Preparing to Graduate
Welcome to the home stretch of your undergraduate career!
The top 9 things to remember as you approach graduation – from a Music point of view.
1. Don’t wait till the last minute!
Graduation is not the time to procrastinate. Missing a small detail in one of these areas during your senior year can result in late fees, labor-intensive workarounds for both you and the University, and in some cases, late degree conferral. Review the Academic Calendar and note all deadlines associated with degree conferral.
2. Do all the parts of your degree program show as declared in Axess?
Particular attention should be paid to how your major appears in Axess, including your subplan(s), minor(s) and any interdisciplinary honors programs. Once the degree is awarded, you cannot fix anything that was overlooked. Problems should be reported to the undergrad student services officer immediately.
rleigh [at] stanford.edu (subject: Degree%20Requirement%20Question) (Email the UG Student Services Officer)
3. Schedule your capstone recital (if applicable) at least one quarter in advance
If your capstone requires a performance venue, review our RECITALS AT A GLANCE planning guide. Remember that your lesson instructor or capstone advisor must book your date for you, and there are rules and deadlines associated with posters, programs, and receptions.
rleigh [at] stanford.edu (subject: Degree%20Requirement%20Question) (Email the UG Student Services Officer)
4. Apply to Graduate
You must let the University know that you are planning on completing your degree by submitting an application to graduate via Axess. You must apply to graduate in the quarter in which you are actually graduating. The deadlines are fairly early, so it's best to apply to graduate within the first weeks of the quarter. You can withdraw that application without penalty.
5. Pay your fees and return your keys
All fees must be paid before you receive your diploma. If you have any outstanding charges on your student account, be sure to pay them before Week 9. If you have rented a Music locker, be sure to clear out all items before you leave campus. If you have rented any keys to practice rooms (piano, harpsichord, organ, harp, guzheng, etc), remember to return your keys and get your deposit back.
6. Check your requirements in MAP
Review your MAP degree audit to ensure it is showing complete: map.stanford.edu.
7. Order, purchase or rent a cap and gown
The bookstore places orders for specific sizes late in winter quarter or early in spring quarter. To guarantee yourself a cap and gown, remember to place your order well ahead of time. After the initial set of orders, the bookstore will only keep a select stock of caps and gowns, and may not have special sizes. Undergraduates will just need a regular black cap and gown with red Stanford stoll.
8. Let Music know you'll be at our departmental ceremony
Let rleigh [at] stanford.edu (subject: Music%20Commencement%20Diploma%20Ceremony) (Rowen), the Undergraduate Student Services Officer, know whether or not you will be attending our diploma ceremony and how many people you will be bringing with you. Watch out for emails about this. Information about accessibility requests is available from the Commencement site.
9. Use your resources
We are here to help! Senior year can be confusing, with lots of realities to deal with in addition to school work.