How to Celebrate Convocation
A few words from Taylor, who convocated from UAlberta one year ago.
Author bio: Taylor Joseph, Student Services Assistant for UAlberta Faculty of Arts. Proud U of A Alum, ’19 BA Sociology, CIL.
Convocation. Arguably the most important moment in any university students’ academic career. You finally did it! All the blood, sweat, and tears (ok hopefully not blood, but probably a lot of sweat and tears) have finally paid off after years of hard work. You deserve all the congratulations, all the love, and especially all the job offers!
For me, attending my Fall 2019 convocation ceremony wasn’t even a question. I wanted that big moment, wearing the cap and gown, walking across the stage with that 5 second spotlight, and knowing my family and friends were in the audience cheering me on. That was my Stanley Cup moment, my Grammy award, my Emmy nomination… you get the picture. It was, and still is, the proudest moment of my life. Now, I know that the in-person convocation ceremonies were unfortunately cancelled for our Spring 2020 and Fall 2020 graduates (and who knows how long this will go on). BUT that doesn’t mean you still can’t properly celebrate your big achievement! You deserve to feel special and accomplished, and damnit I will not let a pandemic stop you from feeling your best! We need those moments now more than ever.
Below I’ve listed my personal convocation tips, to make your big day special while we celebrate safely and remotely:
1. Personalize your mortarboard (aka your cap!)
Since we’ve had to go virtual with our celebrations, graduands should have received their own personal mortarboard in the mail in advance of the virtual ceremony. This is the one piece of your graduation ensemble you get to keep. So why not make it super special? Add a little glamour to your cap — whether it simply says ‘2020’ or you go all out, it is completely up to you!
For me, I wanted to be able to walk across the stage with my little brother, who unfortunately passed away before my convocation. To make my cap extra special, I added a green and yellow ribbon to my cap. This was a simple way for me to include him in my special day.
2. Dress to impress!
With many classes and jobs working remotely, we don’t have many excuses to dress our best anymore. The pajama-business suit is such a reality lately, especially for me (if this is not the case for you, I applaud your wardrobe efforts!). But when an exciting moment like graduation comes around, especially in a pandemic, you have all the reasons in the book to look good and feel your absolute best! Plus, you’re most likely going to take a lot of photos, so you probably don’t want your old high school fundraiser t-shirt to be the focus of attention… which leads me to my next point.
3. Take so many photos, and hire a photographer if you can!
When I look back on my graduation day, I love browsing through the professional photos we had taken with my family. I hired one of my photographer friends and the photos are so incredibly special to me. Instead of having a family member sit out and take the photos, I was able to capture everyone in attendance. And having someone who knows how to take photos is so important, as you don’t want to burden your grandparents with this seemingly difficult task. I’m telling you, you are going to look back on this day with such fond memories, so capture the moments!
If you do rent a gown and hood, plan to take photos when your graduation attire arrives. My suggestion: hire a photographer. You will get amazing photos, you can support your friends photography career, AND photos can be taken from 6 feet away! Take that COVID! If you can’t hire a photographer, you can always take some sweet selfies, or get a friend or family member to snap some pics. No matter what, take those photos!
Now before you start booking your favourite photographer or buying out Sephora, there are three very important steps you need to take:
1. Double check your current program
It is very important that you double check that you are properly enrolled in your correct major(s), minor(s), and any applicable certificates. You can check this using your Academic Requirements report on Bear Tracks. For students in Honors or After-Degree programs, you won’t be able to access this report so please contact our office for an updated program sheet. If you need to make any changes to your major, minor, or certificates please complete the relevant online google form found in our Forms Cabinet before you apply to graduate and we will make those changes within 5 business days.
2. Apply to graduate
You may be thinking, “Wait… I have to apply?!?”
Yes! All students planning to graduate must submit their application to graduate on Bear Tracks. Students need to apply so that the Undergraduate Student Services office can assess your application and confirm that you have satisfied all your degree requirements. Otherwise, if you don’t apply, we won’t know that you’re done with your degree! We receive hundreds of applications every convocation season, so we encourage all graduating students to apply early. If you are graduating in Spring 2021, right now is the perfect time to apply. Remember, the deadline to apply for Spring 2021 convocation is February 1, 2021.
The application to graduate is super quick and takes less than a minute to complete. Log in to your Bear Tracks, and under “My Academics” select “Graduation”. Then select your active academic program (click the hyperlinked title of your degree), and follow the easy-to-follow prompts from there.
After you apply, you should also verify your name and degree information, and update your attendance (if applicable) and hometown information. You can do this by switching to the Graduation Status tab on the same page. If you need to make corrections to the spelling of your name, you will need to contact the Registrar’s Office. And of course if you have any questions about your degree status, please contact the Faculty of Arts USS office at arts.undergrad@ualberta.ca.
3. Clear any outstanding fines or fees
In order to actually receive your parchment, check your financial details in Bear Tracks (under “Financials” select “Financial Holds”), and clear any current fines or outstanding fees. Don’t let a fine for an overdue library book two years ago be the reason you don’t receive your parchment!
I would like to personally extend to you my sincere congratulations for those who will be convocating in the future.
You are a star and the world has yet to see how brightly you will shine! Be proud of what you have accomplished, and what has brought you to this point in your life today. Through all the difficulties life has thrown at you, you have achieved and overcome.
Congratulations!
For more information on how to prepare for convocation visit the UAlberta website:
From here you can access information on how to watch the virtual ceremony, FAQs, information about when parchments are mailed out, traditions, memorabilia and more.
