By Rachel Measures, Masters in PR.
Graduation booking is now open! For all those eligible to graduate this November, it’s an exciting time where you can start planning everything for that special day.
Like you, I will be graduating this November (it’ll be my second time, so I’m a pro now), but I also work in the Graduation Office so I know more than anyone how fast graduation comes around. Here are some tips to make sure you don’t forget anything for your very important day.
- Make sure your details are correct on My Student Record
When you finish your course, you lose access to My Hallam and your university email (this happens to each student at different times) but not My Student Record. It is extremely important that you have all the correct details on there so that when you lose access to everything else, you will still receive graduation correspondence.
- If you cannot book from the 1st August, do not panic
Booking for graduation usually starts in August, but not everyone can book right away. For some people, their grades haven’t cleared yet, so the system doesn’t know that they are eligible for graduating in that year. This will happen in time and you will receive an email from the graduation office letting you know when you’re able to book. However, if you do have any doubts ensure to contact the Graduation Office via email or over the phone for peace of mind.
- How do tickets even work?
For guest tickets, you can apply for up to 10 tickets but only 3 are guaranteed. As long as you book before the deadline date (25th October) then your tickets will be allocated fairly along with anyone else’s (it is NOT a first come first serve system).
Allocations are released shortly after the deadline as well as any refunds processed. If you do not get the tickets you were hoping for there is always the chance of getting tickets on the day, but these will not be sat with your other guests.
Also, as a graduate you do not need to book for yourself as your ticket will be tagged on for free. When you book your tickets you’ll be able to see this in the summary screen if you want to double check.
- Make sure to book your tickets, your gown and anything else before the deadline
It seems obvious, but you’ll be surprised how many people leave things to last minute. The deadline is the 25th October. Please follow this, because the suppliers and the graduation team will not be able to guarantee that things will still be available after this point.
- For certificates, contact the certificates team
Many people confuse graduation with their certificate or transcript. The two are dealt with in entirely separate offices and this is because your certificate is actually sent out before graduation. Graduation is optional to attend and therefore you aren’t handed anything there. If you have certificate issues, make sure to contact the correct team as it will speed up answering your query.
- The Graduation Office is not the supplier of gowns and photographs
It’s easy to get everything confused with so much to get organised, but it’s important to remember that Ede and Ravenscroft is the supplier for gowns and photographs, and not the university. This isn’t to say that the Graduation Office won’t be able to help, but it will make it 100 times easier for you to go directly to their website.
- Don’t put too much pressure on yourself
Graduation is meant to be a special day to celebrate the journey you have taken over your time at university. There’s a lot to organise but don’t let that distract you from being proud that you’ve got a degree and are about to graduate! Well done!
You can find more information on the Graduation website and on the Graduation blog.
Contact details:
Graduation Office:
Phone: 0114 225 5353
Email: graduation@shu.ac.uk
Certificates:
Phone: 0114 225 4441
Email: certificates@shu.ac.uk
