Yo! Hofstra students! It’s Mary from the Office of Parent and Family Programs checking in and throwing a major “wattup” your way. For you seniors, graduation is just a few months away! Congrats to you for getting this far. That’s huge. You deserve a bear hug! These months leading up to graduation can feel surreal; they did for me years ago. One moment I was nervous and giddy with excitement, confident that I knew it all in the back of my parents’ station wagon as my dad parked in back of my freshman dorm hall and the next, I was sitting in a over-sized black gown on a plastic folding chair while the rain poured down masking the look of uncertainty on my face. My dad always reminds me, “youth is wasted on the young”, but I like to look back at my college years well spent both intellectually and socially. The lessons I learned and my friendships with my college pals are lifelong, and they will be for you too. This is a totally awesome time; be stoked.
Before I get too EMO on you and sentimental on how immense of a milestone your college graduation will be in your life, may I remind you of the important deadlines that you must familiarize yourself with, if you haven’t already, in order to get to graduation? Yes, you say? Okay, let’s go. WORD.
I am certain that you, seniors, have been notified about the necessary steps toward graduation several times through your Hofstra pride email accounts. You have also checked out the information which is available on Hofstra’s website, but for those of you who have been too busy studying or furthering your bonds with you college friends over pin-ball and fried snacks at HofUSA, I offer you the following scoop regarding graduation. Knowledge is graduation power!
1. Once you complete 90 credits (attaining a senior status) you are emailed and told to apply for the diploma. Deadlines to apply for the diploma are:
- For May Graduation: Candidates must file by October 1. If the application is received after October 1, there is a $25 fee. If the application is received later than March 1, there is a $50 fee.
- For August Graduation: Candidates must file by March 1. If the application is received after March 1, there is a $25 fee. If the application is received later than August 15, there is a $50 fee.
- For December Graduation: Candidates must file by May 1. If the application is received after May 1, there is a $25 fee. If the application is received after October 1, there is a $50 fee.
2. The Commencement Office sends several e-mails to you regarding graduation fairs and commencements. Did you get these? You bet you did! The graduation fairs happen every semester (the fall graduation fair was two weeks ago; the spring one, in either late February or early March). You can then order your cap and gown and ask about announcements and rings. Did you get your Hofstra bling ring? Get on that like a Planeteer! Earth, Wind, HOFSTRA! Also, at the graduation fairs, my office, is offering you the opportunity to write your folks or anyone influential in your graduation a thank you note for all their encouraging support. Please contact me at 516-463-4698 for questions regarding the Senior Tribute!
3. Graduating seniors should also check their Hofstra pride e-mail accounts to learn the dates for the Nexus Yearbook photo sessions. The first session is on Mon Oct 24, 11a.m.-6p.m. at the Mack Student Center, Plaza Room Middle, and sessions will continue through November. For questions concerning senior portraits, please have e-mail hofstrayearbook@gmail.com .
4. The Midyear Commencement is on December 20, 2011, 7 p.m. The date for the Spring 2012 Undergraduate Commencement Ceremony is Sunday, May 20, 2012, 11 a.m. More information about both December (Mid-year) and May Commencements is at www.hofstra.edu/commencement .
5. Caps and gowns can be ordered through the portal. Spring commencement candidates cannot start ordering until February for their cap and gowns. Students can log into their portal, then click on Hofstra Online, then Personal Information, then Attend Ceremony and Order of Academic Attire. An e-mail will be sent confirming the order. There is no fee for the cap and gown, and guess what you fashionistas and hoarders, you can keep your gown after graduation as a souvenir.
6. The robe distribution is usually the Wednesday and Thursday before Commencement. So, the dates will be May 16 and May 17, 2012 for the Spring 2012 Commencement. Robe Distribution is in the Plaza Rooms in the Mack Student Center between the hours of 10 a.m. and 8 p.m. Students are asked to bring their Hofstra ID card to pick up the cap and gown.
In addition, when you meet with your advisement dean, you’ll be advised of all graduation deadlines. Be well-informed, cool, and meet with your advisement dean regularly. This week, the Center for University Advisement staff is meeting with seniors for a “senior check-up.” Notification about these appointments were sent via e-mail to graduating seniors at the end of September. If you were unable to come to the senior checkup, you should schedule an individual appointment with his/her advisement dean or by e-mailing advisement@hofstra.edu.
That should do it. Erma Bombeck, an American humorist, once said, “Graduation day is tough for adults. They go to the ceremony as parents. They come home as contemporaries. After twenty-two years of child-raising, they are unemployed.” So, remember, be easy on your ‘rents and write them a thank you note.
Mary Coleman
Assistant Director, Office of Parent and Family Programs
If all of the correspondence sent to me from Hofstra was like this, I would definitely read more of it. Thank you.
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