Written by Lauren Bridgfoot
Graduation. The big day all university students dream of when they’re making their way through their degree. It can be fairly intimidating trying to prepare for your ceremony, so don’t stress, take things one at a time and get ready to put on your cap and gown.
Here’s the rundown of things that are going to happen on your graduation day:
- Ceremonies may take place in the morning or afternoon, depending on your faculty. There are lots of people having their special day on campus! Mine was in the afternoon, so I had most of the day to get ready. Make the most of the time you have so you can feel your best.
- You’re recommended to arrive up to 2 hours before your ceremony to account for gowning and briefing (as well as meeting up with your friends and taking photos!). You will go and have your cap and gown fitted, as well as be given your graduation token for when you walk across the stage.
- The ceremony will take around 1.5-2 hours depending on how many students are graduating that session. You’ll be sitting with others from your course and be called up row by row to get ready to walk across the stage. Don’t stress about getting something wrong, the staff and helpers are there to make sure everything runs smoothly.
- Be prepared to celebrate yourself. It’s your day, you did it, you finished your course! It might feel a little overwhelming with nearly every person you speak to congratulating you, but just take it all in.
While a lot of students see graduation as the light at the end of the tunnel, I quickly found myself being a little overwhelmed with all the possibilities of fulltime work. I was very excited to be completing my degree, but a part of me was also disappointed and wanted to continue learning.
This is where my honours degree came in! As my third year was ending, I realised that honours looked like a great option for setting me up for my ideal career path in academics and lecturing, so I bit the bullet and jumped in headfirst.
My honours degree has led me in a slightly different direction than I had first planned and inspired me to create my own business in collaboration with my Mum (an occupational therapist). Through my research on Equine Assisted Services, I have further developed my passion for wanting to help people with horses, as well as advocate for horses in this industry.
I had always imagined graduating as being the definitive start of a new chapter. For some people it is, but for me it was another stepping stone on continuing my learning journey.
I still definitely felt a massive sense of relief upon crossing the stage, knowing I was another step towards creating a future I was excited for. I can’t wait to head back after finishing my honours. Who knows, maybe I love graduating so much I’ll have to come back again.
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