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graduation

It's the time for celebration as graduation ceremonies are still on-going around the country, Christmas is on its way and we look forward to a New Year.

Moët has always been a key-part of our parties and they've now launched something that would make a very special event – that bit extra.

They're offering a personalised pop with a typed or handwritten message which is then transferred onto the bottle.

It's a gorgeous gift or a very special touch to your own magic moment.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Moët & Chandon Official (@moetchandon) on

Furthermore, personalisation is FREE for the Moët & Chandon Imperial range, from Mini (200ml) to Methuselah (6L) bottle.

Moët & Chandon has also unveils its holiday-season bottle designed in homage to the perennial refinement of the French “art of living” – and it's STUNNING.

The elegantly festive and highly symbolic limited-edition bottle is perfectly titled “Tribute to French Art-de-Vivre”.

Take an enchanting journey and taste French excellence and swirl that glass like a true connoisseur this Christmas – g'wan gal. 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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If that doesn't tickle your champagne fancy, you can get an equally memorable moment this holiday season by gifting a limited edition Mini Moët & Chandon Cracker.

Available in Moët Brut and Rosé Impérial, each special gift set contains a Mini Moët 200ml with a crown, a riddle & confetti. 

For all your Moët needs check out Brown Thomas who have all these exclusive treats.

This is definitely going on the Christmas list. 

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Graduating last year felt more like a slow, sad deflation than a triumphant arrival into the working world. 

I’d worked hard for four years, pulled all nighters, been active in clubs and societies and made a boatload of friends.

Somehow, I managed to blag my way into a an entry-level position at a bank with an English degree.  

On the outside it seemed like I had no reason to be miserable, I had a decent apartment, a handful of close friends, a generous salary, a loving relationship. 

I had a good old dose of the post-graduation blues

While my co-workers were generally pleasant, I felt severely isolated. After spending four years learning about and debating literature, life and everything in between, copying and pasting an Excel spreadsheet was a shock to the system.

But in reality, I had a cheeky bathroom cry at least once a day and spent my evenings watching Gossip Girl reruns in bed. My identity as an outgoing and enthusiastic book-lover was completely shattered, I didn't know who I was or what I wanted anymore. I felt that my degree had been a waste of time, that employers didn't care about the dedication and buckets of Red Bull that went into that piece of paper. 

I lasted four months before handing in my notice, while crying of course. 

I'm not the only one. When talking about it with friends, classmates and co-workers, I was surprised that the amount of similar tales to my own. Hitting a massive slump after finishing college seems to be a fairly well-acknowledged experience.

So why is nobody talking about it? 

A study conducted by the The Independent in 2013 found that 90% of British students believed that post-graduation depression was a reality and 87% agreed that it needed more media exposure.

Despite this, there has never, I repeat NEVER, been a reputable study done on the relationship between graduating from  third level institution and depression. It is a well reported statistic that one in four students will suffer depression at some stage in their college careers, yet little is known about what happens to these students after they get handed that diploma.

“Young adulthood isn’t a population that is well studied at all. From a research perspective, it’s hard to categorise them,” Sheryl Ziegler, a professional counsellor, told The Washington Post.

“If a student’s college experience is mostly positive, college provides a cocoon of sorts: a community of friends, teachers and mentors who are mostly readily available to offer support or advice. Graduating symbolises a leap into ‘adult’ life, which is a huge transition,” she explains.

According to therapists and graduate chatrooms, symptoms of post-graduation depression  include massively decreased motivation, abnormally negative perspective, spending excessive amounts of time in bed, a sense of hopelessness and substance abuse.

“They often have trouble motivating themselves to get a job,” Ziegler said. “They are often lonely due to a lack of connection with friends. While young adults are in college, they may have been in an environment that was more accepting of alcohol and recreational drug use, and while depressed it’s possible this is being used as a coping mechanism.”

As well as employment and financial worries, graduates are often faced with the difficulties of moving back home. After the freedom and independence of living alone for college, returning to being a teenager-like state of co-habiting with parents can take it’s toll.

John, an engineering graduate from Dublin, sees no point leaving his family home, at least not in the current rental market.

“Although I appreciate my home cooked meals and other perks living it home can be a bit frustrating at times. I would love to move out to feel more independent, but I haven't come across an opportunity that would justify the cost.”

