I’m going to graduate from UCI in June.
I’ve heard you can wear cords, stoles, leis, and medallions along with the required cap and gown.
What do each mean, and how do I get them? Do I have to earn them, or can I simply buy them from the college? What I’m getting at is: are they for recognition, or just to look flashy?
When they say Leis, I’m assuming like Hawaiian leis, such as flowers. I’ve seen that is common with California/other West Coast schools. As for stoles, cords, and medallions; I’m assuming those are things you earn throughout college. Examples: Fraternities/Sororities, special Clubs, Honors Graduates, etc. Someone correct me if I’m wrong, but I think it basically applies to stuff in high school. Like valedictorian gets something, beta club, etc.
Generally stoles are for various honor societies, greek life, or extracurricular groups, so they are for recognition and not just to look cool
For most graduations ceremonies anywhere, those adornments signify achievement and involvement, not purse strings.
Like my daughter was inducted into an Honors Math Fraternity and with that you got special cords to wear at graduation. Also she graduated summa cum laude and got different cords for that.
Actually, you can buy stoles that have nothing to do with honors. A lot of African American graduates buy kente cloth stoles to wear at graduation, for example. You can also just buy stoles with the school’s colors on them, and even get your name and graduation date embroidered on them. My school’s bookstore actually sold stoles with our school’s name on them, in our school colors, and lots of people wore those. I’ve also seen pics of international students wearing stoles with their country’s flag on them. The most common stoles I saw, though, were Greek orgs.
Cords are generally reserved for Latin honors and other kinds of honor graduations. But you can buy them from the Internet and wear them, if you want to - nobody is going to stop you, as long as you are allowed to wear them at all. You just run the risk of someone asking you what you got the cord for.
But really, don’t go out and buy anything extra. Only wear something that you have been awarded.