What to Do With Your Mortarboard After Graduation
The square graduation cap or ‘mortarboard’ is a funny looking thing and, let’s be honest, you probably won’t be getting much use out of it after you’ve graduated. That’s why we’ve come up with three fun ideas for turning your mortarboard into a special memento of your achievements.
Frame It
What better way to show off that you are fully graduated than by proudly hanging your academic cap on the wall. It is possible to buy specific frames for academic caps, or you could have one made. You will need a deep box frame and pins to hold the cap in place. You may also want to consider how you could personalise it. Could you perhaps get the frame engraved with your name and that of your University and degree? Or you might consider getting a custom embossed mount featuring the University crest. A good local framer should be able to offer lots of ideas and advice on how to make your graduation cap shine!
Decorate It
A big tradition in the USA is to decorate your graduation cap before you wear it to graduation. Students often choose inspirational quotes, a design that features their hobbies and interests, or something that summarises their time at university. Of course some students opt for a more comedic tone as well!
Here in the UK students don’t tend to decorate their caps for graduation, mostly because universities here are quite strict on all academic dress conforming to regulations at ceremonies. That shouldn’t, however, stop you decorating your cap after you’ve graduated, and turning it into a truly personal commemoration of your time at university.
Use it for Fancy Dress
The academic cap has long been an icon of the movies - you can spot it anywhere from British period dramas like Brideshead revisited, to American teen movies such as High School Musical. My personal favourite movie graduation scenes have to be Elle’s rousing speech at the end of Legally Blonde, or the scene in Mamma Mia 2 where she upends a stuffy Oxford graduation to perform ‘When I Kissed the Teacher’! Whatever your favourite film, a mortarboard makes a very versatile addition to any dressing up box…
