The last thing I wanted in high school was to be “bound” to a bunch of rednecks, stoners, and yokels who did nothing but make my teenage years ones of mostly misery and isolation. I was long past “transitioning” from high school well before my senior year, and didn’t appreciate the need to spend a couple of hundred dollars, minimum, on the trappings for something I’d sooner put behind me and get away from.
On the other hand, I’m all in favor of the delining society; I like to draw nice, straight lines over everything.
I enjoyed mine, but I doubt I would enjoy going to somebody else’s. I was very proud to graduate from my college. I also like ceremonial things. Very existential.
Then again, I’m Catholic so I’ve had ceremony drilled into my head from a young age
Come to think of it, my most recent one was enjoyable – I was able to say hi to fellow students whom I had not seen for a few months, and my sister put on one hell of a dinner party later on in the evening (dogs chasing cats across the tables, guests blowing various types of brass horns, all that sort of stuff that takes the stuffiness out of a formal dinner party).
So the overall score? On miss. Three very bad. One good. All in all, a pox on graduation ceremonies.
I agree with you. I don’t enjoy graduations, but I do feel it’s important to acknowledge milestones like that. I was proud at all of my graduations, and it meant a lot to me that my parents and boyfriends came to celebrate with me. For me, it’s more like attending a christening than a wedding–important and worth doing, but not oodles of fun.
You better believe people go to graduate ceremonies.
I work in at an university and at graduate time, there is no end to the crying students, enraged parents, and underhanded schemes in order to weasel a few more tickets out of the student affairs office. Last year, there were even scalpers on Craig’s List selling them for big bucks.
Then, the day of, families stand in line for HOURS in all sorts of weather waiting to get a seat. The line occasionally wraps around several blocks.
If they actually enjoy it once they’re there is a different matter entirely…
You had to pay some fee just to stay home during the graduation? Whatever for?
All I had to do was check a box on a graduation form that said I’m not walking and a few weeks later they sent me my diploma (I was thrilled when my mom said she didn’t want to see me walk).
Yes! The cost of receiving one’s diploma in the mail was cleverly calculated to be exactly the same as the cap-and-gown rental and the pick-up-in-person fee. I figured it would be a last chance to hang out with my friends before they went to their far-flung hometowns. If it had cost a cent less, the mailman would have delivered my diploma.
I went to a huge college but had a small major and attended departmental graduation (well, our department plus everyone else in the humanities - quite a few people). I’d say it was pretty damn bonding.
The big one may not have been - I wouldn’t know, I didn’t go to it because spare guest tickets were SOLD OUT and they didn’t give me enough tickets to bring all three of the people I wanted there.
I felt like the party we and two other families threw for our children was a far more meaningful ceremony that bound the group together as a unit. The actual graduation was long, tedious, and very very hot. The party was a lot of fun, all their friends and families came and hung out and had a great time.
I’m on faculty so I get to sit through them every year in voluminous, hot black robes, not reading, not listening to my iPod. I like them in principle, but they often are not well-conceived. The best ones have speakers who are knowledgeable, know about more of the world than their own education or career, and are sufficiently hortatory. People who ramble on with “advice” for graduates are tiresome, as are administrators who think that they have extemporaneous speaking skills.
Fast Eddie and I drove out from Colorado to California for this, as QB did not graduate from high school, and I was going to attend if I had to brave Hell and high water. I stood in this line to enter Royce Hall to see her walk at the departmental graduation. I wouldn’t have missed it for anything!
I skipped my college graduation. People who came to my party said that they respected the statement that I was making. Screw that, the only statement I made was I hate graduation ceremonies.
I hate them. I wanted to skip my high school graduation but you’d have thought I’d just announced that I had an interest in eating live puppies when I suggested it. Oh yeah, and I had to give a speech.
I skipped my college graduation and haven’t regretted it once.
The only memorable thing about my college graduation was the torrential downpour that started about 2/3 of the way through.
Chancellor (paraphrased): Uh, it looks like we’re going to have to cut this ceremony short. So, by the power vested in me you’re all graduated. Now get some shelter.
And several thousand well-dressed but thoroughly soaked people swiftly exited the football stadium. I wish I had that moment on tape, but they decided to leave that off the video tape they sold us!
[sub]Note: graduation gowns are not waterproof, and mortarboards tend to warp when wet.[/sub]
