Organizing A College Graduation Party You'll Never Forget

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So, you’ve completed your courses at college, learned lots of new skills, and now someone has put you in charge of organizing the graduation party. While that might sound like a lot of fun, it’s also going to involve a lot of hard work. That is why you should appoint a team of other ex-students to assist you with the process. There is some advice in this article that should point you in the right direction and ensure you don’t overlook anything critical. With a bit of luck, you will manage to plan the perfect graduation party after reading this post.

Booking some entertainment

You managed to pay your way through college, so you should have reasonable budgeting skills. They are going to come in handy during this process. You need to make sure you book some suitable entertainment for the graduation party, and that usually means contacting bands or DJs. You could even book both if you think it will add to the event and ensure everyone has a fantastic time. There are agencies you can find online for hiring entertainers, and so you should take a look at some of their websites before identifying the ideal bands or DJs. Hopefully, your college has a budget for the party, and you can use that money to help cover some of the costs. Otherwise, you might have to sell tickets for the graduation ball in advance.

Arranging the catering

The people who graduate with you will want to fill their stomachs at the party you arrange, and so it is vital that you spend some time researching local catering companies according to sites like https://www.thebalancesmb.com. In most instances, a buffet or hog roast is suitable because most people won’t want to sit down for a full meal. The attendees will want to spend most of their evening dancing, and so they won’t want to weigh themselves down too much. Get some quotes from different firms, and then discuss the situation with your appointed team become making contact and arranging your booking.

Hiring some luxurious transport

Most people will want to arrive at the party in style, and so you should consider the idea of arranging some upmarket transport. According to specialists from http://fllimoride.com/, the prices you pay for hiring a limo could vary significantly. For that reason, it is wise to shop around and obtain quotes from multiple firms. That way, you should have some ammunition for negotiating a better deal when the time comes. The best thing about limousines is that you can travel to and from the party venue with lots of other people, and you’re sure to turn heads when you pull up outside.

If you manage to cover all the aspects mentioned in this article today; you should arrange a college graduation party that you’ll never forget. Remember to hire a professional photographer too, so that you can document the evening and provide guests with some images in the weeks following the event. The graduation party could be the last time you see some of your college friends, and so you should make sure it’s as thrilling and memorable as possible. Good luck with everything!

How to Help Prepare Students for Post-Grad Life

Just as students are starting their higher ed journeys, many students are also finishing and graduating (this is happening every semester/term/quarter, not just in the Fall and Spring respectively). And often, we focus far more on orientation, First Year Experiences, admissions, and the early stages than those students who are preparing to move on to their life post college.

As students graduate and settle into their new role as an alum (which will be a far longer relationship), we often struggle to find methods to engage them in meaningful ways. Their first impressions of what it means to have a bond with their alma mater can be hard to undo, since they'll eventually have many more priorities and focuses for their time. 

There is a strategy that I synthesized in my head to solve both of these problems; put on mentoring programs between students approaching graduation and alum of the last five years. It allows young alums to have a positive way to give back that doesn't require money, and also helps soon-to-be graduates feel better prepared for the life that awaits them by learning from peers nearer to their own experience versus older professionals. This tends to be a lot more helpful and in general, it's nice to have someone looking out for us to guide us along our educational journey.

While this isn't a radically new idea, it can have a huge positive impact if done in the right way. Forcing mentoring pairs can be hit or miss in my experience. Relationships need to form organically. As such, we need to put on regular networking events for these groups to come together. Invite alumni speakers to come back to campus. Have alumni panels focused on different industries. Have alumni be ambassadors involved in prospective student recruitment and engaging other alum.

We obviously want our students to feel prepared for success after college, but for the higher ed professional, this can also serve a very important purpose; nurturing the desire for financial support from alumni. It is going to be a hard sell to cold call an alum and essentially beg for money. However, if you have built up some good will with meaningful involvements for these people, they'll be far more likely to give back. This applies to the current alumni, but also these soon to be alumni who are feeling supported with these positive alumni mentors in their life.

