How to Make Sure You Wear Doctoral Regalia Properly
Sunday, February 27th, 2011Doctoral and graduation gowns are everywhere today in our colleges and universities and you would not have to wait long anytime during the year before a ceremony warrants students and faculty members adorning themselves in these apparels. It is always with joy that graduating students buy graduation robes for this all important day. The original gowns originated way back in the 12th century and the traditional way of wearing these robes during this period is the foundation for all universities and colleges that wear hoods, pasteboard caps and robes. Students graduating with doctoral degrees ought to be proud of themselves and it is important they maintain and follow the traditional way of wearing the elegant doctoral gown the way it should be worn.
In order to make it possible for graduating doctoral students turn out the proper way, universities and colleges have set up various rules that are enforced on students during the commencement of the exercise. It has been made mandatory for students to wear the doctoral gown and the robe during the entire graduation ceremony. It is necessary for students to wear the most common color of the robe so as to have a complete doctoral regalia. The usual color of a robe is black as it was even the traditional color used in earlier times. To have a proper turnout, men should be in pants and shoes that match their doctoral gown. Women are not left out of this as they are required to wear dresses such that their doctoral gowns would not be overpowered. Dresses with loud colors or printed dresses are to be avoided.
As you would already know by now that it is not the gown alone that makes the graduation outfit for a doctoral student, there are other accessories that are necessary to make it complete. The cap or the mortarboard is necessary and it can be likened to the glorious crown on a king’s head. The mortarboard can not be worn anyhow, the wearer must ensure that it is a level through the ground. For a man, it is expected that the cap should be removed only at periods of prayer, Alma Mater song and the National Anthem, otherwise none of the two sexes should remove their caps until the end of the ceremony. It need not be stressed much that badly creased clothes don’t look good on anybody. It is therefore important that you make sure that your doctoral gown should suffer no crease. The hood and the robe should be properly ironed at least a day ahead of the graduation ceremony.
You must make sure that you maintain the traditional look of doctoral degree holder. To do this, make sure that this happens, avoid wearing clothes that do not match the color of the doctoral gown you have for the ceremony. The hood as well as the doctoral gown must be worn above the robes all through the entire ceremony