A practical kit list for a University of Sheffield graduation: what gets you into the Octagon, what has to stay small, and the few things that make a long day on Western Bank easier.
Graduation at Sheffield happens on one short stretch of Western Bank: the Students' Union, where you robe up and have your photographs taken, and the Octagon Centre next door, where you cross the stage. Getting through the day is easy. Getting through it with everything you need, in a bag small enough to pass the security check, takes a little thought the night before. Here's what to pack, what to leave behind, and what to sort out for your guests.
Start with your e-tickets. You download them from your student record shortly before the ceremonies, and they carry the seat numbers for you and for each of your guests. You'll sit in different parts of the hall, so the e-ticket is how everyone finds their place. Save it to your phone and keep a printed copy too: a page that won't load at the door is a bad start to the day.
If you've ordered official robes or photographs, bring those confirmations as well, printed or on your phone, because the staff on Level 4 of the Students' Union will ask for them. Hiring your gown from us? You'll have collected it the evening before or that morning, so you arrive dressed and skip the robing queue.
Bring a card, or a phone you can pay with. Coffee Revolution and Bar One in the Students' Union serve food and drink all day, but most of the university's catering outlets don't take cash. Inside the union you can also pick up flowers or a souvenir, and Our Shop stocks the essentials if you've forgotten something.
Keep it small. Bags are searched on the way into the Octagon, and nothing larger than a small handbag gets in. There are person searches too, so allow time for the queue. Anything bigger has to go in the Octagon's cloakroom, which is free, but the simplest plan is to bring less.
Your phone will be doing a lot of work: the e-tickets, the messages to your family, the photos on the concourse and the livestream link for anyone at home. Charge it fully and bring a power bank, one that fits in a small handbag.
That's the core: e-tickets, phone, gown, a way to pay. Put them together the night before, and everything else is comfort.
"Bags will be searched. No bag larger than a small handbag will be allowed into the building."
— The University of Sheffield
Hair grips are the most useful small thing you can pack. You'll lift your cap to the Presiding Officer as you cross the stage, and a mortarboard that isn't pinned tends to come off with more than you intended. Two or three grips, where the cap meets your hair, keep it in place from the stage to the last family photo.
Think about your shoes before you think about your outfit. There's a short flight of steps up to the platform and another down the far side, and the day ends outside on the concourse. If you're wearing heels, bring flats and leave them in the cloakroom until the ceremony's over.
Check the forecast the night before, and dress for being outdoors. January ceremonies average 2 to 7°C and July ones 13 to 21°C, by the Met Office's records from Weston Park, and the university reminds graduates that they'll spend some time outside. A coat for the concourse is worth having; it can wait in the cloakroom while you're in the hall.
Eat before you go in. There are water fountains on campus, but no food or drink is allowed in the hall, and between being seated 40 minutes early and a ceremony of 45 to 90 minutes, that's a long stretch on an empty stomach.
The official photographers are on Level 4 of the union all day, and if you run short of time beforehand, they'll see you after the ceremony. The university also pays for a free personalised graduation clip of your moment on stage: register for it on its graduation pages and it's yours to share.
Put the grips in as soon as the cap goes on, in front of a mirror on Level 4 rather than in the line for the hall. The moment you'll be glad of them is on stage: a doff of the cap to the Presiding Officer, then on with the walk.
Plan the day from your ceremony time back. The university suggests being on campus two hours ahead. You need to be in your seat 40 minutes before the start, your guests 20 minutes before, and the doors close ten minutes before, after which nobody may be let in. With security checks on the way, don't cut it fine.
Parking near campus is limited, so the university recommends public transport, or the Supertram Park and Ride for anyone driving into Sheffield. If you do drive, the closest car park is the Q-Park on Durham Road, next to the Octagon, which has blue badge spaces; the Q-Park on Rockingham Street is a short walk away.
You're guaranteed two guest tickets. Anyone else can watch live in the Students' Union: in the Nelson Mandela Auditorium, which needs no ticket, in Bar One, or in the Kids' Zone on Level 2, where children play while the adults watch. Children over three need their own ticket for the hall itself.
Afterwards, the graduates leave in procession and meet their families outside on the concourse. Your school may hold a reception before or after the ceremony, by invitation, and the alumni stand on Level 4 of the union has a free goodie bag waiting. Collect anything you left in the cloakroom before you go.
A large bag or a suitcase: it won't get into the Octagon, so travel light on the day. Most of your cash, since card is what the campus takes. The celebratory drinks, until afterwards: anyone who appears to be under the influence isn't let into the hall. And any worry about your certificate. If your award is conferred on the day, it's handed to you as you come off the stage.
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