How to Ensure Your Graduation Goes with a Bang

Graduation coming soon? Make sure the day is one to remember – and for the right reasons – by following our top tips to your biggest event yet.

Do a Dress Rehearsal

Picked out what you’ll wear underneath your cap and gown? Try everything on well in advance and wander around the house in it for a little while. This way, you’ll be able to decide if those new heels are too high and therefore risky when walking up to collect your diploma, or if that shirt, skirt or pair of pants is comfortable enough to see you through the day.

Make Sure You Charge Your Camera

So you’ve remembered to take your SLR camera to graduation but forgotten to charge it. Trust us when we say you’ll be disappointed if you realise this at the ceremony itself – and new technology means you can’t simply run out to buy some batteries.

Instead, locate your camera charger the evening before your graduation and get it plugged in! You don’t want to have to rely on your cell phone to take those all-important photos with your classmates, after all. And once you’ve printed your photos, think about displaying them in a diploma frame – ready to hang on the wall of your first apartment, or your old room in your mom and dad’s house.

Don’t Forget Yourself

Sure, have a glass of Champagne or two – but try not to forget yourself. After all, you’re at graduation and your tutors and parents will be in attendance.

The person who gets blind drunk during or after the ceremony is the person everyone remembers long after graduation – and for all the wrong reasons! Plus, do you really want to be so tipsy that you don’t remember much of the day? Say yes to a glass of Champagne or wine if you must, but keep the drinking to a minimum – there’s plenty of time to celebrate later.

Mingle

It’s your graduation day so make sure you make the most of it! The last thing you want is to return home and remember you didn’t seek out your course tutor to say thank you. If you need to, write a list beforehand of everyone you’d like to see; that way you won’t forget when the adrenaline of the day kicks in.

Take Tissues

Graduation is likely to be an emotional rollercoaster to say the least. There will be pre-ceremony nerves and there could be a few happy (or sad!) tears. Be prepared, then, and take a packet or two of tissues in your purse. You might also want to remember a stick or two of gum; you’ll be up close and personal with classmates, tutors and friends’ parents – hugging and cheek-kissing the day away – so make sure your breath is minty fresh, just in case.

Don’t Forget a Notebook

You’ll likely bump into lots of people you want to stay in touch with, so make sure you take a notebook and pen to easily jot down names, numbers and addresses. Sure, you can use your cell phone but you can’t rely on its battery holding out for the whole day. Be prepared and you’ll thank us later.

You’ve earned it, so frame it

When all is said and done and you have said your farewells and are looking towards the future, be sure to think about purchasing a frame for your diploma. Companies such as Church Hill Classics offer a fantastic range of Diploma Frames, be sure to check them out.