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College in America has always been expensive, and it doesn’t get cheaper when buying your cap and gown. From regalia to photoshoots, it can cost you hundreds of dollars that you could be saving, which is important to any postgraduate and young worker entering the real world. As someone graduating this year, here are some saving tricks I have learned to make my wallet happy.
Cap & Gown
Caps and gowns can be tricky, depending on what university you attend. You could get away with buying the same color gown on Amazon without the school logo or zipper charm like George Washington University’s official gowns. However, if no one notices. What’s the harm? The price for an official GWU bachelor’s gown package (including Gown, Cap, and Tassel with Year Charm) on Josten’s website is $79 before tax and shipping. Which actually comes out to $99. For a GWU graduate gown package, that price shoots up to $149 after shipping and tax. The unofficial gown is priced at $25 on Amazon. But if you still want the official thing, go on sites such as eBay, where you might get lucky and see an alumni selling their gown for a reasonable price. The best price of all is when it costs nothing. If you have a friend or relative who graduated from your school recently, ask if you could borrow theirs.
Cords & Stoles
Depending on the organizations you are affiliated with rests on whether you have to pay for your cords or stoles. Most of the time, you do, even if it’s not direct; dues you’ve paid towards a sorority, fraternity, or professional frat most likely covered the cost for the stole. However, if you want to deck yourself out on cords, showing off your achievements, feel happier that it didn’t hurt your wallet. For example, a cord from the National Society of Leadership and Success shop costs $20 before shipping and tax. But for the exact same cord, it can be bought for $8 on Amazon. All my cords cost $20 in total!
Grad Photos
Many GW seniors want to get all dressed up in their graduation attire to take photos at the monuments in the city or iconic places around campus. The most gut-wrenching price is getting professional grad photos. The average cost in DC is around $250 for one hour and double for a two-hour shoot. Although the photos will look amazing, the price is not worth it. No hate to those who spend that much, but there are more affordable ways to get just as amazing photos. Ask a friend if they know a photography student or student with a side photography hustle because their prices are usually half the cost or cheaper for an hour photo session. With the technology of the cameras on our phones, the photos come out just as nice. And if you have a friend or family member to take your photos, it could end up being free.
Diploma Frames
The price for diploma frames on official university websites is jaw-dropping. On the GW bookstore website, diploma frames average around $200 or higher. If having the name and seal of your school matters, you can still save money by ordering it for cheaper on Amazon, which prices between $130 and $150. Is the price still steep? There are frames as low as $5 or $40 if you want the frame where you can place both your diploma and cap tassel.
Graduation should be a time to celebrate and not stress. With a little extra work, you can celebrate in style and on budget, which your future self and wallet will thank you.