If you follow me on social media then I’m sorry because you’re going to have to hear it again… I GRADUATED! I can’t believe how fast the last three years have flown by. Throughout the stress and the partying that is University, I had somehow completely forgotten that there would be a degree and a graduation ceremony at the end of it all. How funny is that? I can now say that it was honestly one of the best days of my life. After three years of hard work I could celebrate with the people I care for most and look forward to a hopefully prosperous future.
Things to over analyse before the big day
- Falling over. I was absolutely terrified that I would fall over on the stage. I’m not being flippant about that
word either. There were sleepless nights and I drove my coworkers mad at work constantly talking about it. - Outfit disasters. What if my dress looks awful under my gown? Sweat patches!! Will I fall over in heels? Won’t my hair look disastrous with a cap covering it?! HELPPPP.
- Being centre stage. My worst nightmare. I like attention don’t get me wrong, but not by huge groups of people at the same time! The idea of walking onto a stage on my own literally makes my knees tremble. Shudder.
- Arriving late. I had to travel in the car for two and a half hours in order to attend graduation. There was so much room for error. So many opportunities for traffic and car issues… Stressssss.
- Parking. Hundreds of people piling into a city centre at a similar time, having to rely on public car parks. What could go wrong? Aside from everything of course.
In the end I needn’t have worried about a single one of these things, as per usual. I’m far too good at letting my mind run drive me round the twist.
My graduation outfit
This was such a monumental decision. The University of Lincoln colours are blue and gold, and this would feature on my black gown and mortarboard (graduation hat). I have a really weird problem with the pairing of blue and black in an outfit, so I was already stressing to the max about that.
I wanted an outfit which would stand out, but wouldn’t draw too much attention. It also of course needed to coordinate with my University colours and had to be comfortable enough to wear for 13 hours.
Boohoo.com to the rescue!! I bought this dress (which you can find here) for just £30!!! What a bargain. It was absolutely perfect in every single way and I’m so happy I graduated in it.
Something I cannot stress to you enough: wear comfortable shoes!!!!!! As I’ve said, I was wearing this outfit for thirteen hours. If you choose crazy high heels you will be feeling every single minute.
There’s also the obstacles you may have to tackle at graduation. Such as a long gown, the cobble stones, the grass, the carpeted stage. Coming from someone with extremely weak ankles – all the above scared me right into those low sandals.
I purchased my black low heel sandals from Primark roughly a year ago for £12 and they are honestly the comfiest heels I own.
On arrival
After all that worrying about traffic we actually arrived and parked spot on time! This gave me the chance to enter at
our own pace and take some family photos. I then finally got to chat with my flatmates who I haven’t seen in so long. We took millions of photos and had the chance to catch up and to speak about our shared jitters.
The gowning
Now this was a weird experience. I went to get my gown on my own and it was so awkward! I didn’t hate it, but my god that was the most intense 5 minutes with a stranger in my life.
You basically walk in and you carry your gown over to a “gowner”. They take your gown off you and proceed to dress you whilst you stand still. Haha!!! I may have been dressed a few times by my friends whilst intoxicated but this was such a surreal experience.
The cherry on the cake was when he started fitting my mortarboard. He stared so deeply into my eyes I honestly didn’t know what to do but laugh uncontrollably… But here I am all suited and booted in my grad gear!
Pictures, pictures & more pictures
I’m now going to overwhelm you with as many photos as I can get away with.
I can’t express just how happy I was to be reunited with this bunch!!! They were all my rocks throughout the three years and I can truly say that I wouldn’t have made it to the end without their love and support. I’m welling up as I type this because my life feels so much emptier without them in it. I can’t wait to see them again and to make even more memories!
Ahhhhh look at us all! Reunited once more!!!! It was so nice to be able to spend my graduation with the best flatmates I could have asked for. We stayed together since day one, and I wouldn’t have asked to live with anyone else in the world. I’m going to miss our movie nights, the hilarious prinks sessions and all the wonderful things we do for each other every day.
Who will go to the shop for me without Dan and Tom around? Who will I spend every second of every day with without Katie living with me? What other comedy duo will have me peeing my pants, even on my worst days without Kim and Erin around? I’M SO LOST.
Just in case I haven’t told you… I GRADUATED
The graduation ceremony itself was absolutely beautiful. We were lucky enough to have it in the Lincoln cathedral. The view and surroundings were absolutely beautiful – I had to keep pinching myself to remember that I really was graduating there!
Getting up on the stage was one of the scariest, yet proudest moments of my entire life. My name was called and I was shaking all over. I had to walk to the front of the stage, doff my mortorboard (a fancy way of showing respect to the Chancellor), shake hands with the Vice Chancellor and walk off the stage to collect my degree.
I have included a link to the video of this magnificent moment below.
*Unfortunately the original video on YouTube has been made private so I can’t provide the link to it. This video was not taken by myself and I do not claim it as my own in any way shape or form.*
Celebrating the fact that… I graduated!!
Now that the scary part was over it was time to celebrate. We were encouraged to go to the main bar and use our drinks tokens on … a soft drink of choice. Are you kidding? So Dan treated me to an EXTORTIONATE £7 glass of prosecco (I’ll save that rant for another day).
Ignoring the ridiculous drink prices, this was such a wonderful opportunity to speak to old classmates and tutors. I actually got the chance to speak to my two favourite teachers which was absolutely wonderful.
Of course, what came next was the iconic hat throw! You have just gotta do it!
I was pretty surprised with how few attempts it actually took, and we got some hilarious photos in the meantime. This video has to be my ultimate favourite though:
Final thoughts
I just want to take this opportunity to thank absolutely everyone in my life. I am so lucky to be surrounded by such a strong support system.
My fantastic boyfriend Dan, I truly don’t know what I’d do without him. He has kept me focused on my lowest of days and is forever reminding me of why I should chase my dreams.
My fantastic family has always encouraged each of my aspirations. They have done absolutely everything in their power to get me to where I am today and I am unbelievably thankful to them for that.
To my best best best best friends at University; Katie, Tom and Dan. I love you with all my heart and I’m going to miss you all endlessly. I can’t describe how close-knit our group is. I feel like there’s a hole in my heart without you with me. I’m so glad we could all be together on such a special day and I can’t wait to see you soon!!!
Did you go to University? Have you or do you know anyone else who has graduated? Please comment below and let me know what you think.
Thank you so much for reading. Don’t forget to follow me on my other social media accounts, and feel free to comment below or message me for a chat. I’d love to talk to you.
Twitter Instagram BlogLovin’ Pinterest Facebook Google+
*Disclaimer: There were many photos taken by so many people at my graduation, therefore I do not claim to own any of these images as I can’t be sure which are mine and which are from others!*
