than money" when really money is what graduates want the most.
Luggage is nice but that is something the graduate should pick out himself. Same with other large purchases.
Surge guards with lots of outlets are a go-to gift from my family when you don't want to do cash. Student housing more than twenty years old often has far fewer electrical outlets than what a modern student needs and it saves a trip to Walmart/Target/Amazon order once they discover that.
Location: We_tside PNW (Columbia Gorge) / CO / SA TX / Thailand
34,704 posts, read 58,022,681 times
Reputation: 46172
Quote:
Originally Posted by Coloradomom22
For a guy graduating high school money is more than appropriate. It's funny how people will have such angst and feel obligated to "get something else than money" when really money is what graduates want the most.
Luggage is nice but that is something the graduate should pick out himself. Same with other large purchases.
Luggage for my male college friends were 'trash bags'... worked fine, easy to carry, kept stuff dry, stacks well in the corner <$2.
Location: We_tside PNW (Columbia Gorge) / CO / SA TX / Thailand
34,704 posts, read 58,022,681 times
Reputation: 46172
Quote:
Originally Posted by jmgg
Yea, luggage is not a real subtle hint that we're expecting you to move out soon.
We retreated to a VW camper Van when the kids left home (@ age 17), they didn't have the option of returning. When we got back to a house, we converted their rooms (basement) into an apartment that is leased out FT.
Preparing your BOYS to be self sufficient by HS is a really good Idea! (and a good graduation gift that will keep on giving!).
Boys seem to really shine when allotted a strong level of responsibility and respect (and expectation of them to Do-It!). Make their own way in life.
Another GREAT graduation gift for a boy is enough $$ and time to do a Round-the-USA trip in an old beater pickup. Seriously, this can be done for a few thousand dollars and will NEVER be forgotten . A more perfect vehicle is a minivan. We got a nice Town and Country for $800 and it has delivered us 50k more miles and many adventures.
For the Budget minded... send them on a bicycle with enough money to go One Way!
A very good friend sent each of his (4) sons away after HS with a ONE WAY ticket to a foreign county. He set up a host family and told his sons, "When you are man enough to make the money to come home, you are welcome back (for a visit)". "You are officially 'commissioned' to make your own way, from here on out." His oldest son just turned 80, and the following siblings are still making their way home . Each have had very unique and effective life journeys. That is still a very effective and possible outcome for sending your boys away in 2020. Just don't send them to NZ, or they might never come home! Thousands of European gals there doing the under age 31 working visa (as soon as Covid allows again). I know several USA youth who went to NZ or AU and never came back to USA. (Often end up in Thailand, Philippines, Indonesia...or getting a visa to stay in NZ or AU)
Thanks for the suggestions! I really didn't know what to buy. Not wanting to buy something that he wouldn't end up using ever, I took the easy way out and ended up ordering a $200 Visa Gift Card. I know he doesn't need money, but he apparently appreciates the gift a lot, along with the hoodie. And, quite frankly, I've come to accept that a lot of it is the "thought" that counts
The first thing I thought, when reading your OP, was that getting into Columbia seems to me to be a greater achievement, than graduating from HS. Let's celebrate his acceptance to Columbia! And that's exactly what you chose to do. Good choice, OP.
Old thread but something my kids really appreciated was gift cards torestaurants. raunts. Anything to get something other than dining hall or fast food.
Apologies in advance if this doesn't belong in this forum. I'm shopping for a gift for one of my cousins who is due to attend Columbia University in the fall. He graduates in a few weeks from high school.
So far, I'm thinking of buying him a Columbia hoodie and something else. I'm clueless on what the something else should be I don't want to send cash as his parents have plenty of that. Any suggestions from the forum?
Didn't realize this thread was over a year old but for others with this question I'd say money is always appreciated. Or if he shops on Amazon, an Amazon gift card.
A pre-paid rechargeable Ride-Pass for the Subway. Unless he already lives in, or often visits, the City and already has one.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
. A more perfect vehicle is a minivan. We got a nice Town and Country for $800 and it has delivered us 50k more miles and many adventures. 
(Often end up in Thailand, Philippines, Indonesia...or getting a visa to stay in NZ or AU)
