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Intention of college graduation announcement?
I apologize in advance for this being a silly question - maybe really silly. However, I'm curious.
My cousin sent out college graduation announcements to the family (she and her immediate family live in TX, the rest of us are all in PA). It's a very formal announcement and includes her graduation picture, stating the degree she'll be graduating with, and the commencement ceremony information - date, time, location.
I have never seen or heard of formal, mailed graduation announcements before, which is why I'm asking. Is this simply an announcement (which is why I feel slightly crazy even asking this question), or is the intention behind this for graduation gifts? I'm wondering this since none of her other family members live in the same state, so we wouldn't be able to attend a graduation party with gifts, etc.
Yeah, this sounds pretty cynical. My parents and her parents have not been speaking to each other for several years on account of money related issues, so my mom asked me what I thought, and I wasn't sure.
I'm not asking for you to dissect if my aunt, uncle and cousin, but more - if you got something like this, would you think it's simply a nice way to announce a great accomplishment, or a subtle attempt at a gift grab?
Re: Intention of college graduation announcement?
It could be either.
I was pretty excited when I got my undergrad degree and I sent a lot of announcements to people that I never expected a gift from.
Sara, Friend?
glove slap. I don't take crap.
<a href="http://www.thenest.com/?utm_source=ticker&utm_medium=HTML&utm_campaign=tickers" title="D
The are the norm for me. It is for simply informing people.
If you want to send a gift, go for it. But you are in no way obligated to do so.
I remember sending out graduation announcements, and when people who got the announcements sent me money, I was MORTIFIED. I just wanted them to know of my achievement. I hoped they didn't think I was asking for a gift!!!
I also think that it may be your cousin's way of "reaching out," and trying to establish her own relationship with your family, separate from her parent's.
I would send her a congratulations card and not feel obligated to do anything else.
But I didn't send announcements for my undergrad or my grad degrees, neither did my H. We figured that anyone who knew us and cared that we were graduating would already know about it; sending out an announcement seems to be the way to tell people that you aren't in semi-regular contact with, and we didn't see a reason to send them something like that.
it's normal for people to send out college and high school graduation announcements. Presumably the fact that your and your cousin's parents are not on good terms does not mean that you and the cousin are on bad terms; you don't say that you are. This person is announcing a big event in a normal fashion, and you can send a congratulatory card if you like. No, it is not fishing for a gift.
I sent out announcements for HS, undergrad and grad school (fewer and fewer each time). Some were family and some were for my mother to send out to her friends (whom I know, of course, but may not have seen for a while), because she and her friends do this for one another and generally return a card. My family lives all over the country, so these sorts of announces are a way to stay up to date with one anothers lives.
For undergrad and grad, i sent them to the agencies that gave me scholarships for college. I received a number of large scholarships from private organizations and I sent the announcements and a little note thanking them for helping me achieve my academic goals and what I'll be doing next. A few wrote back thanking me for the update.
When I get announcements, i will generally send a card of congrats or perhaps a small gift, depending on how close I am.
I sent out graduation announcements from college - you could order them from the school. I am very big on sending Christmas cards, change or address cards, etc. other snail mail updates in my life, this is just one more way to keep in touch with people you care about.
I am thrilled when someone acknowledges my event (for example, moving to a new home) with a card - I think it is so thoughtful. But I would never expect a gift.
Send a "congrats" card to your cousin and don't worry about sending more.
Big NO to this...all of my announcements (graduations times 3) announce the time and place of the ceremony...but it's still an announcement...it should say something like "admission by ticket only" and that is NOT your ticket...
not that it sounds like OP expects to go
Treat it as an announcement...send along congratulations in a card and acknowledge it any way that is appropriate for your relationship. An aunt I would expect would acknowledge such an occasion with a gift, a cousin, probably not
Yeah, I agree - it definitely wasn't an invitation to the ceremony. The announcements were sent out to my entire extended family in PA, and I know that when graduating, you normally only get a certain number of tickets to attend the ceremony, so I'm positive that wasn't the intention.
I'm glad so many people find announcements as the norm. Maybe they just weren't big in my circle of family or friends - I'm surprised that after all the above responses I hadn't heard of them. I think it's appropriate for me to send a congrats card to my cousin. My mom is deciding on whether to send a gift or not, but that does stem back to issues they have with my aunt and uncle - my relationship with my cousin has been slightly strained due to the larger family issues, but overall is still a good one.
Thanks again, everyone!