How to Prepare For Your Graduation: Graduation Checklist

Graduations are one of those watershed events in life that deserve to be celebrated in a memorable way. It marks a significant moment in one’s academic life and the completion of years of toil and sweat.

The most important ceremony in the whole graduation process has to be the convocation day. This is when you’ll be invited up on stage to receive your scroll from one of the heads of your tertiary institution.

In order to ensure that you have everything prepared down to the last detail, we’ve compiled a helpful checklist for you:

1.  Check your convocation time and date

One of the first things you will have to do is determine when your slot for the convocation is. All other things will then have to be planned around this date. Usually, your tertiary institution will notify you of the time and date, or release a booklet where you can check your name.

Note that for larger universities, convocation will run over several days with several sessions in a day, so it is important not to get your slot mixed up.

2.  Invite your loved ones for the ceremony

The arrangements for the number of guests allowed inside the convocation ceremony depends very much on your university or college. Some institutions don’t allow guests into the ceremony at all.

However, the number of guests outside the ceremony hall is usually unlimited, so make sure all your loved ones who want to be there for your graduation know the time and place so that they can mark this special day with you. This is the time when they will bring you graduation gifts like plush toys and flowers.

If your loved ones can’t make it to your ceremony, they can always send you flowers via flower delivery in Singapore. Here at Farm Florist, we offer 24 hour services for delivery, and express delivery within an hour of your order.

You can check out our graduation flowers collection, and one very bright and cheerful bouquet you can consider giving is Warmest Congrats, full of happy sunflowers and vibrant coloured roses.

Source: Farm Florist

3. Pick out A Graduation Outfit

Your graduation outfit should be formal so that it will fit the occasion. For men, a suit would be for the best, but a shirt and tie works well too as you would be wearing your graduation gown over it.

For women, a graduation dress is the usual pick. Many women also like to wear a blouse with a skirt or a pair of slacks. Usually, your tertiary institution would outline certain dress codes to ensure that you conform to standards of propriety and formality during the ceremony.

4. Collect Your Graduation Robes

Your college or university administration will usually determine a period of time before the graduation ceremony where you can go and collect your graduation gown and sash, as well as your graduation hat. Make sure you collect them within the time frame allocated.

You’ll have to care for them and keep them clean and pressed for the actual convocation ceremony. Afterwards, you will have to return them in pristine condition to the institution.

5. Book a Photography Session

Apart from snapping pictures casually with your friends and family, you should also book a proper studio for a formal graduation photoshoot to mark the occasion.

You can save some time by scheduling your shoot on the same day as your graduation ceremony. That way, you won’t have to dress up twice. All photo studios will offer graduation packages with several poses, and at least one portrait with your loved ones.

These formal portraits can be printed out and framed later on for display at home or in your private office.

6. Get Dolled Up

Since your graduation ceremony is when you’ll have lots of photos taken, it’s only natural to look your best. This means visiting the hairdresser some time before the event and getting your hair styled the way you want. Some of you may also want to consider a visit to a manicure and pedicure specialist.

Get lots of sleep the night before the convocation ceremony, and avoid staying up all night.

Some of you may also want to get help from a makeup artist or beautician just before the event and get your makeup done too. 

7.  Prepare Graduation Gifts for Your Friends

Your graduation marks the last occasion you will see many of your friends, and one of the last times all of you can be together in one place. Therefore, you should also prepare a graduation gift for them to commemorate all the wonderful time spent together.

Among the types of gifts you can consider are flowers, and there are many flower shops in Singapore where you can find beautiful options for your friends. Farm Florist is a Singapore flower delivery provider that can send over your flowers at any time of the day, anywhere on the island, including to your convocation premises. 

If you’re planning to give out several bouquets at once, you can consider this carnation bouquet called Felicity that’s only $25.

Source: Farm Florist

8. Tying Things Up

Once the convocation is complete, there will be a time frame for you to return your robes and collect a printed copy of your education certificate, be it a degree, diploma or others.

Contrary to popular belief, your actual certificate is usually not given during the ceremony itself but later on, to avoid mix ups since many students will be going on stage at the same time.

Make sure you get all your pictures taken at famous campus landmarks and your group of friends before the due date for returning your graduation gown comes along.

Your graduation is a landmark event that marks the beginning of your journey into the working world. Therefore, celebrating it with lots of good memories is the way to go, so that you can remember it and draw inspiration from it in the days to come.