With the spring semester coming up to the half-way point, seniors are gearing up to graduate.

However, not all seniors know what needs to be done before they take the big walk across the stage in May.

Here are some tips to help seniors get to graduation.

1. Apply for graduation.
2. Make sure all holds and balances are cleared from your account.
3. Pick up your cap and gown when it comes in.
4. Return all your books on time.
5. Enjoy your last semester while you can!

An email was sent out in early January regarding senior degree audits and what needed to be completed to finish the semester.

If the audit showed that your classes were successfully completed, the registrar cleared you for graduation, which would take you to the application.

The application can be found in the portal under the students tab in student forms.

To complete the application, you must fill out your personal information, the name you want on your diploma, and what major(s) you are graduating with.

“I haven’t done much for graduation, really just filled out the form on the portal. It’ll go by way faster than you think so don’t delay in getting things done. Senioritis is still a thing so try and stay on top of things. Graduation is coming before you know it,” Courtney Mills said.

Applications for graduation are due by March 3 and it is required to be filled out regardless of it you are walking the stage or not.

All holds and balances must be cleared off of your account before you can graduate.

To check for any holds and balances, a visit to Financial Aid would be beneficial to ensure everything is squared away.

Toward the end of the semester, caps and gowns will arrive and be delivered to the bookstore.

Picking up your cap and gown as soon as it arrives would be a good idea to make sure everything fits correctly and you get a feel for how light or heavy the material is.

While you are in the bookstore, it would be a good idea to also return any books you may have had for the semester to make sure you do not get charged for them once you graduate.

Even though there are many things to do before, that should not stop you from taking advantage of every memory you can make in your last semester of college.

“I wish I would’ve realized sooner that when coming back second semester, I’d only have 15 weeks with my friends and teammates. Make the most of every day in college. Don’t take for granted the people and opportunities you have in school. You’ll never get this time back after graduation,” Taylor Downen said.

Despite having some knowledge going into graduation, there are some things that seniors look back at and wish they knew beforehand.

“For second semester, I wish I would’ve known how many credits I needed to fulfill the scholarship requirement. A tip is to be in close contact with your academic advisor because they can help you with any and all issues,” Madeline Ruzicka said.

Senior year is a time to enjoy the last of the college experience, but it can also be stressful if you do not know what steps to take to make sure you walk on the graduation stage.