<p>What activities occur during Graduation? And on what days do they occur? Are family members invited to attend all of the ceremonies, or are some just for the Graduates?</p>
<p>I’ve been to two W&M graduations and look forward to attending a third this year. 
2boysnagirl, I presume you have a graduating student; has he forwarded you any of the Commencement emails? You probably already know the dates, etc. It’s been announced that this year students will receive 4 tickets and can enter a lottery for any remaining after those are distributed. One of my ds was able to obtain 2 extra tickets from a friend of hers a few years ago.</p>
<p>Most of the ceremonies are open to family members. There’s quite a bit going on, and we haven’t done everything. For us, the can’t-miss things are a Saturday mid-afternoon induction into the Alumni Association, done in the Sunken Garden under a huge tent and emceed, for want of a better word, by Taylor Reveley. Last year the Chancellor, Robert Gates, gave a short, funny speech there. On Sunday, Commencement Day, we send people on ahead to score seats at W & M Hall while we parents find a spot and watch the graduates walk across campus. It is a a wonderful thing to see. After a long but really enjoyable ceremony, you have to race across campus to wherever your child’s departmental ceremony is, which is when the actual diplomas are distributed.</p>
<p>I can’t find my 2012 info now, but I think there’s a Friday evening dance for students, and a Saturday picnic lunch in front of the Wren Building and President’s House that you have to sign up for ahead of time.</p>
<p>Lots of people attend, so I’d make dinner reservations all weekend long ahead of time. The CW-area restaurants fill up early; places closer to Busch Gardens are easier reservations.</p>
<p>You really do need to be on your game to have a schedule worked out for the weekend. The Alumni Induction ceremony is when your graduate receives their W&M alum pin too; the mid-day ceremony is about an hour and quite nice, followed by cookies & lemonade in the sunken garden. Then we had an afternoon lunch reception with interdisciplinary studies recognition & pinning. Then that evening was a candlelighting cap & gown ceremony which was really special and had some fine speeches from students and a distinguished professor. Students may want to be up all night socializing on their own one last time. Morning meet behind Wren for photo ops passing thru the hall and out the other side. Students walk en masse across campus to W&M Hall for indoor graduation ceremony as a whole class. Then immediately thereafter are departmental diploma presentations by major in various spots all over campus. Plan time for photo ops and for moving students out over the weekend if necessary. The whole weekend was very well done by W&M!</p>
<p>My daughter graduated a semester early, this past December. Do these early graduates typically participate in the summer commencement ceremonies?</p>
<p>Hi WMDad, </p>
<p>I graduated a semester early waaay back in December of 1983. Though returning for graduation later in the spring was an option then, I chose not to because I was working full-time and living out-of-state. Many of my close friends had graduated the year before so it didn’t seem such a big deal to skip it. </p>
<p>However, as my kids are now starting college (my daughter is a new member of the Tribe 2017), I regret not making the effort to go back. There is a lot of tradition there and in hindsight I would have liked to share those memories. . .</p>
<p>Congratulations to your daughter on her graduation!</p>