When I graduated from Clemson several years back, I remember being both incredibly sad to leave, incredibly excited to move to Charleston and incredibly nervous about what in the world I was going to do for work in the height of the recession. Yes, post-grad life was full of twists and turns and doors slammed in my face, but it was also filled with opportunity and the freedom to build my life any way I wanted to. Its a season full of newness: new apartment, new places, new job, new responsibility. Some of that newness is exciting, but some of it is downright scary.

College graduation is so different than any other major life transition. For many, it’s the first time they really think about managing money, furnishing an apartment, or wearing work appropriate clothing without totally losing their sense of style (it doesn’t matter who you are, nobody’s excited about wearing a pantsuit). Knowing this, I put together some of my favorite practical graduation gift ideas. In the midst of the unknown, your college grad will thank you for making their lives a little easier, more organized, and more functional.

I love the idea of giving an Amazon Fire Stick or Echo Dot (hellooo Alexa) for a recent grad to use in their new apartment. Oh, and don’t forget about kitchen goodies like a set of pots & pans, this instant pot, or this 6 piece bakeware set. Leaving college roommates is hard enough on it’s own, but it’s even worse when they take their share of kitchen supplies as they go. I also love this commute clutch that has spots for your tablet, phone, cards, and cords. It would fit perfectly in this tote designed with a laptop pocket (great for taking to work). Of course, if you are looking to give a more sentimental gift, I love this coordinates necklace that you can personalize with the coordinates of the grad’s college town. Truly, you can’t go wrong with any of these graduation gift ideas.

 COLLEGE GRADUATION GIFT IDEAS

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Well there you go! All the college graduation gift ideas you could ever hope for in one post. Congrats to all the recent graduates reading! Enjoy this season of life and don’t stress too much about having everything all the way figured out. For those of you who are recent graduates, tell me where you graduated from and what your degree is in the comments.

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