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Selfie of me in academic dress - black gown, red hood and mortar board.

It was graduation last Monday so a number of us were duly sent off to hire ourselves academic dress (at the University's expense) in order to process and lend the occasion a suitable air of pomp and ceremony. In this respect Edinburgh's rather sober PhD colours are a bit dull. Academics from foreign universities get all sorts of flashy multi-coloured gowns, most of which, apparently, bear little relation to the gowns they actually think they are supposed to wear but it would not do to argue with Ede & Ravenscroft (hirers of academic dress to the UK Higher Education Sector).

Crossposts: https://louisedennis.livejournal.com/583768.html

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From:

sir_guinglain

First the academic dress - then the teacups!

From:

purplecat

It strangely odd robing in the bar - I can see why they put us there, but one does wonder if one is bing encouraged to have a swift half before spending two hours watching people shake the VC's hand.

From:

a_cubed

You have to arrange it yourself? At Reading, you just tell them where you graduate and in what faculty and they arrange it with E&R.

From:

purplecat

Well it depends what you mean by arrange it yourself. We have to fill in a web form before a certain date (which I had a fight about in the summer since they didn't send me a link until after the date and I wasn't prepared to pay out of my own pocket for the late hire). The form does just specify faculty and university - hence the rather random results some of our overseas staff members seem to be getting.

From:

a_cubed

OK, yeah, that's pretty much the same as Reading. Although, IIRC, after the first time I just had to tell them I would be attending graduation and that my robes hadn't changed.

From:

vivdunstan

I have a bit of a case of gown envy with my husband. We both started computer science PhDs at St Andrews - same era as

a_cubed - but I had to leave mine after developing a progressive neurological illness at 22.

So Martin went in to finish his PhD, and is eligible for I think the light blue gown St Andrews uses for PhDs. With a light blue and white hood.

Later I retrained as a historian, picking up 3 more degrees part time, including history PhD at Dundee. Whose PhD gowns are much more boring: black and mid blue gown, plus a two-tone blue hood.

So yup, issues there, compounded by my legacy issues from leaving that first PhD.

In practice though we don’t ever have to wear our PhD graduation gowns and don’t own them. Both skipped the graduation ceremonies (Martin out of kindness to me, me because I was too disabled to attend mine in 2010). And though we’re both research fellows (me honorary) we never go to graduation ceremonies.

But still gown envy :)

Edited Date: 2019-12-10 02:59 pm (UTC)

From:

purplecat

I don't think anyone outside Oxbridge actually has much use for gowns - hence why we all hire them. I don't know if that's a good or bad thing.

Graduation ceremonies are funny things. I mean they are mostly incredibly dull and yet of huge significance to many of the people taking part. One of those instances where ritual is surprisingly important. It's understandable therefore that you have some issues wrt. academic gowns.

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