To help parents of graduates prepare, we asked Parent Council members for their advice: What do you wish you would have known before your student graduated? What are you glad you knew before your student graduated? Here's what they had to say!

Commencement Day

"Weather can be hot and humid. Cotton and linen sundresses and slacks will be most comfortable. The site is on a field, so flat shoes or dressy sandals work well."

"There are coolers with bottles of water available; be sure to grab a bottle for the ceremony."

"Arrive at least one hour before the Commencement ceremony. There are shuttles between the parking areas and field, but you may still need to walk some distance, so leave yourself plenty of time."

"Bring an extra memory card and batteries for cameras. There will be an Eckerd banner strung between two palm trees on the beach; it's a great place to take photos."

"There is plenty of seating under the tents. And at the end of many aisles, there are portable fans on the ground to keep you cool."

"If you sit on the left side of the graduates, you will be able to see them walking down the steps of the stage after shaking President Eastman's hand. Then they'll have their photo taken by the photographer. If you sit on the right side of the graduates, you'll see them lining up to receive their diplomas. All of the seats offer good vantage points."

"The local dollar stores offer lots of decorations and balloons."

"If you plan to have a celebratory lunch after Commencement, make reservations ahead of time."

Life After Eckerd

"As a parent, I wish I had known the effect of losing the "Eckerd Bubble" following graduation. One of the first things we noticed about Eckerd was the focus on the student as a person, not a number. The students developed ways of taking care of each other; they looked out for each other; there were the typical "friend groups," but each group had a support structure. As parents, we knew most of the students in our daughter's friend group, and we trusted them to take care of each other. The emotional shock of losing this friend group was very difficult. Also, the societal norm at Eckerd is not present everywhere, and many workplaces are not yet team-based, so it can take some time to adapt."

"Eckerd is truly a place that changes lives and creates future leaders and individuals ready to work and live in a diversified environment. The entire culture of Eckerd is like that. Unfortunately, the rest of the world isn't there yet, so Eckerd graduates get a clear dose of reality when they enter the workforce, and can get frustrated [with situations] they know are not right or fair."

"Our daughter understood, after leaving Eckerd, almost as much about team functioning, the benefits of team involvement, and the differences between leadership and management as most experienced managers and MBAs."