Graduating College in the Spring? Add Personality to Your Grad Cap and Gown!

Congrats on your upcoming springtime graduation from college! What an amazing accomplishment! 

Do you know how big your graduating class will be? Dozens? Hundreds? In any case, you’ll want to stand out so your loved ones can see you from their seats in the audience as you make your way across the stage. When you don the cap and gown of a new college graduate, add some personality with the following tips and suggestions. 

Use Construction Paper and Fabric Markers to DIY a Cool Grad Cap! 

Your graduation class, regardless of size, probably feels like herding cattle or packing in sardines in the same caps and gowns. However, you can make your hat stand out with construction paper, fabric markers, and your imagination.

Here are a few fun ideas on what to write and wear on your spring graduation cap. 

• What’s your favorite inspirational quote? Write it down on your graduation cap! Let others revel in your philosophical mind! Don’t have a favorite quote? Make up your own! 

Side note: Steer clear of being vulgar or using swear words. Your university reserves the right to withhold your degree if they see your behavior as misconduct. 

• Make a colorful tribute to your year of graduation in bold letters. Use construction paper in your favorite shapes to outline and showcase your grad year. 

• Go classic with silver and gold fabric markers to highlight your name and graduation year in a curly, bold script. The silver represents your past accomplishments, while the gold is all about your current and future achievements. 

• Do you have kids? Or did you have a driving force behind your need to graduate? Pin a picture of your inspirations to your graduation cap. It’s a way to show appreciation for the people that helped you become a college graduate. 

Add Personality with Footwear that You Love! 

Spring graduation gowns are typically ankle-length and flowy, so dress up your footwear to showcase your unique personality. 

Feeling cool and carefree? Deck out your feet with a colorful or classic pair of Converse or your favorite canvas sneakers. Use fabric markers to make them your own for graduation with inspirational sayings or the year you became a college grad. They can be keepsakes of your accomplishment for years to come! 

Feeling fancy? Ladies, go for some strappy high heels in your favorite colors. Gents, don a flashy pair of loafers or polished dress shoes in timeless black or brown. There’s no reason you can’t get lavish for your big college graduation day! 

Looking to kick off your shoes at the nearest opportunity? Flipflops or sandals can be perfectly appropriate (and comfortable) footwear for springtime graduation!

Dress Up Underneath for Post-Grad Pictures! 

Did you know that spring graduation gowns have a distinctive look that goes better with some underneath outfits than others? For instance, the gown is a V-neck collar, so you should strive to wear a shirt with a collar of the same design to avoid feeling uncomfortable during the college grad ceremony. 

Dress up! There are likely to be college graduation pictures after the main event, so you’ll want to look your best to commemorate this special accomplishment. 

Other tips for jiving with your spring graduation gown include: 

• Graduation gowns are typically heavy, which means you may get hot if the weather is nice outside. Wear a graduation outfit underneath that’s lightweight and made of a breezy fabric, like light cotton or rayon. 

Avoid polyester because it clings to your body and traps heat to your skin under heavier fabrics. 

• Grad gown sleeves are usually 1 to 2 inches above your wrists, so keep undershirt sleeves shorter than that. 

• Wearing a dress? Anything just above the ankle but below the knee will stay in place when you take your graduation gown off. The last thing you want is a short dress to grab the gown hem and reveal your undies to the rest of the graduating class. 

• Remember to wear something comfortable because professional. Think Sunday is best. Something that you won’t regret later when graduation pictures are developed. Something that you would be proud to show in a professional environment, like in a frame in an office setting after you land your dream job.  

Brush Up on Grad Traditions: 

Move Your Cap Tassel to the Left After Graduation 

Graduation cap tassels are symbolic of both accomplishment and change. After the spring graduation ceremony, you will move your cap tassel from the right side to the left side to indicate your journey through college. The left side of your graduation cap represents the journey to come. 

• Gown Sleeves Should Fall Just Above Your Palms. 

Graduation gowns are supposed to be modest but tell of accomplishments as a new college grad. When you wear the gown, you are wearing your achievement. Gown sleeves above the palms aren’t symbolic so much as it is comfortable. Graduation gowns that are well-fitted and worn correctly should have sleeves that fall just above your palms, incapable of snagging the under sleeves of your outfit underneath. 

• Are You Throwing Your Cap into the Air? 

Graduation caps are thrown as a symbol of appreciation for the journey that was and the adventure to come. It’s a form of celebration! 

The origin of throwing a graduation cap comes from the United States Naval Academy, as far back as 1912. Graduates would trade midshipmen hats for officers’ hats, so they would thrown their old hats into the air to celebrate their accomplishments and move through the ranks. 

As a modern college graduate, if you want to keep your cap, it’s a good idea to DIY a symbol or quote on the back of it. When graduation caps are thrown, it’s easy to lose track of yours, so personalizing it ensures that you get it back. 

Jazzing up your college grad cap and gown is a fun way to showcase your personality. Use these tips to get a DIY jumpstart on the kind of add-ons that you can use to spruce up what you wear on graduation day.