He'd rather have a hoodie than a hood.

April 8, 2008 9:52 PM

PhinisheD Filter: My partner's graduating after completing his PhD. Should he rent or buy the hood?

My partner's finally graduating with a PhD in computer science and walking next month. He's already got a job in the industry and has no plans on returning to academia, so he doesn't really need to buy the cap and gown. I thought he should at least buy the hood and frame/save it afterwards, since that's the most symbolic part of the ceremony for him. (It's not like the tassel will really matter in this case.) He figured he'd just rent the whole thing. We decided to ask the internet for answers. So should he buy the hood or just rent it?

posted by kendrak to education (22 comments total)

If he is not going into academia I would just rent everything. Use the money you save to get the diploma nicely framed.
posted by LarryC at 10:03 PM on April 8

I wasn't given a choice. Wore it once. Stuffed it into a closet. Husband taught for years at a pretentious girls' school and had to wear it several times a month. Usually in stifling heat.

I can't think of any good reason to buy.
posted by moof at 10:11 PM on April 8

In the nicest way possible, I think framing a hood sounds really lame. Rent, and frame the diploma with pride!

Congrats to your S.O, btw. He should be proud.
posted by bettafish at 10:23 PM on April 8

Rent. There is no reason to buy if you are using it once.
posted by oflinkey at 10:25 PM on April 8

Rent. I'll depart from the others by saying screw the diploma, and get an extra copy of the signature page of his dissertation nicely framed.
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 10:28 PM on April 8

You don't say how much it costs, which might be a deciding factor.

I went to a high school where a lot of PhDs taught, and at our graduation they all wore their different hoods. We were mostly college-bound and it was a symbolic way to welcome us into the larger world of ideas or something. It was actually really awesome, especially because most of us had never seen one before. So even if your partner isn't planning to wind up in academia, you never know when a hood might come in handy (all kinds of random paths lead to teaching high school!). It's just a question of how much it sets you back.
posted by crinklebat at 10:41 PM on April 8

Hell, I didn't even walk for my diploma. No cap or gown, I was a (planned) no-show.

Me and my family just had a PHAT dinner out.
posted by sourwookie at 11:04 PM on April 8

FWIW: My diploma is stashed in an old iBook box.
posted by sourwookie at 11:05 PM on April 8

I had to favorite this question, if only to draw attention to how tassles attached to squares can be total money sucking disasters.

How can universities get away with this?

Well they can't! Tell your honey to take that sheep's kin, and run!
posted by LiveLurker at 11:55 PM on April 8

I rented.
posted by Wolof at 11:55 PM on April 8

If he does end up teaching high school or in an episcopal church choir, or other situations where he has to wear it regularly he can always buy it then.
posted by Jahaza at 12:05 AM on April 9

Yes, he should rent!

Also, speaking as somebody in academia, he probably wouldn't need to buy even if he was an academic. I have to wear mine to every graduation here at work (different uni than I graduated from), and the campus is always happy to rent one for me on my behalf.

(Also, I'm not sure how well a hood would frame up anyway.. Might look a little strange. Better to frame the degree, and maybe some professional photos of him in the cap and gown).
posted by ranglin at 12:16 AM on April 9

Oh, yes, and I also want to throw in my congratulations... It's a lot of hard work and he should be proud (and enjoy the graduation as the celebration of a lot of study!)
posted by ranglin at 12:18 AM on April 9

To add to the chorus - rent. All these graduation knick-knacks are just another way for universities to suck money out of our pockets.
posted by outlier at 1:35 AM on April 9

sourwookie: Your PhD diploma is in an old iBook box?
posted by King Bee at 5:03 AM on April 9

Rent, and if you have a dresser for the ceremony, tip generously. The only time I'd consider purchasing a gown would be if it's actually required on a semi-regular basis, i.e. in academia. (My degree certificates are in an envelope somewhere beneath a paper swamp.)
posted by holgate at 6:07 AM on April 9

I rented, and I got to keep the tassel. Maybe that's true in his case as well.
posted by bricoleur at 6:17 AM on April 9

I like the idea of framing the hood. If it could be done attractively, I would certainly consider framing and hanging my hood.

But consider whether you and he will actually display it at home (or in the office). Look around and ask yourself where it would go. Ask yourself whether it would be aesthetically pleasing or just a symbol of accomplishment (in my mind it would ideally be both). If you realize that you are likely to hide it away in a closet, then it seems silly to buy.
posted by oddman at 6:40 AM on April 9

Rent. I went into academia and used my start up money to buy it when I needed it.
posted by procrastination at 6:41 AM on April 9

Thanks everybody! I thought my need for him to buy it had to do with my old dreams of getting a PhD. Of course now that the internet has spoken, he's changed his mind. (I think he's just trying to be difficult.)
posted by kendrak at 6:43 AM on April 9

I rented the gown, but we had to buy our hood and mortarboard. I upgraded to the velvet tam because I look like a dork in a mortarboard. I don't even know where my hood or diploma are; the tassel became a cat toy.
posted by catlet at 7:17 AM on April 9

I teach at a small liberal arts college. For non-tenured faculty the college rents regalia. When you get tenure they buy you a set to save the future rental fees. In general, if he's industry he'll never need it and if he ends up in academia it will almost certainly be provided for him.
posted by wps98 at 7:40 AM on April 9