Use this as fodder to figure out the best ways to implement this sort of effort at your institution. It's objectively important, so you need to tap into this resource to prepare yourself for the future of higher ed where we will need to be increasingly self sufficient and capitalize on the human capital at our disposal.

Thanks for stopping by!

Why Graduation Isn't The End, It's the Beginning

* This article was originally posted on The Student Affairs Hub.

Graduation is a huge life milestone that is a mix of so many emotions for college students: excitement, fear, accomplishment, sadness, and anticipation all come to mind. It can feel like the end of something, which it is, but it is also the beginning of an era of endless possibilities for students. Once you have the time, knowledge, income, and courage to do so, life after college can be even more full than one's life at their institution. The world awaits all the recent graduates to do whatever they so choose, and it's something students should work hard to take full advantage of.

As higher education faculty and staff members, here are three key pointers to give to your students in order to encourage their personal growth and their thirst for learning after college."Keep on Being a Student"

There are numerous ways to keep on learning in the classroom like you're used to. You can keep taking one off classes at institutions near you, you can take classes online with established colleges and universities, or you can take advantage of the plethora of other web-based learning tools. Everything from Lynda.com, udemy, Codecademy, or even YouTube can help you learn new skills, master new software or tools, or even just learn some fun trivia. A lot of things can be found for free too, which is even more awesome!

 

"Travel the Country (and the World!)"

Whether for business or for pleasure, traveling around to new places can be an amazing learning experience. Even just going to visit a friend in a new city locally can help you understand more about what makes us all different and what makes us all the same. You can take in local sights, museums, fairs, festivals, and shows to build a list of cool and unique experiences to the fabric of your life. It's hard to capture the immense importance of traveling, but it's such a great way to become more acutely aware of the world that you just can't replicate. I encourage you to get out as much as you reasonably can so you can learn and grow as a person (and have some fun in the process!).

"Read!"

Since graduating and being done with college for the foreseeable future, it's been nice to have the time to read for pleasure. Some of you may not want to see another book for a while, but trust me that it is a tried and true (and often cheap) avenue to better yourself. There are classic works, new writing by cool current authors, and even several comic books (I'm personally a big fan) that can convey some deep concepts that enlighten you to morals about life. I've always heard that it doesn't matter what you read, it's that you read. So by all means, it can be that you read a lot of articles online about any number of things, just make sure you're keeping current on the world and reading something every once in a while for pleasure. You'll thank yourself later for it.

If you follow these tips in whatever way makes sense for you, you'll grow, learn, and be active mentally (and physically) which will help you better achieve any other goals in your life or career that you might have.

 

Go forth and do good, Class of 2015!

 

Reflections on Turning 25 & Getting My Master's

This past week, I hit some pretty big life milestones; I turned 25 years old and I obtained my Master's degree after two years of hard work. It has been a whirlwind few weeks with the end of the semester and I just got back from a very relaxing vacation away with the lovely lady you see above. As I get back to reality, I find myself wanting to reflect on everything and how I feel at this important point in my life. First, the degree (since that happened first). I've been a student for 19 years straight, that's twelve years of school to get my high school diploma, five years of undergraduate study to get my bachelor's, and two years of study to get my master's. This is the first time in a long time I don't have to register for classes, worry about paying tuition, or having the structure of school controlling my life. While I'm still going into higher education and will have the academic year hovering over my life for the foreseeable future, it won't be as a student (not unless I get my doctorate at some point in the far future). I had a brief moment over the week of closing ceremonies and convocations where I felt a sense of relief. It came from knowing that these degrees I've obtained and mainly my master's, something I never would have thought years ago I would achieve, is mine and can never be taken away from me. That accomplishment, after years of hard work was very satisfying. I'm not a boisterous person and this was my own personal celebration that happened in my head as I sat down after walking across the stage at graduation this past week.

