Graduation Day!

It's been another busy week! I graduated on Monday, had an interview on Tuesday, got a job offer on Wednesday, went on a spontaneous camping trip to visit my brother and his girlfriend until Friday, met up with some old college friends Friday night and then have been getting the flat ready for Alex's return from New York over the weekend! Phew, I feel tired just writing that! I want to tell you all about my graduation in this post, but a quick update first!

Firstly, I am lucky enough to say that last Wednesday I was offered a job and now will be starting my career this Wednesday! I'll be working at Mindshare, a media agency based in London, as an Account Executive. I'm super excited and can't thank everyone enough for being so supportive throughout my time at university, since finishing and through interviews and everything! I feel super lucky to have found a job within the industry I studied and doing something that I know I will really enjoy :)

Also, my blog hit 75 followers today! That might seem like a small achievement to some, but to me it is huge and I can not be grateful enough to everyone that takes the time to read this and follow my rambling! If you head up to my giveaway page you will find that once I hit 100 followers I am going to start a giveaway for a set of personalised handmade jar tea light holders :) Just a little thank you to everyone that follows!

Ok, enough side notes! Back to graduation! To me, your graduation ceremony is a day that marks all the hard work you have done and all the achievements you have made during your time at university. It is a day to share with family and friends and will be treasured for the rest of your life. I think it's important to mark such a special occasion and ensure you are feeling your best, so I want to share a few things that I did to make my own day memorable to me.

I spent the morning getting ready with my Mum and my sister. My ceremony was at 2:45pm but I needed to be at my university by 1:30pm at the latest to collection my cap and gown. I planned to leave my house at 12:30, just incase we ran late (which we did). Thankfully I only live 20 minutes away, so I got an Uber there to save the hassle of public transport! Due to the chapel which I graduated in, seats were limited and therefore I was only allowed 2 people into my ceremony. I planned to have my Mum and Alex, but unfortunately Alex was sent to New York for work, so couldn't come. Luckily my sister was more than happy to replace him!

It's just as important to plan the time before graduation as it is to actually plan your day at university! Be sure you've sorted anything that needs to be done in advance, such as ironing your clothes, cleaning your shoes and having your nails done, definitely don't do them on the day! Also ensure you leave enough time in the morning just in case anything goes wrong, such as your hair (yeah I'm talking from experience!) or make-up and you need to re-do something. It was also nice to have some time in the morning to eat something (no-one needs to hear your stomach in the middle of graduating!) and open cards/gifts from family members.

Once you're at your university, get your cap and gown as soon as you can and collect any tickets if you need to. That way you can spend whatever time you have left having pictures, finding friends and generally relaxing before your big moment! You'll have a numbered seat so that they can call your name in order, but your guests may not, so ensure they get there early so they can get good seats to see you in. If they go in before you, it gives you a bit of time to catch up with friends without all your family constantly asking for pictures!

When you go in, find your seat, find your guests (if they are in seats that you can see) and then make sure you put any belongings somewhere where you won't trip when you get up! I'd say give them to your guests to keep hold of so you don't have to worry about anything. If you are lucky enough to not be the first person to be called up, then watch the first few people to see the route they take on and off the stage and how they get back to their seats. Sounds silly, but once you're up there feeling nervous you'll be thankful you saw and know where you're going! If you are one of the first, don't panic, there's usually lots of people telling you where to go. When it is your turn be sure to relax and look at where you are walking. Everyone worries about falling over, but don't let this ruin your big moment! Wear sensible shoes (and practice walking in them) and you won't have to worry. I chose small, chunky heels so I was sturdy with an ankle strap to ensure they stayed on! Smile, shake whoever's hand you need to, don't rush, people will be taking pictures and you only get a few seconds up there anyway!

Overall, make sure you have a really amazing day! It's a great day to thank tutors that have helped you through university too (huge thanks to Mr Ian Whitten, pictured above!) and have an amazing time being proud of what you have achieved!! Now I'm going to bombard you with tons of pictures of all my beautiful friends, family and I! I hope you enjoy looking as much as I enjoyed the day! These are definitely some of my favourites :) Can't wait to get them all printed, maybe I'll make a scrapbook!

They had a 'photobooth' on the day and this was the result on our quick visit! Haha! It was actually really good and was great to have a laugh after a stressful few weeks planning for this day!

Please share your graduation experiences below along with any tips and tricks that you found useful! There's loads more I could have said, but this post is already super wordy! I'd love to hear how you all spent your day :)