Ethics of Outside Scholarships

Northstarmom
Thu, 05 Jul 2007 07:28:30 +0000

“But in the same vein, are you all going to report the monetary gifts – often in the hundreds of dollars – that your child received as graduation presents since this is a form of income?”

Neither son chose to send graduation announcements because both felt that doing so was like asking for gifts.

I don’t remember either getting any money – including from close relatives. I haven’t given money to any of my friends/relatives who graduated. Have given some gift certificates to bookstores, however. The most was for $25.

Most of my friends come from professional families, typically have at least one college prof in the family, as is the case with my nuclear family. At graduation parties, I don’t remember anyone getting checks or cash. In our circles, that would be considered crass. Gift certificates and books, however, are very appreciated as most of the graduates have been avid readers.

I live in a college town, and high school graduation is regarded by my friends as expected, and not something to give lavish gifts for. For most of my friends and my kids’ friends the ceremony itself was important because it marked the end of the kids’ really living at home and going to school with their childhood friends. The very elaborate gifts, bashes, graduation trips, etc., were things typically done by the (relatively rare in my community) students who were first gen h.s. graduates or were not planning to go on to college.