NationStates Jolt Archive

I've been to two graduations in the past month. They both were similar.. so.. what the hell.. I'm making a summary of graduation.. thingies.

Lets begin:

Students enter

The students enter. This is the time when they play that "doo do do do dooo dooo do doo doo do doooo" song.

This is the time to take that picture you will hold special in you heart, for ever and ever.

Guess what proud parents, you aint gettin it.

They will either be too far away that the zoom is worthless, or they walk too fast and the picture comes out blury.

This special moment turns into the first "damnit!" of the evening.


Introduction of the class of [insert year here]

This is the time when you are either distracted by finding your son or daughter, or you can't hear because that bratty little kid behind you is too busy yelling and pissing you off.

You hear the crowd laugh, you ask "what did he say?" .. the person next to you mummbles "he said he needed bifolcals" .. you go "WTF?!" and you are now annoyed.


First speaker

That lady with the annoying voice you always hated.. morphed into a professer of english.. yes, english.

She quotes someone you never heard of, and the quote makes absolutly no sense.


The one person that will make the only good speach

The person will be funny, and very cool.

Please note, this is the only time you will ever pay attention.

You smile, you agree, you get sad because you know the good times are over now.


Diploma time!

This is when you get excited.

Because while that shitty speach was going on.. you were practicing your zoom and now feel confident in getting atleast one actual graduation picture.

Guess what? You got excited, and you left you camera on while waiting for your chance. The battery has died, you're fucked.

OR, you wait till your moment is there. You freak out, quick turn the camera on, and tottaly miss your chance and get a picture of their back.


Afterwards, congradulating the student

You get lost in the crowd of crazy mothers and confused grandparents.

When you finally find him or her.. they are too busy talking with friends and getting pictures taken. This is the part where you feel awkward.

You get one picture with that 5 dollar one-time-use camera you were forced to buy because you killed your other camera.


Conclusion

Conclusion is: Graduations are bitches.

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Am I right, or am I doing way too many drugs?

Oh, and, excuse my spelling, I'm too lazy to spell check.

Conclusion

Conclusion is: Graduations are bitches.

------------------------------------------------------------

Am I right, or am I doing way too many drugs?

Oh, and, excuse my spelling, I'm too lazy to spell check.

I find your conclusion remarkably accurate.

I find your conclusion remarkably accurate.
:D

Thank you.

I remember my graduation, in days past yonder...

*memories*

This is the time when they play that "doo do do do dooo dooo do doo doo do doooo" song.

Damn, now you've got me giggling. :)

Just so you know, that's Pomp and Circumstance No. 1 by Edward Elgar, aka Land of Hope and Glory in the UK, where it's quite the patriotic song. Here's a nufty little history of how it came to be used for US graduations: http://www.elgar.org/3pomp-b.htm

I remember my graduation, in days past yonder...

*memories*
Memories are for looooooooosers!

*drinks another beer*

Why do people even bother going to grads if they're so pointless? *sigh* what can you do about these people.

Why do people even bother going to grads if they're so pointless? *sigh* what can you do about these people.
I hate them too.. but.. blah.

I actually don't want to go to my college graduation ceramony, but you know my parents want me to go for sentiamental reasons. I just think I would find better use of my time than this. I guess I'll be taking a nap during the whole thing.

Memories are for looooooooosers!

*drinks another beer*
Cheers to that!

*Downs*

... Except exam notes. Gotta remember those. >_<;

You forgot about the idiot parents with air horns...I swear, parents behave worse than students at graduation -- if a student pisses someone off, there's the fear of the diploma disappearing. Parents might get..oh, escorted out of the building at the WORST?

Sorry, I'm still bitter after my own graduation three years ago..

Am I right, or am I doing way too many drugs?
Yes.

:p

Heh, nice. I've only been to one graduation. It was scaringly similar to what you've said. It was my cousin's and my aunty kept fuckin' the photos up.

Just so you know, that's Pomp and Circumstance No. 1 by Edward Elgar, aka Land of Hope and Glory in the UK, where it's quite the patriotic song. Here's a nufty little history of how it came to be used for US graduations: http://www.elgar.org/3pomp-b.htm
Land of Hope and Glory,
Mother of the free,
How shall we exalt thee?
Who are born of thee?

Wider still and wider,
Shall thy bounds be set.
God, who made thee mighty,
Make thee mightier yet!
God, who made thee mighty,
Make thee mightier yet.

Now you can sing along.

I find that highly amusing; America fights a war for independence, and spends 200 years asserting that it is the best nation in the world...only to have its students graduate to a song exclaiming the brilliance and supremacy of the British. :D

I find that highly amusing; America fights a war for independence, and spends 200 years asserting that it is the best nation in the world...only to have its students graduate to a song exclaiming the brilliance and supremacy of the British. :D
Well duh. Doesn't it make sense that the brighter kids in America would do so? :D

What happens if you turn up to your graduation pissed out of your skull?

i didn't want to attend my HS grad, but the parents insisted.
I didn't attend my college grad. What are they(my parents) gonna do? throw me out. . . not!

boring wastes of time if you ask me.

Land of Hope and Glory,
Mother of the free,
How shall we exalt thee?
Who are born of thee?

