7 things Baylor seniors should know before becoming Baylor alumni

One month from today, some 3,000 Baylor seniors will flip their tassels, receive their diplomas, and turn from students into alumni. Class of 2017 — are you ready?

We’re here to help make sure you are. Before you walk the Ferrell Center stage, here are seven things every senior should know that will make the coming days and years even better:

1. Finish strong in your classes, then enjoy Senior Week. Baylor Senior Week is an annual celebration that features events like a senior road trip to Independence (coming full circle from when you crossed under the columns before your freshman year) and a chance to check off some of those special Baylor Bucket List items. Watch your email for more information.

2. Don’t miss Ring Out and the Passing of the Key. For decades, these symbolic ceremonies have signified the passing of the guardianship of the Baylor spirit. At Ring Out, graduating senior women gather in Burleson Quadrangle to pass a chain of ivy to junior women. At Ring Out, a representative of the senior class, who has been designated the “custodian” of the key to the box of relics buried under the centennial monument in the center of Founders Mall, passes the key to a junior representative.

3. Enjoy Commencement. The pomp and circumstance, the walk across the stage, the pictures with family, the smiles, the tears… It’s all part of a great tradition that lets you follow in the steps of generations of graduates before you. Find all the information you need about your cap and gown, when and where to go on the day of your ceremony, etc. on the Baylor Commencement website.

4. The Baylor Alumni Network exists for you. As a Baylor graduate, you’re automatically part of the Baylor Alumni Network, which connects the Baylor family worldwide through interest networks and events that bring people together. There are no membership dues, and you can participate in whatever interests you, from sports and women’s gatherings to business, law and nursing events.

5. Your fellow Bears can help you get adjusted to life in the “real world.” The Baylor family is full of alums who want to help. The Baylor Mentor Network is designed to facilitate relationships between young alums and more seasoned alums in their profession who can offer guidance and answer questions, while the Young Grads’ Network was built to bring together Bears like you, who are less than 10 years out of school, to help make personal and professional connections in your new city.

6. You’ll always be a part of the Baylor family. No matter how far life takes you from campus, you don’t stop being a Bear. While it may sound hokey when people say graduation isn’t the end of something, but a beginning, it’s true — you’ll be a Baylor alumnus a whole lot longer than you were a Baylor student. So…

7. Stay in touch! Make sure you’re following Baylor (and BaylorProud!) on social media, and don’t forget to update your contact info once you leave campus! That way you’ll be kept up to date with what’s happening back here at BU — like details for future Homecomings and other big Baylor events, both on campus and around the country.

Congratulations, seniors — you’ve made this far. Finish strong, take note of the resources available to you once you graduate, and make the most of the fun, friendships and moments that make being a Baylor Bear so special.

Sic ’em, Baylor seniors!