While a triumphant title in a recent Irish Independent article announced that graduate employment is back to boom-time levels, it doesn't address what type of employment they’ve found. Too often, intelligent young people end up over-qualified and under-paid, or in some cases, not paid at all. Making little to no money is not only financially stressful, but it also impacts on your self-image. 

Eva, a graphic designer, regrets taking an unpaid internship after graduation "I feel as though they definitely have a negative impact upon your self belief and confidence in your own abilities. 

"You're literally being told that your time, commitment and abilities are worth nothing." 

While taking a gap year or spending a prolonged period travelling might seem like a fantastic way to avoid the blues, it too comes with difficulties. Some graduates, such as Rachel, noted that readjusting back to life after travelling only compounded the blues. 

After returning from a year in New York, the marketing graduate doubted her decision of coming back to Dublin. 

“I was miserable; I would’ve given my right arm to get back to New York. I still would to be honest.”

Elsa, a journalism graduate, thought that 18-months travelling and life experience would give her an edge over her competitors, the opposite, in fact, was true.

“I could have kept going after my last internship and turned it into a permanent position but instead I had to justify the 18 month gap in my CV.

“Getting job interviews in journalist was very hard and no one seemed interested in what travelling taught me.”

So why is no one addressing this? Zielgar notes that this might, in part, be due to a common misconception about that final step into adulthood.

"Post-grad depression is under­reported because graduation is like motherhood: culturally seen as a seemingly joyful time, which makes it even more shameful for someone to admit that it’s not."

How can students and universities address graduation depression? Several graduates I talked to suggested improving access to work experience while still in college, to help moderate expectations of the working-environment. Another suggested that the burden should be on universities to assure students that it's okay to not be employed in their field straight away. 

But the first step is opening up to trusted friends, family members or a counsellor about how you feel. If your budget won't stretch as far as therapy fees, mental health services, such as Aware, offer free phone chatlines and support groups.

Pushing yourself out of your comfort zone and joining clubs, night classes, or community groups was also recommended by graduates. 

For me, it was getting back to hobbies I had neglected and finally landing a job that was right for me. When it comes to mental health, nothing is going to get better overnight, but by embracing small positive changes each day, it will get a little better. I swear. 

By Katie Meegan 

Names have been changed

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Hundreds of students have been left disappointed after NUIG announced it would reschedule today's planned graduation ceremony due to the effects of hurricane Ophelia. 

"NUI Galway will be closed tomorrow Monday 16th October due to the arrival of Storm Ophelia," a post on the university's Facebook page read. 

"In the interests of safety, staff and students are not expected to attend the University. A skeleton staff will be on campus during the morning to give advice and guidance to anyone not receiving this message. All conferring ceremonies which were scheduled for tomorrow will now take place on Saturday (21st October)."  

The announcement came late yesterday evening, and while the safety of staff and students is the number one priority, many graduates have been left frustrated by the lack of notice. 

One commented: "Lads this is disgraceful. People's families have travelled, money has been spent and now people will miss their family members graduating. You've made a massive mistake."

Another said: "This is an absolute joke. How am I meant to reschedule my plans with 5 days notice? I work on weekends and I mightn't even be able to attend my own grad. Absolute disgrace." 

Family and friends of graduates had made arrangements months in advance with some even spending up to €500 on hotel rooms for the night. 

"The timing of the cancellation of Monday’s graduations is appalling. We were on route to Galway when you finally posted. Our hotel has advised they have to charge, almost €500 which could’ve been avoided at 24 hours notice, i.e before 4pm. We all knew about storm Ophelia before 4pm today."

As mentioned in the statement, a 'skeleton staff' will be on campus tomorrow morning to inform any students who may not have received the message overnight. 

The University has apologised for the inconvenience caused and has said it expects business to resume as normal on Tuesday. 

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We love our fathers with all our hearts, but there's no denying that when it come to the minutiae of our daily lives, they're generally not as clued in as our mothers.

And while they may not always have their finger on the pulse, we would assume they would be able to pick us out of a line-up.

Unfortunately for Georgia Wilde, it took her recent graduation day to realise that when it comes to the crunch, her dad may not be as reliable on that front as she might have hoped.

