The big day may be approaching you sometime soon and aside from the excitement of entering a new phase of your life and leaving education behind (at least for now), it’s not uncommon for some young adults to start feeling a little antsy about graduation. Your time in the spotlight might not be very long, but if you’re nervous about messing things up or not being ready, here are a few tips to make sure that you’re ready.
Know what to expect
For a lot of people, any mix of unknown factors might make even the most pedestrian of events seem a little more nerve-wracking. As such, knowing what to expect might help you calm down a little. Make sure that you get up early enough to have a hearty breakfast and groom yourself well. After you arrive to the graduation site, you’re going to take your seats and be there for most of it. Anticipate a lot of clapping, and bring a little hand cream to soothe those achy palms. When your name is called, you’re going to get up, make your way to the stage, take a blank certificate (you get the real one later) shake a hand, and sit down.
After that, you’re going to likely spend time celebrating with friends, you might catch up with your professors, and there are going to be plenty of photo opportunities, so be sure to bring a camera (or just your phone.) It’s going to be your last time seeing many parts of your college, including some people and the building itself, so make it a real event to remember.
Talk with the family about it early
It might be your big day, but your family and those who would want to attend might not be as up to date in all of the details as they would like to be. As such, be sure to send out your graduation announcements to those that might want to attend. A simple phone call to your parents might work well enough, but sending out more formal announcements to your grandparents, other relatives, or those who are close to you is a nice memento for them to keep of this important time in your life. Of course, it gives them the opportunity to brag a little about you, as well, which is always nice.
Get the fit ready
Of course, you’re going to need to think about what you’re going to wear to your graduation. For one, you’re going to want to make sure that you get your robe and college graduation stoles ahead of time, so you don’t run any risk of appearing without the gear that you need. Aside from that, you’re going to want to consider what to wear beneath since, at some point, you’re likely to take the robe off for a more informal celebration of the day. Bearing in mind that graduation ceremonies tend to take place in the summer, so going with a lighter option tends to work. You don’t want to wear anything too heavy or too dark, as that can make it become uncomfortably hot rather quickly.
Get your parking organized
You’re going to be attending the event with literally hundreds of families all there to see their kids graduate. To that end, you should make sure that you have your travel and parking options organized ahead of time, whether you need to book a space or simply leave early to make sure that you don’t miss out.
Don’t let it take your focus away from your work
You might be looking at graduation coming within a few months or even weeks, but that doesn’t mean that you should let it take over everything that you have got going on. Whether you’re working towards a big piece of work that you have to turn in or writing the academic essay that’s going to cap off your school year, you have to make sure that you can stay on track. Stay organized, make sure that you devote enough time to your work each day, and keep it scheduled and structured. Focusing on your work can amongst other things, help you take your mind off of distractions, such as feeling nervous about the upcoming graduation.
The prospect of graduation, from the ceremony to the day surrounding it and beyond, can be a little nerve-wracking. However, with the tips above, you can make sure that you’re on track and ready to make it a time in your life that’s worth remembering for all the right reasons.