Wider still and wider,
Shall thy bounds be set.
God, who made thee mighty,
Make thee mightier yet!
God, who made thee mighty,
Make thee mightier yet.

Now you can sing along.

I find that highly amusing; America fights a war for independence, and spends 200 years asserting that it is the best nation in the world...only to have its students graduate to a song exclaiming the brilliance and supremacy of the British. :D


It shouldn't be that big of a surprise - after all we lifted God Save the Queen for one of the most popular patriotic songs in the US - My Country 'Tis of Thee (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/My_Country_'Tis_of_Thee)....

i didn't want to attend my HS grad, but the parents insisted.
I didn't attend my college grad. What are they(my parents) gonna do? throw me out. . . not!

boring wastes of time if you ask me.

exactly it is boring. For my College grad, I'm just going to sleep through the whole thing, I'll even bring a small pillow.

It shouldn't be that big of a surprise - after all we lifted God Save the Queen for one of the most popular patriotic songs in the US - My Country 'Tis of Thee (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/My_Country_'Tis_of_Thee)....
I think it's a conspiracy. The Declaration of Independence was fake, and just a ruse to make you think you had left the Empire. In fact, you're being run to this day by John Prescott in London.

I actually don't want to go to my college graduation ceramony, but you know my parents want me to go for sentiamental reasons. I just think I would find better use of my time than this. I guess I'll be taking a nap during the whole thing.
Same here. Mine's at 11 in the morning as well. The only plus point is the plan we have to walk down to the local job centre in full academic dress (robe, hood, mortarboard) and ask if McD's are hiring.

I think it's a conspiracy. The Declaration of Independence was fake, and just a ruse to make you think you had left the Empire. In fact, you're being run to this day by John Prescott in London.
I think you're forgetting that'd be an improvement for them...

You almost forgot one of the most important parts of graduation: Convincing at least one person in your class that it's tradition for him(or her) to be naked beneath the robe. :)

Technically you don't need a graduation ceremony to graduate so you really dont need to show up.

Well, I didn't have the chance to even get a graduation ceremony, since I've been home-schooled since I started the 4th grade.

I'll have to ask a friend of mine what his was like (the local high school has 3,000+ students... massive).

You almost forgot one of the most important parts of graduation: Convincing at least one person in your class that it's tradition for him(or her) to be naked beneath the robe. :)

You know, I am almost tempted to just streak across the stage when they call my name in December. That'll be a Graduating Ceramony to remember!

You know, I am almost tempted to just streak across the stage when they call my name in December. That'll be a Graduating Ceramony to remember!

I'm not qualified to talk you out of it. :)

Same here. Mine's at 11 in the morning as well. The only plus point is the plan we have to walk down to the local job centre in full academic dress (robe, hood, mortarboard) and ask if McD's are hiring.
:eek: That's just weird!

For mine, it was everyone gathers in the gym, while the teachers make us stand in alpbabetical order and by height - so gay! Then they went through what we can't do, and it includes frowning at the cameras; spoil sports.

Just for that, I refused to go to my college graduation.

:eek: That's just weird!

For mine, it was everyone gathers in the gym, while the teachers make us stand in alpbabetical order and by height - so gay! Then they went through what we can't do, and it includes frowning at the cameras; spoil sports.

Just for that, I refused to go to my college graduation.
I'm talking about my university graduation - we don't have high school grads over here. Worst thing about mine is that we have to wear the robe etc, and have to pay £35 for the privilege. It appears that one company has an agreement with the university to provide all the robes for the graduates - and there'll be about 5000 graduates in total this year. Bastards.

crazy americans with your "graduation"

what, what, over here we go through 6 or 8 years of secondary school and just get told to fuck off at the end of it with not so much as a thank you or 'well done'. never did any of us any harm, what! *makes stereotypical british noises aplomb*

You almost forgot one of the most important parts of graduation: Convincing at least one person in your class that it's tradition for him(or her) to be naked beneath the robe. :)
*flash back of "she's all that"*

crazy americans with your "graduation"

what, what, over here we go through 6 or 8 years of secondary school and just get told to fuck off at the end of it with not so much as a thank you or 'well done'. never did any of us any harm, what! *makes stereotypical british noises aplomb*
*puts glasses on*

And how did that make you feel?

*scribbles "GAY GAY GAY GAY TAKE HIS MONEY GAY GAY GAY" in note book*

;)

Add a few more speeches and a bunch of prayers (Catholic school), and you've described my high school graduation perfectly. I don't understand the point of having some of the speakers there. The student speakers are generally good, but the outside ones suck. We had the Australian ambassador to the EU as one of our speakers, and she spent 15 minutes talking about her career as a diplomat. Didn't once say anything relevant to our graduation.

I've been to 4 graduations of my own and 2 of my children's. Don't remember one word said. (and one was 2 weeks ago.) The only speaker I remember was at my first college graduation and the speaker was Rep. Dave Martin long time congressman of Nebraska. I was in row 99. There was this distant hum from the front. No ups, no downs, no louder, no softer---just a hum. I kept thinking how embarassed we all should be that we actually elected a guy over and over who couldn't speak. Now that I look back on it, he could have been elected president.