It’s May, which means the school year is coming to a close. If you’re the parent, relative, or close friend of a soon-to-be graduate, it also means you’re probably on the hook for a graduation gift. But finding the right present for this potentially once-in-a-lifetime milestone isn’t easy.
Grad-specific options abound, but not without some major caveats. Theme gifts (think a mug or T-shirt stamped with something quippy about paying off student loans) can have a short of a shelf life. Something “grown-up” (classic leather briefcase, monogrammed gold watch) can be both impersonal and impractical. And someone has probably already gotten them a copy of “All of the Places You’ll Go.”
Our advice: Stop focusing on the occasion and start thinking about what someone moving into their first dorm room, signing their first lease, or starting their first full-time job might actually need. (Hint: It’s not a personalized lucite frame for their graduation cap tassel.)
Or, since we’ve already done the thinking, you can pick a present from our list below. Ahead, you’ll find a gift for every type of grad — and all 18 items are guaranteed to do way way more than just take up shelf space. Even better, they’re all just a click away at Walmart.