A few days after graduation, I turned 25. I had been joking for months that this is perfectly timed to have a big quarter life crisis, with such big life moments happening all at once. Thankfully I feel affirmed in my path and excited for the future, so this is not the case. I tend to be more mature than some of the others my age so this birthday was actually welcomed, as I feel like my actual age is catching up with my beliefs, habits, and perspectives. I'm excited to be older and continuing to learn from life's experiences. I feel like I've learned a lot and grown so much within just the past few years being on-campus at both Delaware and Rutgers, so I can't wait for what is to come.

My life is still taking shape as I look for a job and the next chapter of my life. I know that I don't know everything about anything. There is plenty still that I want to do in this world, and I look forward to the horizon optimistically at what the next 25 years have in store.

EDIT: Check out the story of my job search to read about the recent, epic conclusion!

Thanks for stopping by, and have an amazing day!

What I'm Geeking Out About This Week - 05/23/14

Hey everyone! Here is my week in geek!

• X-Men: Days of Future Past

I'm getting more excited for this movie as the buzz becomes overwhelmingly positive. It is Certified Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes (click above) with impressive marks from critics and audiences alike. I was worried it was going to be too busy and fall under its own weight (like Amazing Spider-Man 2 started to do), but this movie seems to get the complex story right. I'll be seeing it this weekend so I look forward to sharing more detailed thoughts later.

• Graduation

I just have to share briefly this milestone (which I'll delve into deeper with a separate post) that I recently graduated with my Master's of Education in College Student Affairs from Rutgers University. It was the final ceremony for a week full of good vibes with convocations and commencements for myself and my partner. It is always really great seeing excited graduates and proud families at all of these events. Never fails to put a smile on my face! Cheers to all the other graduates out there this year!

• Delaware

So I was originally born in Maine but I consider myself more from Delaware, since I grew up there for 20+ years. I went to school there (college included), made a lot of memories there, and always like to go back when I can to either visit my brother or swing by the University of Delaware. My partner and I had the great idea to take a long weekend down here for my birthday and our graduations, so I am currently enjoying some sun by the beach in Delaware. I got to see my Mom (who is visiting from Maine) and my brother, which is a rare treat and I am very happy! I encourage you all to check out the "First State" and let me know if you need some recommendations. It is a small but mighty state that I know you'd have a good time at if you're looking for a quiet, relaxing time away.

Thanks for stopping by! Have a great weekend!

2014: Looking Ahead At The Year To Come

I just posted about the year that was, and on the eve of a new year, I thought I'd look forward to what is to come. I'm heading into my last semester of school for the foreseeable future, which is a new feeling. For the past few years I've always been under the pressure of figuring out how to pay for my next semester or putting in applications for programs. Now I'm replacing all of that with job applications and the start of the rest of my life. It's scary but I feel more ready now than I ever have.

I have two new adventures ahead with the job search. I'll be heading out to Indianapolis for the annual ACPA convention as well as down to Baltimore for the annual NASPA (another broad student affairs organization) convention. I've been to Baltimore briefly when I was much younger and I've never been to Indy so I look forward to visiting both of these places for a bit.

As I noted in my previous post, I've recently begun seeing my awesome new partner, Jenn. We have a habit we like to do every once in a while when either of us is having a bad day to pick out one positive thing, one best moment, or one 'win' from the day to make ourselves feel a little better. We have done it sporadically before now but with the start of the new year (as well as my love of 30 Day Challenges), we've committed to telling each other one positive thing each day for the next 30 days. I'm excited for this since there are always those days where there just doesn't seem to be anything going your way. It'll be a fun challenge to try to find anything awesome from the day regardless.

I look forward to graduating with a master's degree, something I never would have thought possible years ago, I look forward to more memories with my friends, I look forward to proudly turning 25, and I look forward to all the things to come that I can't even fathom yet.

Cheers to the new year! Let's make it a good one, folks!