Feeling Prepared for Graduation: A ‘how to’ guide
Graduation can be stressful. It’s the cumulation of all of your hard work up to this point and you want it to go perfectly! To help you make sure that everything goes to plan, we’ve put together an in-depth explanation of the entire process.
To start with, you have to register for your graduation. You will get an email about registration a couple of months before the actual graduation date, which will tell you when and where your graduation is and direct you towards the website where you can book your academic dress (also known as regalia).
Hiring your regalia will usually cost around £40 for students in Scotland, and around £50 for students in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. This is because Scottish universities usually don’t require you to wear graduation caps, whereas most other places do. When hiring regalia you will need to provide your height and chest size for sizing, as well as details about the graduation event you will be attending.
It’s important to pay attention to when and where your graduation is going to take place for more reasons than just hiring your regalia. A lot of universities have multiple graduation dates in quick succession depending on which department the subject of your degree is in, so make sure you know exactly which day and what time your graduation will take place. There are also usually two graduation ‘seasons’ - one in the summer, and one in the winter.
Within that first email, you will normally find information on how many guest tickets you will receive - if you’re from a bigger family or have lots of people who you would like to invite and the one or two tickets you receive aren’t enough, don’t panic. There are often opportunities to ask for more tickets from the university, and if not, ask around your friends who are also graduating to see if anyone has any spare tickets. If you have friends and family who are unable to attend your graduation due to travel restrictions or health issues, universities will often livestream their graduation ceremonies online. You could also ask your friends or family to meet you after the ceremony has been completed; if you don’t mind them missing it but still want to see them on the day, the university will usually allow you to mill around freely before and after.
Once you’ve sorted out registration, tickets, and regalia hire, it’s important to check on things such as the dress code. It would be a nightmare if you found the perfect dress, just to learn that it doesn’t fit the dress code of the event, so make sure to look this up quickly! The dress code is usually very formal, with some universities having more strict requirements such as black trousers or skirts paired with specific colours of blouse or shirt, but some are much more lax with it. Most universities will allow or encourage you to wear traditional clothing (including: kilts, saris, shalwar kameezes, etc.) even if it doesn’t fit the dress code.
You can also book professional photos with the photography company working the event. There will sometimes be chances to book these in advance through your registration, but other times you will have to sort this out on the day.
Hopefully that has helped you feel a little more prepared to face your graduation! The next section of this blog post will be a more step-by-step look at the actual day and what to expect.
You will probably start your day by registering your attendance. This will usually require you to have your Student ID on you on the day. Your Student ID might also be used to collect your regalia, some universities will do this through a booking number instead.
After you have registered on the day you might spend some time in a waiting area where you will be sorted into your seats in advance of the ceremony. The other possibility is that you will be told your seating position and be expected to find your way to your seat by a certain time.
You can have your phone in your bag or pocket, as long as it is on silent (Not vibrate, but silent) - feel free to take pictures throughout the ceremony.
The ceremony will usually start with a series of speeches from various important figures within the university.
People will be called on stage in alphabetical order, row by row. You will walk across the stage after the person sitting next to you.
When your row is directed to stand and make your way to the stage you will be asked to confirm that you are the person that you should be and that everyone is in the right order.
When you finally make your way onto the stage, you will be given the chance to shake hands with the important figure who is doing the graduation (usually the Chancellor/Vice-Chancellor, or Principal/Vice-Principal). Shaking hands is optional - if you don’t want to shake hands, you can put your hand to your heart, put your hands together in a prayer motion, or doff your hat to the figure if you’re wearing one.
If you’re graduating in Scotland, you will also be ‘capped’ which is where the president or chancellor of the university will lightly tap the top of your head with a historic bonnet during the ceremony.
You might receive some kind of well-wish as you cross the stage, or you might receive a scroll or certificate, but this depends on the institution.
Once the process is behind you, feel free to wave or acknowledge your family and friends in the crowd, just try not to fall down the stairs on the other side!
You will be directed back to the same seat that you started on, so feel free to leave your small bags, programmes, or phones behind when you stand up.
The ceremony will usually end with a final speech, after which you will be released from the ceremony and free to leave.
After the ceremony you will be given time to mill around in a central area, among family, friends and other graduates. It can be common for graduates to receive small gifts like cards, flowers or chocolates at this time. This might also be a chance for you to have a quick conversation with any lecturers who chose to show up and who have been particularly influential to you. You will need to return your regalia by a set time, but make sure to get some pictures in it first.
Graduation can be a beautiful, fun, and fulfilling day for many people, but it’s not for everyone. Remember that there is no requirement that you attend the ceremony to get your degree - if you would be more comfortable getting it in the post with no fanfare there's nothing wrong with that!
Graduating is supposed to be about you - if you stick with what you’re comfortable wearing, celebrating, and doing, it will always be the perfect graduation ceremony!
