17/09/2026
HAS SIGN OUT REPLACED CONVOCATION?
I have been thinking about this lately. Has sign out actually replaced convocation?
sign out is basically the celebration that follows the completion of your final written examinations in the university. And by final exams, I mean you may not even have done your external defence or completed your final project requirements yet.
Yet these days, sign out has become such a big deal. There are elaborate celebrations, beautiful outfits, photoshoots, parties and parents even go as far as bringing goats to campus to celebrate their children.
And I'm here wondering when did finishing your final exams become bigger than graduating from the university?
Because I remember when convocation was the big deal. By the time you got to convocation, you had cleared what needed to be cleared, your results were out, and you knew exactly what you were graduating with First Class, Second Class Upper, Second Class Lower, Third Class as the case may be.
You had officially completed your university journey and were ready for the next chapter whether NYSC or exemption, further studies, employment, or whatever came next. But now, it sometimes feels like students sign out with the energy of people who have just received their certificates.
And don't get me wrong, completing your final exams is certainly worth celebrating. University is not easy, and reaching the end of your exams is a significant milestone.
But has sign out gradually become the new convocation?
Or is it simply a new campus culture where students have found another reason to celebrate?
I'm genuinely curious.
