When did this trend start??

Been there,done that, ASN, RN · May 9, 2015

Graduation is a personal experience. Some choose to make it a celebration.

mmc51264, BSN, MSN, RN · May 10, 2015

yes, but to put "i busted mine to save yours" on a mortar board is really unprofessional. Maybe it's just me, but graduation is a life changing event and it just seems to cheapen it. I saw one hat that had about 30 pink plastic flowers glued to it. Not sure what the point of that was. All I know is that I have never seen this until the last 3 or so years. I walked in 93, 95, 05 12 and 15 and didn't see it until '12. I guess I am old-fashioned

Dranger · May 10, 2015

Because they think they are special.

They aren't, no one cares.

Whispera, MSN, RN · May 10, 2015

I enjoy the decorated mortar boards as well as the amazing shoes some choose. It's celebration!

sallyrnrrt, ADN, RN · May 10, 2015

dranger nailed it :)

allnurses Guide · May 10, 2015

:blink: Well . ... . when I graduated from a community college with my ADN we were told not to make ourselves stand out from the rest of the graduates. We all had to look the same even though we were graduate nurses. So, some of us rebelled . . . .. :nailbiting: . . . and wrote "RN" on the mortar board.

We were also told we couldn't have a pinning ceremony because it was unprofessional. We organized our own off campus. The head-honcho nurse told the instructors they couldn't attend but two of them did anyway.

I dunno - some rebellion is good and some goes too far. But who gets to make that choice?

Anonymous865 · May 10, 2015

My niece walked last night, and I was complaining about the same thing. People don't seem to understand that each part of the outfit has a special meaning. e.g. You can tell whether the person is getting a BS or an MS or a PhD just from the sleeves of the gown. They can tell what school the degree is from and what degree it is in based on the colors in the hood. There is a rich tradition in the design of the cap and gown. Each person is not getting their own unique degree. They are getting a specific degree that is signified by their attire.

I was also complaining about cow bells, air horns, whistles, and yelling from the audience when their special snowflake's name was announced. It didn't matter that the dean had asked the audience to hold their applause until all graduates had been announced so all names could be heard.

Are there no formal, dignified ceremonies anymore?

Also is there no way to make people understand that a t-shirt with shorts or jeans is NOT appropriate for EVERY occassion?

caseyuptonurse · May 10, 2015

I do think a graduation ceremony should be traditional but I don't really see the problem with dressing up a morter if it's done tastefully.

A few friends and I got together and decorated ours with them all just saying BSN. I am not offending anyone with what I put on it and I get to be creative with my graduation in this way.

I paid for college and I paid for my morter so I can do as I please with my morter on graduation day. It's my day, I shouldn't have to please others with what I choose to do with a morter I paid for.

I also anticipate putting together a shadow box in which my cap would be the main piece.

allnurses Guide · May 10, 2015

yes, but to put "i busted mine to save yours" on a mortar board is really unprofessional. Maybe it's just me, but graduation is a life changing event and it just seems to cheapen it. I saw one hat that had about 30 pink plastic flowers glued to it. Not sure what the point of that was. All I know is that I have never seen this until the last 3 or so years. I walked in 93, 95, 05 12 and 15 and didn't see it until '12. I guess I am old-fashioned

I first became aware of this when my daughter graduated from college in 2012. Call me old-fashioned, but Styrofoam balls attached to springs and feather boas were too much. Now I will don my flame-retardant gear and wait for the inevitable. :flamesonb:

I didn't realize the platform shoes were part of the trend, but clearly remember wondering if anyone would fall and break an ankle or a foot wobbling their way up the steps on the way to the podium. Looked pretty dicey for some of them!

I know it's a celebration but part of the fun (to me anyway) is doing the "formal" thing and partying afterward.

Tenebrae, BSN, RN · May 10, 2015

We hire ours when graduating so decorating is a no no

**NICU Guy, BSN, RN** · May 10, 2015

When I graduated with my first Bachelor's degree 25 yrs ago from a large university, all my family could see was a sea of blue gowns and mortar boards. There was no way they could pick me out. A few years later, my ex graduated from the same school. When she graduated, she marked the top of her mortar board so that we could identify her in the crowd. Very few others did the same. I think that over the years graduates have become more and more over the top, that it has become excessive.