graduation accessories? there are so many...

<p>after a week of watching graduations, it's really a headache trying to keep track of what all the different stoles, cords, hoods, robes, etc stand for.</p>

<p>i see a lot of people walking around with blue or gold stoles, which i just assume they buy as an embellishment. have also seen some honor society stoles, frat/sorority stoles, and department stoles. </p>

<p>i think the gold cords are earned, but then i've see cords that are a mix of blue+gold, so i wonder if pure gold is the "best" or what? how is this related to the people who graduate with "honors", "high honors", and "highest honors" ?</p>

<p>anyway, just want feedback from any newly-made (or older) alumni who have insight by experience.</p>

<p>Pure gold cords = honors in the major. In most cases it means you had a high GPA and wrote a thesis. They haven’t announced honors, high honors, highest honors yet, that depends on overall GPA including the final semester. I think it’s only noted on the diploma.</p>

<p>All stoles and different colored cords are from clubs and frats. You have to go out and buy them, and they’re pretty expensive. Kind of annoying to have to pay for things that you “won” like honor cords and stoles from honor societies. Lot of people didn’t have them for that reason.</p>

<p>hey, cool. let’s just make our own cords. or will they kick us off the campus if we try that? oh, actually, i guess that is what fraternities and sororities are doing. hmmm. we need a misfits club. well, i do, i want to join it and have royal purple embellishments when i graduate. and i want louis quatorze as our mascot. and then we can wear wigs too if we maintain a high GPA. and we can rent the wigs to save money.</p>

<p>[Academic</a> regalia in the United States - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia](<a href=“http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Academic_regalia_in_the_United_States]Academic”>Academic dress in the United States - Wikipedia)</p>

<p>^thank you! it was killing me trying to figure out what word i was thinking of that wasn’t “accessories” : Regalia! thats so satisfying… lol</p>