What did you get for your high school graduation?

In My Humble Opinion
41

Yeah, I got the usual stuff, cash from relatives, a fancy pen/pencil set, junk like that. But the coolest gift I got was on the night after our graduation ceremony, and the morning before me and all my buddies headed to Daytona Beach for a week in a hotel, my older brother took me out to a grocery store and told me to fill it up with whatever I wanted for that week. So I spent the next 20 minutes picking out all the beer, alcohol, mixers, and wine coolers (this WAS 1985, after all) I could fit into it. It was a lot, came to somewhere in the hundreds of dollars, I believe. Yeah, we had one of the more popular rooms at that hotel for the week.

Unfortunately, if I had a little brother graduating now, I’d be scared to do that for him. Things just aren’t the same.

42

…that I could fit into the previously unmentioned SHOPPING CART, mind you…

43

High School: $2K watch (and 4 yrs. of college tuition, rent, spending cash, etc.)
College: Toyota 4-Runner 4WD Limited (and graduate school tuition, rent, spending cash, etc.)
Graduate School: I don’t remember.

I, to this day, thank my parents out of the blue for all they have done for me. They are awesome.

44

A trip to Lorne with my friends. From my school I got a spoon and bible with my name in it, but they screwed us because they charged it to our accounts anyway. :rolleyes:

45

A laptop computer, and some cash.

46

I got a phone from one relative and cards from most my other close relatives. My parents got me a computer, but I didn’t get it until August. I really wasn’t expecting much, I didn’t think of high school graduation as a gift jackpot at the time…no one in my class was getting a new car or anything…

Then I attended the family graduation party of my girlfriend at the time and I watched in shock as she accepted $200 and $500 checks from relative after relative. No fair. :frowning:

47

I didn’t even GET to graduate. I posted a question related to the situation over in GQ, a while back, but I’m too bitter to look for the thread. :slight_smile:

48

For HS graduation, I received about $1000 total from assorted family, a brand-new Sunbird SE and a Smith-Corona word processor from my parents. For college graduation, I got a brand-new, fully-loaded Sunbird convertible and $2000 cash from the folks.

Yeah, I was spoiled. :cool:

49

High School: $85 and a watch, which I wore for the first time last week (50 after getting it)
Jr. High: a bus pass from my mom, 8 grand in stocks from my dad
College: still 3 to 9 years (depending on how bad I lag, not that I have some incredible goals) off.

50

I got my senior class trip paid for.

51

1972 MGB, fire engine red.

I wrecked it within the week.

52

That, I think, is the coolest present of all.

I just graduated a week ago. I’ve gotten a lot of money from friends and family ($300 from random people, $500 from my gramma, and $500 from my grandma and grandpa).
My dad was just recently informed that he’s going to lose his job soon, and while I realise that puts a damper on any sort of present from them, a token gift, or them just saying something like, “because of what has recently happened, we can’t afford to give you a graduation present” would be nice.
They’ve done a lot of nice stuff for it, but they discussed months ago what my brother and I wanted for graduation, and now I’m just confused and hurt, because they didn’t say anything about why there isn’t a present. I feel like a spoiled brat, but it just seems like they could have said something. ok, sorry.

53

A leather jacket and a college education!

Thanks, Mom and Dad!

54

Me too.
. . . and luggage.

55

At my eighteenth birthday, my parents offered me either nice diamond earrings or a car. I opted for the car, and we picked up a decent '92 LeBaron about a month before graduation (a few months after my birthday). My dad paid the $3,500 and the initial engine tune-up cost. I ended up spending about $1,000 on basic repairs that summer.

I love that car. And it made much more sense to have it ahead of graduation - I was working two jobs, house managing our play, taking early morning classes and staying after school for other activities…

I suppose they could have surprised me with a similar car in the driveway with a big bow, but I prefer the way we did it. My parents kept suggesting the little sporty cars, but I like my big boat of a K-Car better.

From the relatives to whom I sent graduation announcements, I got everything from $20 (most aunts and uncles) to $100 (grandparents). It came in very handy for dorm room stocking.

56

My graduation was over forty years ago, so I don’t remember much. But what I do remember is that one of my uncles walked several miles to bring me a bouquet of roses from his garden.

57

Not a thing.

But, getting out of high school was good enough for me! :slight_smile:

Maybe they make a bigger deal out of graduating in the US than in Australia?

58

A car, but I got it a few weeks after Christmas as a combination xmas/HS grad present.

My dad is such a card, he spent weeks before Christmas going around mouthing off with this silly saying, “Raaaalph, Bring the BUUUUick”!! Only he’d say it as if someone were about to barf.
He said he’d heard it from some guy on the plane on his way back from WA.

So, for Christmas, I get this strange, flat, oblong shaped present from him. I open it up, and it’s license plates. I say “huh? why does my car (an old beater caddy) need new plates”?

He tells me to look in the envelope again, so I do, and out slides a registration card. Being a dumb teen, I again say “huh? you’re going to pay my registration”? He tells me, “look at the KIND of car ON the registration”!!

Finally, I see that it says “Buick Riviera”. I say “BUick”? (Still a dumb teen), whereupon dad laughs and says triumphantly "Ralph! Bring the BUUUick’!!! A few weeks later he flew back down to WA to pick it up and drive it up the Alcan.

At the time it was a nine year old car (this was in couuggghh1977cough). Here’s what she looks like, http://www.redeemer.on.ca/~cknowles/chron/chron.html only mine is silver and black.

I still have her, my little sister and I rebuilt the engine a few years ago, but she needs a LOT of work to get back on the road (the car, not my sister).

My mom and dad were great parents, lots of fun.

59

Maybe…but not at my house. I got the same thing you got. I did get myself an apartment and outta the folks place w/ in a week. I had it rented before graduating.

60

My grandfather, who worked at Schlitz, gave me a case of Old Milwaukee-in cans. he said I should take it to college with me.

Parents got me a nice watch, which as promptly stolen from me at the Marriott Inn where I worked.