Graduation season is creeping up on us and that can mean only one thing: it’s time to figure out what to give your favorite grad to welcome them to post-college reality.
Graduates are about to enter the often overwhelming (and sometimes terrifying) world we call adulthood, and you’re tasked with giving them something to help ease the transition. Ultimately, your gift should stand as a token to reassure them that emerging from their safe, fun college cocoon isn’t all that bad.
The trick to giving the perfect graduation gift is to find that sweet spot between something your college grad will really need in life and something they’ll actually want to use. New graduates might not even know what they need to survive post-grad life — but that’s where you can swoop in with practical gifts to help make their newfound adulthood easier.
Below, you’ll find a selection of gifts that are both beneficial and fun for fresh college grads. These are the essentials young people need for the “real world” — plus some cool splurges they might not want to buy for themselves just yet. (After all, the student debt struggle is very real.)
Here are our picks:
