Beyond The Cap, Gown & Scroll: Make Your Graduation Great!

Graduating from college is an amazing accomplishment and one that you should be very proud of. It doesn’t matter what major you chose or what your plans are for the future, you’ve made it - you’re going to be a graduate, congratulations (and a bottle of bubbly) are definitely in order.

Although getting to don a cap and gown and go on stage and collect a scroll is exciting, there’s more to your graduation than that. It’s a big day - the day you graduate - so you should make the most of every second of it.

The chances are that your parents probably have a couple of surprises in store for you, after all, it’s not every day that you graduate, is it? However, it’s still a good idea to put a plan in place to ensure that your graduation day is as memorable as you always dreamt it would be.

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Pick the perfect outfit
Your graduation photos will be something that you treasure for many years to come, so you want to ensure that you are wearing the perfect outfit in them. It needs to be smart, stylish, and flattering, and something that will work well under a graduation robe. Make sure to take into account the color of the graduation robes that you will be wearing, to ensure that you pick an outfit that matches. As for your shoes, select a pair that are stylish and easy to walk in - the last thing you want is to faceplant the stage when collecting your diploma.

Follow traditions
Graduation is all about traditions, so it’s important to make sure that you follow any that are important to you, your family, or your school. The traditions in place differ from college to college and from family to family. Some of the most common ones, however, include wearing a lei during graduation, throwing your hat in the air after you’ve graduated, and shaking hands with the Dean of the college.

Make the most of your graduation ceremony
Use your graduation ceremony to catch up with friends and professors. Go around saying hello to all your old coursemates, take photos, drink the free champagne, and have a great time. Graduation is meant to be one of the most fun and exciting days of your life, so make sure to make the most of it. Make sure to get some professional photos of you and your family, so that you will always have them as a keepsake. 

Head out afterward 
Don’t let the celebrations end once your ceremony does, make plans to head out afterward and spend some time celebrating. Why not plan a meal with all of your nearest and dearest, so that you can celebrate with everyone at once? Or, what about asking your parents if you can have a party? (You knew know, they might already be planning one!) After your meal or party is over, head out to see your friends and carry the party on - graduation is the perfect excuse for partying, don’t you think?

There’s more to graduating than the cap, gown, and scroll, and it’s important to understand that.
​Make the most of your graduation, as you’ll only graduate once!

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​by Iconic Chica mag Contributors