9 Unbelievable Graduation Fun Facts to Celebrate Your Milestone Moment

1. Mortarboard Masterpieces

Move over, Mona Lisa: today's mortarboard masterpieces are turning graduation caps into works of personal expression! This growing trend sees graduates transforming their caps into canvases, displaying their school pride, political statements, and personal stories – with many proudly sharing their creations on social media.
Source => farmanddairy.com

2. Tassel Tale

Did you know that graduation tassels are the chameleons of academia, subtly changing colors based on their subject of mastery – making them a "tie-dye for" fashion statement? No, really: The color of a tassel on a graduation cap reflects the academic discipline, with black being the most common in the United States, and other colors symbolizing specific fields, like golden yellow for science or lilac for dentistry. Despite its shorter length and absence of significance in the United Kingdom, you'll find the tassel hanging on the right side of the cap during the ceremony, making that iconic leftward shift only after receiving the diploma.
Source => en.wikipedia.org

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=> Fun Facts about Quinceaneras

3. Hood History

While the monks of yore couldn't exactly live by the mantra "toupees for cold days," they sure knew a thing or two about fashioning practical headcovers: Believe it or not, the graduation hoods we see today were initially meant to keep our medieval religious brethren warm by protecting their short haircuts from chilly winds, and have since found their way into academic regalia as a symbolic accessory.
Source => dailyorange.com

4. Associate's Degree Stampede

Hold on to your graduation caps, folks; the Associate's degree stampede is about to get a whole lot bigger: In the US, during the 2019/20 academic year, a whopping 1.02 million students celebrated with two-year degrees in hand, and by 2030/31, projections say we'll see an academic avalanche of 1.4 million proud degree holders!
Source => statista.com

5. College Buffet States

When it comes to higher education, California is like a buffet with all-you-can-learn options, while Alaska, Delaware, and Wyoming prefer a more minimalist, tasting-menu approach: California proudly hosts over 300 colleges and universities, far surpassing other states as per the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), while Alaska, Delaware, and Wyoming each offer fewer than 10 institutions for hungry minds.
Source => bestcolleges.com

6. Laughter vs. Diplomas

Whoever said laughter is the best medicine clearly didn't have a college degree, because the financial health benefits of higher education are no joke: College graduates aged 22-27 with a bachelor's degree earn a median income of $52,000 per year, while those with just a high school diploma have a significantly lower annual median income of $30,000, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Time to upgrade from guffaws to diplomas, folks!
Source => aplu.org

7. Salary Cheat Code

Who knew that leveling up your knowledge game could unlock the salary cheat code? Say hello to your more fortunate avatar in the financial realms of 2021: Recent college graduates with bachelor's degrees aged 22-27 have median earnings of $52,000 a year, which is a whopping 73% higher than their high school-only degree counterparts in the same age range. Score!
Source => aplu.org

8. Ben Franklin's Degree Collection

If Ben Franklin added "honorary degrees collector" to his list of inventions and discoveries, he'd be pretty darn proud: At Harvard University, the practice of awarding honorary degrees dates back to the 18th century, starting with the beloved founding father himself in 1753. Since then, Harvard has generously bestowed these unsolicited diplomas upon eminent figures, including 16 U.S. presidents, and Helen Keller, the first woman to join the club in 1955. The catch for honorary degree awardees? They must grace the commencement ceremony in person to secure their prized parchment.
Source => commencement.harvard.edu

9. Ancient Graduation Wardrobe

Ready to climb the "Stairway to Wisdom" with an ancient wardrobe to-boot? Turns out, graduation fashion has roots older than your great-great-great-great-grandmother's prom dress: The tradition of graduation ceremonies dates back to the medieval times! Derived from the Latin word "gradus," meaning "a step climbed," graduates were once presented with a symbolic cap called a "biretta" and a "hood" to showcase their academic achievements. Today, this time-honored rite of passage marks the completion of one educational feat and the beginning of another life journey. Cue the royal fanfare!
Source => etymonline.com