Honor Cords/Honor Stoles for Graduation Question
 

Hey Guys,

Not entirely sure where to put this one, so mods, move it if needed.

Ok here's the deal. I am graduating from my university in May with my BSBA. The money-spending time is coming (invitations, cap and gown, etc.) and I don't know what to do about honor cords and honor stoles. I am in three different honor societies, which I am proud of and have worked sort of hard for, and I don't know which honor cord set to wear. Is it considered "rude" or "out of the norm" to wear three sets of honor cords? Or two sets of honor cords and one honor stole? Or should I just pick one set of honor cords?

In case you are wondering about the credentials needed for each honor society:

Gamma Beta Phi (3.0 GPA, community service)
Beta Gamma Sigma (3.6 cumulative GPA with BSBA)
Alpha Chi (3.65 cumulative GPA with any degree)


Should I just wear the Alpha Chi cords since it's the most prestigious academically? Sorry if this post sounds obnoxious but it's a serious question. I don't want to look stupid on graduation day :thumbsup: Thanks for your time.

Eh?

I gradumuated with honnors for my doctorate but didn't know there were fancy lad cords to wear with my funny scarf thingy.

I say, wear the ones that are the most sexy.

(I had no idea what the distinctions were, the higher you go, the less they seem to mean, you won't look stupid in any of them and no one will question you either way.)

I say, you've worked hard for your individual achievement - Wear all of them!


This a moment where there's hundreds of people .. and its all about each one of you.

Which is exactly why I skipped my college graduation :p

There must be a heirarchy here somewhere...

What is the hardest one to get? Which one has been around the longest?

Which one is the most prestigious? Which one will help you the most?

It sounds like Beta Gamma Sigma is trumped by Alpha Chi. It would look foolish (IMHO) to wear the less prestigious honour.

Wear the one you are most proud of (that might be a tough decision, but I have faith in you) and stick to it. Wearing three is a little over the top.

BTW, in short order, noone will care.

I'd agree with that...

Would people honestly even know what each sash/cord means? Is there a list passed out as to what color means what?

nah, they wouldn't know. I'm just trying to get opinions on what I should wear. I don't want to turn it into "bling." but I've been berated in the past for not wearing honor cords at my HS graduation and other similar situations, so I'm playing it safe this time around.

Dude, wear all of them. Wear any medals if you got them too. There were people at my college graduation with all sorts of funky things around their necks- some of them even had scarves for various orginizations they were in that weren't specifically academic. If you earned three cords, WEAR three cords. I know that seeing all the people with honor cords at my graduation encouraged me to earn a couple when I graduate from grad school!

PS- I just noticed you go to ASU. Given the amount of pot-smoking hippies up there, you should wear something to distinguish yourself from all the other graduates who barely scraped by enough to get the honor of a diploma. Be proud of your achievements- they make you distinctive!

A small update;

I have an honor stole, a medallion, and 5 (yes, FIVE) sets of honor cords to wear to graduation now. keep on rockin' in the free world!

Fuck it, man. Forget what I first said;

Wear them all. that was some SAGE advice given.

See what I did there? Huh? Is that not the funniest shit ever?

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

Wear all of them. Seriously. You have my permission. And, Hey, congrats. :thumbsup:

I wore all of mine and felt proud to do so. Wear all of them - you've earned it! :)

it's kind of turned into a huge joke. the only purpose of the honor societies is to fill your resume and provide plaques for your future cubicle/office wall. I think that's the main reason I am joining everyone that offers me admission. and getting honor cords. it's kind of a slap in the face to the whole "give me money for recognition" system. I'll post pics when I graduate!

I sported a few honor cords in HS, but none after that. Maybe I just wasn't very honorable :lol: since I was kind of a slacker in undergrad. It wouldn't have mattered either way, really... I graduated 5 years ago and have no clue which of my friends wore cords. Ustwo's right: fewer people care as you go higher up in academia.

That said, the big deal at the Master's and PhD levels are the fancy robes themselves. I really loved having a big-ass hood on my back for my Master's, and I am going to rock out in my doctoral gown (which are cool because of how medieval they look, right down to the goofy pillow hat). I always found it amusing that the doctoral gowns cost as much as some wedding dresses... but hey, at least academics get to wear them once a year, instead of once in a lifetime! :lol:

Wear them all. While you are at it, spray paint your GPA on your gown and hire the town crier to belt out your list of achievements.

OK, sorry. You asked a serious question, and you are not trying to be obnoxious, and here I am, being obnoxious anyway. If it were me, I'd wear none of them. But it ain't me. It's you. Do what feels most comfortable for you. Forget what anybody else says (including yours truly) and do whatever you want with these things. Weave them into a bandanna if you want. It's your graduation.

Braid them all together and when someone asks just tell 'em it's for being 'the most awesomenest...ever.'

Seriously...I'd wear them all and take a lot of pictures. You earned them and after graduation they'll probably just gather dust in a box somewhere...might as well flaunt it.

I was gonna say just to wear the one that is the most prestigious but when guthmund said "they'll probably just gather dust in a box somewhere" I reconsidered. My tassles are hanging on a bulletin board in my kitchen but for several years they were just lying in a box. Now is your chance to revel in your accomplishments because in the years to come there will be fewer chances to flaunt them. Enjoy it now. Wear them all.

I think you should wear them all, but keep in mind that some of your orgs' bylaws may have specific places you need to place them or at least requiring that some not be placed below others.

and ustwo and abaya may be correct that laypeople may or may not care about your rewards/achievements (although your PARENTS may care very much so, especially if they funded any part of your education--make your parents proud if nothing else and yeah, I'm willing to bet they'll get a kick out of seeing their kid blinged out with honors!), but the truth of the matter is that other members WILL care and they'll know what everything means. And one of the benefits of joinging all these societies is networking...

My dad wears a Master's robe once a year for ushering his high school through graduation. It's totally funny to see him in it. It's trimmed with his university's colors and looks really awesome. It was really funny to see all the administrators at my own high school graduation--almost all the women were in robes for their doctorate's while all of the men only had Master's robes (why is this? Because typically in the past women had the ability to take a year off and write their dissertation, men did not).

As for cords...I was a member of several honor societies during my undergrad and I don't think a single one of them offered cords. Lucky you, Redjake.

wear them all...but make sure you don't look ridiculous. when i graduated (and trust me, if it weren't for my parents I wouldn't have gone), there were quite a few people who clearly just wanted to "prove" something and lavished themselves with everything they could.

think of this: the pictures you take on that day will last forever, so what is worth more? looking good or "proving yourself" to other people who you'll probably never see again?

Wear them all. You earned them. I wouldn't worry at all about about what anyone else thought. You make the decision and be proud.

I too, am graduating with membership in several honor societies (yea me! :) ). My university does not allow us to wear any cords for any society, so I can only mention the societies in my resume....

to answer your question, though.... wear as many as you can! Congratulations!