Choose Wisely
2009 March 26
It matters where you do your PhD.
It may not be something you’re thinking about now, but when you’re part of a teaching faculty, such as the illustrious Moore College faculty, for example, sitting on a stage in your academic finery (as they were tonight for the graduation ceremony), you want to look your best.
Sorry, Paul Williamson, but crimson, baby blue, and royal purple are not a great combination. Strike out Belfast.
And a big maroon-ish-purple overcoat is pretty bad too: strike out both Sydney’s own Macquarie University (Campbell, Gibson) and London (Bolt, Barnett).
Turns out that Cambridge is the place to go (Salier, Höhne, Rosner, Shead): sharp and simple.
I cant believe that via Michael Jensen’s blog I am getting drawn into making a comment on this trivial issue – about which our Lord warned us! (flowing robes?)
Something to factor in to your decision – it is not widely known that Cambridge has an odd rule aimed at engendering humility (yes, stop laughing). We wear the robes of the highest degree already held. So a PhD student often has no formal justification to wear his/her doctoral robes. It would be incorrect to wear them for the PhD graduation – you ought to be dressed in your MPhil garb.
Our Lord would approve.
Great to see Pete Sanlon here first!
No comment on the striking blue and red of the Oxford DPhil (Abp Jensen, Dean Thompson, Jnr Jensen?)
@Pete: Interesting point. I didn’t know that. However, they’re all faculty at a different college, so would be (I assume) quite justified in wearing PhD garb.
@Michael: Neither here nor there, really. Not a bad combo, but a little clashy with the standard black suit. Also, is Jnr your official title?
Jnr? Oh yes. Quite official.