Graduation Cancelled on Campus? 6 Ways to Make it Memorable at Home

You might’ve had a bad case of senioritis all year, but you didn’t expect to be quarantined. While social distancing is still essential, so is celebrating the huge accomplishment of graduating college. How do you celebrate becoming an adult while stuck in your childhood home? Here are 6 ways that you can make the most of your last college memories from home.

Did you ever dream of the day you’d get to walk across a stage and secure that placeholder diploma (maybe after spending your last dollar on tuition or last two brain cells studying)? You didn’t overcome a long marathon of challenges to miss out on crossing the finish line. Have a mock ceremony on your porch, backyard, etc. and smile for your mom’s iPhone camera! Make an at-home ceremony extra special with some personal speeches, decorations, and popped champagne.

Feeling sentimental? If you want to do something simple and special, send your former  roomies a card in the mail. Consider making a collage of pictures or writing a letter. Or, if you’re not into arts and crafts, make a TikTok of your funniest college memories. Sharing the nostalgia with friends is an essential part of saying goodbye to your college days.

If you were looking forward to your parents crashing your college-town bars after    graduation, convince them to get into the party spirit at home. Recruit siblings to play beer pong or your favorite drinking game. The most important part: make a playlist with all of your favorite throwback party songs to bring your college to your kitchen.

Home videos and old scrapbooks are a great way to get nostalgic at home. College graduation and becoming a real adult can be a little scary, so take a night to lighten the mood and laugh at some childhood memories as you close that chapter. Plus, it’s a great time to indulge your mom in looking through embarrassing photos before she pulls them out in front of your new boyfriend or girlfriend.

Don’t let the clever caption you’ve had in the back of your head since last year’s seniors  graduated go to waste. If you can’t travel back to campus, do a photoshoot at home. Get creative and decorate with some balloons, spirit wear, cap and gown, etc. Pop some champagne and enjoy all of the other cheesy clichés, because there’s nothing basic about graduation during a pandemic.

If you can’t bear to join one more Zoom meeting, we get it. But if you have a lot of           classmates or friends to get in touch with before college is officially over, even a virtual “goodbye” or “see you soon” is better than nothing. Have everyone share their best few    memories of each other from your college years.

Whichever way you spend your graduation season, nothing changes the degree on that shiny new diploma. Congratulations on both your degree and finishing it with strength during this tough time. Cheers!