Pomp and circumstance is in the air. In honor of upcoming college graduations, I thought I would put together a few gift ideas graduating public relations students may be interested in requesting.
- Money: Who can go wrong with money? Monetary gifts will allow you to go on planned, or unplanned, graduation trips, pay off any bills, etc. Although opting to put your money away for a rainy day isn’t a bad idea either.
- Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) membership: Graduating student members of PRSSA can join their parent chapter, PRSA, for $60. If you were not a member of PRSSA, you can still join PRSA at a reduced rate of $115. Ask for the gift of networking.
- Portfolio: Although several online sites exist for you to display digital copies of your work, a hard bound portfolio is nice as well. I always advise students to take hard copies of their portfolio pieces to job interviews in case their interviewer has not had the opportunity to check out their social media resume.
- Associated Press (AP) electronic subscription: You MUST know AP style if you wish to continue in the field of public relations. Of course I encourage you to keep your AP style book, but why not ask for electronic access as well. Plus, it is only $25.
- Flip Cam: Despite the fact that Flip Cams are being discontinued, they are still an ideal tool for personal use. It is a great way to capture graduation memories.
- Gift cards: Consider gift cards for university related merchandise, business clothing, office supply stores (eg. Office Max, Staples, etc.), undergarments, etc.
- University merchandise
- Briefcase: Thankfully the styles have changed, as people are still using them. A work briefcase will come in handy to transport material to and from work.
What additional items do you think public relations students should request as a graduation gift?
Urkovia
