Need advice attending College Graduation in OSU Stadium

Don't listen to those people who insist you're supposed to wear a suit and heels to graduations!

Bring water and an umbrella. Congrats on getting one launched.

I've been through two graduations at the Horseshoe! My masters and PhD.

It is so much fun to see all the different colored hoods and the various fields they represent. The students all have so much fun. And the speaker is usually very good too - we had Liddy Dole for my Masters.

Sunscreen will be good and bottled water too. The Horseshoe is a great and comfortable stadium and I think you will be fine. In case it looks like rain, try to sit in seats that are under the upper level and will be sheltered from the rain.

Unless your child is receiving a PhD, their name won't be called and they won't walk, so you don't need to worry about sitting close enough to the field to snap her pic.

Have a blast!

Your child will walk even if she's an undergraduate. The dean of her school will be on the field handing out her diploma. You just won't hear her name. OSU has photographers that take every student's picture when they receive their diploma. Make sure you ask her for the order info.
I'll be there too for my nephew who is getting his chemical engineering degree but I'm on grandpa duty so I may have to leave early.
Parking is of course far away so wear comfortable shoes.
Bring plenty of water & a seat back if you have one. It's hard to sit for a couple hours with nothing behind your back.

Just curious, how do you all know which OSU the op is referring to?

Oh, thanks, I didn't know you could do that!  I thought you all were clairvoyant since she has no location info under her avatar. 

Back when I there, Ohio State was still on the quarter system, so graduation wasn't until mid June, when it was even hotter and more humid., it is nice that it is in May now, although I'm not sure overlapping with Mother's Day is ideal for some.

Regardless, I hope that the OP's daughter relishes every minute of it and is proud of her accomplishment!

Of course, it is the THE Ohio State University!!!!! Also, the graduates will be over 10,000 which I don't think is a small amount of people. People graduate the other semesters.

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As a proud graduate of THE OSU with a bachelor's and a master's degree, I wore shorts and a nice tshirt and nice flats under my graduation gown.

For the people attending, definitely a hat with some type of brim, bring bottled water, bring sunscreen. The sun will be directly over head, so unless you sit under the upper deck area, you'll be in the sun. Have the graduate bring some bottled water with her as well. If they still do it the same, the graduates meet at the French Field House or RPAC (used to be Larkins Hall), the college advisors take attendance, then they walk over to the stadium, wait outside for several minutes, the advisors double check the attendance again and then the graduates file into the stadium. If your daughter isn't carrying something or has something on her cap, you'll never locate her.  The advisors use the attendance list to go throw the diplomas and flag the people that aren't there so to keep the line moving. They hand out the diploma with the degree in the envelope. You don't get a blank sleeve and then have to go to another location to get your actual diploma like they do at some places.

Find out where her college will be seated so that way you will know which side of the stadium to sit (home or away side). Pick a spot to meet after she gets her diploma, away from where all the graduates will be funneled through.

Archie Griffin is the commencement speaker.


link to THE OSU graduation information, including of map of where the colleges will be seated.

Bumping this thread: THE OSU had 11,040 graduates for the spring commencement. Bumping to see how it went for the OP.

Wow! I attended my niece's graduation from Syracuse University yesterday - I think there were about 6,000 graduates and I thought that was a lot. It was really hot in the Dome but I was glad to be indoors.

nm. didn't realize this was old.

I replied as though it was coming this sunday, when it had already passed.  

WOSU played the THE OSU commencement on the PBS station and I thought Archie Griffin's speech was very good.