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Now that I’m a week into being a graduate (I know, I can’t believe it either!), I feel that I've got a few bits of advice which fellow students could benefit from – from the art of picking a comfortable outfit, to the organisation skills required to get a robe. 

There are some things you must do before your graduation which you're never told about by your university, and I found this out the hard way. 

Looking back, the first thing I should’ve done is diarised when I had to book my robe… now if you miss this booking or are unable to do this before the ceremony, it’s not the end of the world. You can hire them on the day, but there is a higher fee. The cost of hiring a cap and gown is more expensive than I expected, so be prepared. The cost of buying a gown I haven’t looked at and I don’t want to even think about. 

The second thing is go early and get something to eat. You’d think this was known knowledge that your gown can be picked up three hours before the ceremony, but nobody told me! Arrive early, get your gown and get yourself to a restaurant or cafe for some pre-ceremony food. 

Comfortable shoes are a must. Your going to be stood up for ages… and I mean ages! The ceremony itself can be up to three hours long. Comfortable shoes or backup sandals to wear in between important pictures are very important in my eyes. You need to make sure you can still feel your feet when you come to walk across the stage. 

Finally, take some time to take it all in. It's something I wish I'd done more, but it's hard to do when the event comes around so quickly and the day flies. Take some time to sit and be proud of yourself. You're about to graduate!