Virtual Graduations: Everything You Need To Know

Virtual graduations are going to be the norm this year and having graduated last May during the height of the pandemic, I will be the first one to say that they are nowhere near the real thing. That being said, you are still graduating and should celebrate this momentous achievement any way you can, even if that means through your computer screen! So read on to learn everything you need to know about virtual graduations!

1. Find Out How To View The Ceremony Ahead of Time

Every school will be slightly different when it comes to its virtual graduation ceremony, so make sure you know how to view yours. For example, here are some questions you should know the answers to: Which streaming service will your school use? Do you need a special login and password to watch, or can you simply click a URL and begin? How can other people, like your family, also view the ceremony?

Finding out these answers ahead of time will ensure that you’re not late for your own graduation! Oh, and making sure your laptop is fully charged!

2. Be Punctual

Since you won’t be physically going anywhere, you don’t need to worry about crazy parking lots or cramped stadium seating. So, you have one job: Turn on your computer at the correct time and press play!

Make sure you know when the ceremony starts not only for yourself but for your loved ones as well. Remember, your family is so proud of you, and I’m sure your grandparents are going to want to know exactly when they need to boot up their computer!

3. It Won’t Feel The Same, but It Will Still Feel Special

Even though your graduation will be remote, and even though you’ll be staring at a computer screen instead of walking across a stage, know that you can still make it an unforgettable day! Go out and buy your favorite yummy foods. Stop at your local party store and get some confetti, streamers, and balloons! Call up your besties and pop some champagne together (just remember to socially distance)!

After all, your graduation day is what YOU make of it. So choose to have a great day! These unprecedented times call for some creative thinking, so get on it!

4. The Ceremony Will Be Shorter

Most virtual graduations are not going to read off every single one of your names. Instead, they might have a nice introduction video thanking the class of 2021 and then maybe some “words of wisdom” slides. There also might be a couple of speeches, but the lengthy portion of normal ceremonies (where they read off all of the names) will most likely not happen. This is good and bad! Yes, it’s not like the real thing, but hey, now you don’t have to sit there in the scorching sun for hours! You can get to the celebrating part a whole lot quicker!

5. Don’t Be Nervous

Most likely (unless you have a very tiny school) you won’t be on camera. There are just too many viewers to allow the graduates to make a live appearance. Instead, schools will likely create a slideshow of names of all the students who graduated or refer viewers to a graduation name page.

Either way, rest assured you can stay in your comfies while you turn your tassel from right to left… But only if you want to! Even though you won’t be on camera, you should still dress up and wear your cap and gown to make the day feel even more special!

6. Invite Unlimited Guests to Watch

The best part about virtual graduations, is anyone in your family can view them! So send out the graduation video link to all of your friends and family members, and let them know you want them to watch! Just make sure to inform them of any login details and the start time of the event. Also, you can arrange a big Zoom call with your family, so you can all see each other as you watch the ceremony!

7. Still Purchase Your Cap and Gown

You may not be strutting across a stage, but you are still graduating! So, make sure to purchase your cap and gown. If you wear it during the virtual ceremony, you’ll feel more like you’re graduating. And, don’t be afraid to get creative and make your own graduation platform at home! Use your hallway or driveway as the ramp, and then have your family stand at the end with cameras. Use decorations to spruce up your living room, and roll up a piece of paper to make a mock diploma!

Make the best out of this situation, and just go for it!

8. Take Senior Photos Anyway

Purchasing your cap and gown is good for more than one thing! You definitely need your senior photos, more than ever now, to prove you graduated during a pandemic! So head out to your school, the beach, or any place with a nice backdrop, and take those senior photos! Smile, you’ve earned it!

9. Celebrate!

Even though graduating during a pandemic took away your stadium ceremony, you still accomplished a major career milestone! So celebrate!

Hey, I get it. After all the hard work you’ve done, you, hands down, deserve an in-person ceremony. But sometimes, life just isn’t fair, and we have to roll with it, best we can. Remember all of those midterm papers you punched out of your keyboard, and the all-nighters you had to pull to just get that A you needed? You did that!

The bottom line is, you busted for 4 years, and now you’re graduating! You deserve to celebrate! Pop the champagne, dig into the chocolate cake, and kiss your lover! Everyone here at Society19 is so proud of you, and you should be too!