When graduation rolls around, people usually think of caps, gowns and diplomas that will end up in a box collecting dust under the bed, free food they’ll get at parties after the ceremonies, and the fact that they’ll never have to sit through another boring lecture again — at least for the next three months until graduate school starts. Graduation is a major celebration of one’s accomplishments, so think of it as a second Christmas — only this time, instead of Santa Claus rewarding you for being a good little girl or boy, it’s your friends and relatives.
Whether you’re already planning your list or not, you’re going to get a sack of presents. For all the opportunists out there, this article will provide insight and professional savvy necessary to composing the ideal wish list for yourself and a shopping list for your friends.
The first thing you’ve got to admit to yourself is that you don’t want to be like other recent graduates who find themselves accosted with cheap memorabilia: UCSD key chains, lapel pins, pencils, dog tags, whistles, coffee mugs, coasters, ball caps, ties, socks, license-plate frames, bumper stickers, career-themed teddy bears, chocolate bars with edible pictures of Geisel Library on them and seat cushions. Chances are you already have enough of these and you don’t want any more. You might get a laugh or two out of them, but inevitably they’ll end up in your next garage sale. If you need to look at a stuffed owl with a graduation cap on it to remind you of all your hard work as a student, so be it. But those who hope to receive what they truly desire make a list of both what they want and do not want. An overabundance of things that read “Class of 2004” justify a “Do Not Gift” list.
Hopefully you will land a well-paying job after graduation. Let’s face it, though — there are a lot of recent graduates panicking because they don’t know the first thing about what they want to do or how they can turn their academic know-how into practical, real-world assets. If this is the case, you might want to start a small library of self-help and career-development books. Great-aunt Hortense will be happy to give you a copy of Po Bronson’s “What Should I Do With My Life?” ($14.95) and Uncle Manny might select the widely popularized “What Color Is Your Parachute?” ($17.95) by Dick Bolles. Don’t underestimate these gifts and throw them in the deep recesses of your closet — they could be valuable tools that help you to assess and re-evaluate your career path in a way that will leave you with a new vision.
If you can’t bring yourself to crack another book, consider asking your close friends and family members to help you fulfill a dream you’ve always had. Even if you’ve never made the “Things to Do Before I Die” list, we all have a running mental itinerary of experiences that we’d like to have but never had the courage, the time or the money to do. Well, now’s your big chance. As a college graduate, you are uninhibited. You’re leaving one chapter in your life and opening another. What better way to fill that empty page between chapters than with a hang-gliding lesson or a trip to some exotic locale? If you have never known life outside of UCSD’s academic bubble, this present is one you must grant yourself — at the expense of others. A vacation planned with family or friends can help cement relationships and provide a necessary breather before you move into the real world of a 9-to-5 job and a regular salary.
It is possible to have a relaxing vacation without leaving San Diego. Ask for the royal treatment with a spa day. Hour-long massages generally run $75 to $95, depending on whether you want a Swedish, deep tissue, aromatherapy, hot stone or shiatsu massage. Let others pamper you with body scrubs, facials or pedicures. Each spa differs in the services offered, but many combination packages are offered that will have everything you need. Gaia Day Spa in La Jolla is just down the road (http://www.gaiadayspa.com) and the Beauty Kliniek in University City has monthly specials at their intimate site on Governor Drive (http://www.pamperyou.com).
For the tech-savvy, MSN has started a new service called Smart Watches. These wrist watches receive a signal from MSN Direct, allowing people to access news, sports, weather, stock updates, instant messages and calendar appointments. If you are searching for a job, the Smart Watch can keep track of interview appointments. You can also check out news while you are waiting in line at the store with the Smart Watch. This unique gift comes in a variety of styles for an initial price ranging from $150 to $200. Then the watch must be activated, and you pay for a monthly service charge. For a limited time, MSN will give you three months free when you sign up for a year. Go to http://direct.msn.com for more details.
If you are looking for something distinctive to give your friends for graduation, buy them an experience. Sign them up for yoga, tai chi, or any new meditative experience they’ve never tried to help them get “in touch” and balanced before heading out to the real world. Be realistic, however, about what your friends will actually enjoy doing. You might think it’s funny to sign your friend Matt up for a belly-dancing class, but chances are your money could have been put to better use.
You can also go the practical route. Believe it or not, some people would like gift certificates to grocery stores, Target, Costco or IKEA to help jump-start their new life if they’re facing a move. Here, every penny counts. You can go as low as $10 or shoot as high as you want to.
If you don’t have a lot of dough to shell out, invest your time in compiling a scrapbook photo album so that your friend can recollect all the memories you’ve made together over the years. This works even better when a bunch of people collaborate and include their sage advice and sentimental remembrances in a journal to go along with the visual aid. Hint: More people helping means the costs are split between everyone.
If you are feeling creative, there are always those fun, funky gift ideas. This is not to say a musical toilet is a good idea, but rather something that stands out can always be effective. Try something like a tie from a thrift store to congratulate him on his entrance into the corporate world, or a pair of galoshes if she’s moving to Washington — anything that fits their new calling.
When all else fails, make a nice, warm batch of chocolate-chip cookies (or favorite comfort food). After all, friendship cannot be bought and everyone likes cookies.
Ultimately, the best gift you will receive at graduation is a sense of deep accomplishment and pride in finishing something well done. This is a profound and self-gratifying sense of achievement that nothing can equal. Chances are you cannot wait to leave the university where you have spent the last four years of your life (or five, or six), but remember how in those years you proved to yourself that you could stand on your own two feet, shaped your identity and made an impact on the community around you. This is the sweetest reward of all. But make your list, just to be safe.