Comments on: He'd rather have a hoodie than a hood.

Question: He'd rather have a hoodie than a hood.

kendrak — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 21:52:03 -0800

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?

By: LarryC

LarryC — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 22:03:44 -0800

If he is not going into academia I would just rent everything. Use the money you save to get the diploma nicely framed.

By: moof

moof — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 22:11:44 -0800

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.

By: bettafish

bettafish — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 22:23:41 -0800

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.

By: oflinkey

oflinkey — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 22:25:18 -0800

Rent. There is no reason to buy if you are using it once.

By: ROU_Xenophobe

ROU_Xenophobe — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 22:28:20 -0800

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.

By: crinklebat

crinklebat — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 22:41:09 -0800

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.

By: sourwookie

sourwookie — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 23:04:52 -0800

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.

By: sourwookie

sourwookie — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 23:05:56 -0800

FWIW: My diploma is stashed in an old iBook box.

By: LiveLurker

LiveLurker — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 23:55:01 -0800

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!

By: Wolof

Wolof — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 23:55:03 -0800

I rented.

By: Jahaza

Jahaza — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 00:05:56 -0800

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.

By: ranglin

ranglin — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 00:16:44 -0800

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).

By: ranglin

ranglin — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 00:18:01 -0800

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!)

By: outlier

outlier — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 01:35:03 -0800

To add to the chorus - rent. All these graduation knick-knacks are just another way for universities to suck money out of our pockets.

By: King Bee

King Bee — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 05:03:23 -0800

sourwookie: Your PhD diploma is in an old iBook box?

By: holgate

holgate — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 06:07:51 -0800

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.)

By: bricoleur

bricoleur — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 06:17:08 -0800

I rented, and I got to keep the tassel. Maybe that's true in his case as well.

By: oddman

oddman — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 06:40:35 -0800

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.

By: procrastination

procrastination — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 06:41:30 -0800

Rent. I went into academia and used my start up money to buy it when I needed it.

By: kendrak

kendrak — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 06:43:13 -0800

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.)

By: catlet

catlet — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 07:17:46 -0800

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.

By: wps98

wps98 — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 07:40:41 -0800

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.