Do you keep old HS and college stuff?

I have it all (HS, college, business school) neatly filed in labeled bins and will never part with it. Or share it. Or show it. It’s for me only. It’s evidence of my “education,” a part of me that is important to me alone.

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Same here with the sorority stuff. I have 2 sweatshirts with letters, a pillow, a ‘pledge bear’ that my big sis made me, and my pledge book. We had to carry our pledge books at all times during pledging. I’m pretty sure that practice was banned many years ago as ‘hazing’. I am holding on to a sliver of hope that my youngest will choose the same university/sorority and I can pass the items down to her!

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I still have a bunch of stuff. Newspapers from when I was the editor, certain projects, yearbooks. Only meaningful to me, I really should toss a lot of it before someone else has to deal with it.
My kids have enjoyed looking at their grandparents mementos from their youth. FILs book from a reunion year at Harvard is a keeper. His report was just so him. There were some pretty well-known figures in his class who also had interesting reports of their lives.

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I hang onto my ratty March’s Organic Chemistry textbook and a couple of others. Lecture notes from college and all HS stuff are long gone. Kids stuff… I think I have a couple of boxes in the basement storage closet. Maybe the grands can go through that stuff when they get a little older. :laughing:

From elementary school I have one scrapbook of mementos - newspaper clippings, Valentine cards,
Concert stubs, report cards, attendance ribbons, class pictures

From high school, yearbooks, lots of writing - I was gonna to be a journalism major - creative writing, newspaper articles. Not much else.

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I have a plastic memorabilia tote with a few items: small stack of report cards, ribbons/awards and newspaper clippings; a scrap book from my time as an exchange student in France; my favorite denim overalls I bought in Paris; a small notebook, beenie and back sign from pledging (those demerit notes were cruel :grimacing::joy:); my majorette uniform and awards; a small box of photos of myself, friends and family from childhood through my early 20s; my favorite Shakespeare collection book from college; my diplomas and a couple yearbooks. I slowly paired it down over the years, so it’s confined to just one box. It doesn’t take up that much room.

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For those who want to trash your old yearbooks - you do know you may be able to sell them to websites such as Classmates.com

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Interesting timing. I just recently found a folder of old papers I wrote, some in college, and some in HS. I purged “projects” long ago, as they took up too much space. It was fun reading (sometimes interesting, sometimes embarrassing). I MAY scan one or two, although for no known reason.

I have a harder time purging my childrens’ items (both school and childhood memories). We may have the chance to drive cross country, and I can bring a limited amount then, but right now that’s the last thing they would want - or have room to store! It is probably better timing for them to purge once we’re gone. But it would be SO NICE to clear out the house now!

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The more I think about this the more I think saving a small amount of stuff is the way to go. Not a ton —maybe a shoebox worth, but once it’s gone it’s gone and your kids and grandkids and great grands might like to look through it and see you as a kid. I love seeing that stuff from my parents and older relatives. It’s such a cool thing to see how they were as people before they were married and having us kids. I’m camp save a little!

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I did keep pretty much all my old college notes and papers for decades until about 3 years ago when I did a big purge project to declutter the basement. Went through each class, quickly, and threw away about 95% of it but selectively kept a few papers. It was worth it just to have it jog my memory. For example, I had totally forgotten that I was part of a special honors college in undergrad that required special courses, LOL.

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I only recently received permission from my daughter (RIT Class of 2018, Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine Class of 2024) to dump her college binders of notes.

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