Graduation is happening!

On Wednesday, the chair of the department of Political Science and History stopped me in the hallway and told me he signed off on my graduation application and I'm all set.

There's some of our readers that are in high school and some are barely beginning their college careers. Maybe you aren't fully aware of what it takes to get to this point, so let's journey into the depths of what it takes to graduate at The University of Texas at Tyler.

Official Correspondence. What what!

When you're a freshman at UT Tyler, you have to meet with your advisor each semester you enroll for classes to make sure you're fulfilling your core requirements. After your freshman year, you will be able to meet with an advisor for your department.

If you are a transfer student, make sure that your official transcripts from your previous colleges get sent to UT Tyler and make an appointment with your advisor to go over what requirements are being fulfilled by what courses (take at look at the TCCNS website to get an idea of that first).

It's better if you meet with your advisor once a semester before you enroll for the next semester's classes, but some students decide to only meet once a year just to check that they're on track. I met with my advisor once a semester, but you can choose what's best for you.

Once your advisor and you see that you will be ready to graduate after the completion of your following semester, you can apply for graduation. Make sure you pay for your graduation fee either online through myUTTyler or at the cashier's office (the fee for Fall 2013 graduation was $30).

After you pay the graduation fee, go to Enrollment Services Center and pick up an application. Fill it out as best as you can and return it before the deadline (you can do priority if you want to get a quicker response). Wait a few months to get your response. I filed my application mid June and got my response mid September. Yes, it is kind of agonizing.

Deep, cleansing breaths

Upon receipt of  your response, you get to do one of two things: find out what you need to take care of before you can graduate and make a plan to do those or FREAKOUT BECAUSE YOU'RE GRADUATING!

If you are ready to graduate, you can get ready for commencement and to receive your diploma. Make sure you complete your exit loan counseling if you took out a student loan. You can head over to the campus bookstore to get your cap and gown (and try not freak out over that too).

You're all set for graduation! Let's go be productive members of society!