Taking to Twitter with a recording, the film graduate told friends and followers: "My dad legit filmed the wrong girl going down the isle at my graduation sums up my Dad." (sic)

Unsurprisingly, the post soon went viral, with thousands of social media users seeing their own fathers in Georgia's.

"At least your Dad knows how to use a camera. My father tried to film me with his phone which turned out to be the tv remote!" wrote one.

"No word of a lie, when it was my cousins wedding 5 years ago, my grandad went up to the wrong bride getting out the car," added another.

Anyone else seeing the irony in Georgia's choice of degree?!

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A Belgian university has been forced to apologise after asking it's female students to wear ''low-cut'' tops to their graduation ceremony.

The medical faculty of the Free University of Brussels sent an email to graduates suggesting what they should wear to the event.

“From an aesthetic point of view it’s preferable for the young women to wear a dress or a skirt along with a nice low-cut neckline, and the men a suit.”

They added, “of course, ladies, this advice is not compulsory”. – Gee, thanks.

A screen shot of the email was posted on an unofficial university Facebook page called ULB Confessions, where it was immediately inundated with comments from anger students.

One user wrote, ''is this a joke? They are graduates of medicine and everything that we're asking them is to show their chest?'', while another added,  “Imagine if the ULB suggested that the male graduates wore a low-cut shirt. Preposterous.”

The university later responded saying, ''Hello, the Dean of medicine has noted yesterday of this message moved who enters in contradiction with the values and habits of the ulb. He immediately sent an email of apology, on behalf of the faculty, to all the students who received these instructions.''

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Modern Family star, Ariel Winters is a high school graduate!

The actress graduated yesterday from private school, Campbell Hall, and she looked as mature and elegant as always at the ceremony.

Ariel's graduation was held at the Walt Disney Concert Hall in LA, and she wore a soft pink dress, which hugged her figure in the perfect way, and dyed her hair bright red for the occasion – really accentuating her individual style.

 

It's actually done…I GRADUATED

A photo posted by Ariel Winter (@arielwinter) on

She was seen leaving the venue wearing a blue and yellow robe, as well as holding a yellow rose.

In April, the young starlet revealed that she's heading to the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) to study in September.

She said, "The college process was so long and just really, really insane. But at the end of the day, I'm so happy with UCLA."

But fear not, it won't be the end of acting for her as she's going to continue to star on the silver screen throughout her college life.

Congrats, Ariel!

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In 2009 Jenelle Evans was supposed to enter her senior year of high school. Instead, her life was turned upside down when she became one of MTV’s most famous Teen Moms. After a troubled history of domestic abuse claims, drug related charges and some questionable relationships people wondered if Janelle would ever be able to get back to a more normal life.

However, today the 23-year old was happy to share the news that she became a college graduate.

 

A photo posted by Jenelle Evans (@j_evans8209) on

“Sexy and successful,” she captioned a photo on her Instagram where she poses in her bright blue cap and gown.

The Teen Mom 2 star, and mom to sons Jace,5, and Kaiser,1, is currently engaged to fiancé Nathan Grifith. However, despite plans to marry sometime in the future the pair have had a rocky relationship in recent times.

 

Thanks to my family for being here as my biggest support system and able to push me through it !!!

A photo posted by Jenelle Evans (@j_evans8209) on

Their public spats have caused Janelle’s mom, who has custody of her son Jace, to restrict the amount of time he spends with Janelle. In a recent Facebook Q&A the reality TV star explained:

“She's concerned about Nathan and I… Our relationship will never be perfect but we do love each other and take things day by day.”

She also admitted she doesn’t think her mom, Barbara, will ever fully accept her relationship with Nathan, telling her fans, “I honestly don't think she would ever agree,” when asked about Barbara’s opinion on their impending marriage.

Today though, Janelle seemed more focused on her recent achievements and her future career. She also acknowledged how much her mom has helped her get through in the last number of years and the pair were all smiles for Janelle's big day.

She told her followers: “If i have been through all I did today and still can go back to school and graduate… SO CAN U! I did it !!!!!”

Congratulations Janelle! 

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Jathan Muhar’s graduation speech from preschool has gone viral for being ridiculously adorable.

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