• Girlawhirl thinks Maria Shriver's Ten Things I Wish I'd Known before I Went Out into the Real World, should be required reading for anyone about to give up the classroom for the daily grind. And Girlawhirl plans on making it so!
• For the high school, college and graduate school grads in her life, Girlawhirl is in love with the Working Girl's Survival Kit. It's full of 22 items women entering the workforce will need for a day chained to the desk, but might not have thought of beforehand including, clear nail polish for a quick manicure (or to stop hosiery hysteria), breath mints and even pain reliever for those inevitable stress headaches! It also works great as a dorm-room survival kit.
• To outfit the new working girl's new home-away-from-home (most likely her cubicle), Girlawhirl loves SeeJaneWork.com for all the stylish accessories needed to give an office some personality. But for fun and outrageous cubicle design ideas, everyone gets a copy of Kelly L.
Moore's CUBEchic. 
• And after the stress of four years of hitting the books hard, there's no better way to enjoy a little school detox with friends than a group vacation! Girlawhirl likes the idea of a cruise, but with so many destination options and vacation packages, the possibilities are endless! Expedia always has great deals on vacation packages, or Girlawhirl springs for an American Express Traveler's Check Card.
• A Bally Total Fitness membership is a great universal gift. Most colleges have free gym memberships for students. So a membership is a great way to ease grads—both physically and financially—into a post-college lifestyle. And if they're moving to a new city, what better way to get out and make friends!
• A gift card and appointment with a personal shopper go hand-in-hand for the grad who wants to shed the college look for something more professional. Girlawhirl loves the Imagine Studio service at Barneys New York's Madison Avenue store. Personal shopping service and makeover included! When gifting grads all over the country, gift cards to all major department stores like Nordstrom and Macy's are always available online.
• And for the guy or girl looking to make their first new apartment as hip as they are, Girlawhirl finds great accessories for the home and even furniture that no new “real worlder” should be without at Urban Outfitters. But on the other end of the spectrum, Girlawhirl knows that domestic Divas secretly covet the Kitchen Aide Standing Mixer.
Find personalized graduation gifts in our online shopping mall.
Girlawhirl Giveaway! A copy of ‘CUBEchic' is part of this week's Girlawhirl Giveaways! You're already registered if you've signed up once and have a girlawhirl login. Not registered? sign up
Editor's note: Some of these products may no longer be available. Links to some of these products may be disabled.