Graduation weekend is quickly approaching, piling onto the stress of finals.

As a community college graduate, I’ve done this already, granted, community college is significantly smaller in class sizes, but the gist of it is the same. So here’s a quick rundown of what to do for the big day.

Relish it

This is your big day, you’ve worked four or five or however many years to get here, take a breath to take it in and acknowledge the accomplishment it is.

Plan ahead

You want to figure out things like parking for yourself and guests. The last thing you want to do is drive around campus more mad about the parking situation than usual.

Have a game plan ahead of time for arrival, which is usually about 15-30 minutes before the college recommends. Just know between the parking and amount of other graduates, you don’t want to be exactly on time but fighting a rush.

It’s good to let guests know that seats are first come first serve, and masks are not mandated but encouraged if anyone wants to wear one.

Get the stupid pictures, just to commemorate the occasion

I promise once the burnout finally stops two or three years down the road, you’ll wish you had something to show off: “Yeah I did that, and survived.”

Do not, and I repeat do not, decorate your cap on the day of

The glitter won’t stay, the glue will not dry, and for some reason, the printer won’t be working. Walmart won’t print a meme of Kevin from The Office because it’s copyrighted.

Just take an evening a couple of days before to sit down and get it done, so that way any hiccups can have a game plan and time to fix them.

Don’t brush it off 

It’s your day; you should be proud of how far you have come. If anything, I am proud of you, as the stranger across the screen. Because that’s a lot of work and a lot of dedication.

Congratulations to all you graduates this semester — you did it, and you’re at the finish line. Go get that degree.

Wichita State  provides all information  that graduates need to know and tell their guests, such as reminders of the clear bag policy and times of different ceremonies. To find more info, visit wichita.edu/about/commencement/