When it comes to choosing a thank you gift for professors, it’s important to be thoughtful and deliberate. Though the task may seem daunting, we’re here to help. Whether you’ve had an amazing experience this semester or just want to show appreciation – this blog post will guide you in the right direction!
Table Of Content
- Things to consider when choosing a Thank You Gift for Professors:
- 1. Consider the professor’s personality and interests
- 2. Choose a gift that is relevant to their field of study
- 3. Don’t feel pressured to spend too much money on a thank you gift
- 4. Avoid gifts with any religious symbols or language
- 5. Don’t forget your gratitude and appreciation with a card or note!
- Some last words
- Frequently Asked Questions about Thank-you gifts for professors
Things to consider when choosing a Thank You Gift for Professors:
1. Consider the professor’s personality and interests
The key here is that your thank you present should reflect their personality and interests so it will make them happy when they receive it! With this understanding, choosing a thank-you gift for professors won’t seem so hard after all…and we’re excited to share some of our ideas with you below:
- Does the professor love to read? Consider a book as a thank you gift.
- Do they like plants or flowers in general? Flowers are always appreciated!
- Are they into music, sports, theater – anything at all really!? A ticket or even something from there favorite team is sure to be well received. Or else, some merchandise from their favourite sport team or singer will work too, especially if your professor is at younger age.
2. Choose a gift that is relevant to their field of study
Professors of each field such as Math, or Economics, or Art… have different interest tendancies! For example, science professors may be interested in robotics or engineering, while language professors may be impressed with works of literature.
- If they teach a more specific subject such as math, then books and puzzles are great ideas.
- A piece of art that is relevant and special, like a coffee mug with the university logo on one side or framed picture from the local museum will suit Literature and language teachers.
- For professors who make assignments in class that you don’t find interesting, consider giving them an item related to their field with the intention of helping them out! They’ll be appreciative for sure!
- Anytime I have given my professor something like this, it has always been well received; they love when people give them items relevant to what they’re teaching us so they can use it in future lessons or write about it on their blog (if applicable).
- Another idea is to get your entire class together and donate one present because there’s no way that somebody picks just ONE thank you gift!! It would be like picking between your children!!
3. Don’t feel pressured to spend too much money on a thank you gift
More than anyone your professor is aware that you are just a student who needs to save money for other things. Nobody should feel bad about not being able to afford a thank you gift that’s worth $150!
- If you are on tight budget, some ordinary but popular things such as flowers, candies, journals… will be appreciated by most teachers. A more DIY choice is giving a favorite food from home (or even better, grow some plants and bring them in) as an appreciation gift!
- On the other hand, if you are on more well-off side, maybe even consider an expensive pen? It has more class than some other gifts but still can be appreciated by any professor who’s been putting in long hours for you.
4. Avoid gifts with any religious symbols or language
It’s always a good idea to ask before gifting anything with such symbols attached!
- This also includes saying words in Arabic or Hebrew that mean something derogatory. Again, no matter how well intentioned this may seem, don’t do it unless your professor can read Arabic or Hebrew themselves (or is fluent enough). The same goes for Chinese characters because many cultures exist within China so not everyone will know you are wishing them good luck.
- If your professor belongs to a different religion, you should do a quick research to avoid giving them any gifts that symbolize the religious beliefs of their faith, or else they might be offended by this gesture. For example, if your professor is a Christian, you should not give them any gifts that have the Star of David (even if it’s just an ornament). Or if he or she is Muslim, you should not give them any Hindu-inspired gifts.
5. Don’t forget your gratitude and appreciation with a card or note!
- Last but not least, I want to mention thank you notes. These are always appreciated by professors as a way to get feedback from students about what they liked or didn’t like in the class and also for communication outside of just grading papers!
- Even when your gift is just a personalized card with a handwritten note thanking them for all the hard work, this shows appreciation without being showy, which some professors are uncomfortable with receiving gifts from students.
Some last words
As you can see, there are many ways to show appreciation. No matter which thank-you gift you choose, just make sure that your professor can feel your care, gratitude and appreciation. We hope this list has been helpful in your search for the perfect thank-you gift for your professor. If not, please feel free to reach out and we will help find something that suits their tastes!
