Wearing your department’s colors at graduation.
WEARING YOUR DEPARTMENT’S COLORS AT GRADUATION.
Follow us for more deep dives into the traditions that shaped our Ivy League journeys.
Among the myriad traditions we encountered during our time at the Ivies, some were wild and some were wonderfully understated. Today, let's talk about one of the latter: the academic ritual of donning your department’s colors at graduation. It’s not the primal scream, nor is it shrouded in the mystique of a secret society. Instead, it’s a vibrant, public declaration of academic achievement.
Remember that sea of academic robes, punctuated by distinct hoods and stoles? Each color, a silent testament to countless hours spent in labs, libraries, and lecture halls, a proud identifier of your chosen intellectual home. Whether your color was a rich crimson for law, a serene light blue for education, or the golden yellow of science, it represented the culmination of years of rigorous study and dedication.
Did you embrace this tradition with pride, seeing it as a symbol of your unique academic journey and the honor of your discipline? Or was it just another formality in the grand procession? Perhaps it felt like a quiet nod to the specialized knowledge you’d cultivated. For many, it was a moment of quiet reflection, a visual representation of how far you’d come within your field.
We want to hear your stories. What color did you wear, and what did it signify to you as you walked across that stage? Was it a tradition you loved, or one you merely tolerated? Share your memories of this uniquely academic display.
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