NationStates Jolt Archive

Am I the only one who hates the long Graduation ceremony? I mean honestly, the whole thing is just pointless. The piece of paper (diploma) will be worth more than a stupid ceremony. For those who don't live in the USA, and thereforth probably have no idea what I am talking about, I will now outline what a USA college graduation ceremony is like.

1. Walk in: This is where everyone walks in and sits down, you have people waving to families, you have others (like me) who wish they are still in bed, and really, the only good thing about the robes is that they can hide reading material very well so you can actually read a magazine through the whole thing.

2. First Speech: This first speech is usually given by the President or Chancellor of the University. It's a long winded speech which was susspose to only last for 10 minutes, but somehow manage to last for 30 minutes. "As I look out on your bright young face....You people are sooo screwed....Now you'll be paying for ME when I retire!....What was I talking about....I just made poopie in my pants so goodnight." That are just some of the things that'll be said during this long winded speech that is somehow susspose to be asipring but isn't.

3. School Song: A song when played by professional orchstra, sounds great. When played by your school's band, sounds like barnyard animals in one freaky night of wild sex.

4. Valedictorian speech: Ok for some reason, every ceremony I've been to, the Valedictorian have been a woman. I've never seen a male Valedictorian, and honestly I somehow hope their speech are shorter. First she'll start off with what a great learning experience this college was (Code for: Never binge drink unless you're a veteran). She'll also mention how she'll miss all of her friends, the teacher, staff, etc. At this point half the audience and graduating class are in their own little world and I have my hearing aid turned off and reading a magazine. This is a shorter long winded speech that in 10 years, no one will remember or care.

5. Dean Speech: This speech is basically given by someone who didn't write their speech, but decided to combine the President (Chancellor) speech and the Valedictorian speech. Usually by this time no one really cares and those with weak bladders wish this was just over BY NOW! ]

6. Handing out piece of paper: Some college they hand out the real diploma, well that won't be happening at my college. I'll just be getting some rolled up piece of paper with a red ribbon on it, while my diploma is being UPSed to my house, thus making this whole ceremony a moot point. Thanks, I just sat through the longest, slowest, and most boring hour of my life, when I could've just stayed at home and actually do something I wanted to do.

The only good thing that I can see about this, is that I won't be doing it. Why, because I will be graduating in December, and they don't have this pointless ceremony in December. Now to figure out how to get out of it when I get my masters.

What do yall think of graduation ceremonies?

I avoided my Uni graduation like the plague. Aside from being insufferably dull, it would have cost in excess of £150 for robes and photos.

We have them in the UK. I will have to go to Canterbury Cathedral to accept mine from the Archbishop.Its going to be strange as a catholic accepting something in the capital of the Church of England from the Archbishop of Canterbury. Uneccesary pomp and a waste of money if you ask me

We have them in the UK. I will have to go to Canterbury Cathedral to accept mine from the Archbishop.Its going to be strange as a catholic accepting something in the capital of the Church of England from the Archbishop of Canterbury. Uneccesary pomp and a waste of money if you ask me

Yours isn't this year is it?

I avoided my Uni graduation like the plague. Aside from being insufferably dull, it would have cost in excess of £150 for robes and photos.

I forgot about the cost of the robe and photos. I will be avoiding my undergraduate graduation and graduate graduation like the plague too. I'll probably just spend the day flying.

It sounds a lot like my university graduation. Everybody comes in, sitting in alphabetical order so that you can't be near your friends. There's the procession, where the important people of the university and the relevant faculties for that presentation walk (intolerably slowly) up to the stage (while some git plays the organ badly). Speeches. Honorary degrees are conferred. More speeches. Every single graduate is lined up and sent onto the stage one at a time (there were about 250 people receiving their degrees in my ceremony), then you go back to sit in your seat. Dull. As. Fuck.

Though several of us did go down to the job centre wearing full academic regalia (robes, mortar board, etc), to have our photo taken outside it. :p

We didn't have them in Germany, and I'm really glad we didn't.

DId you know you're not supposed to wear any clothes under your graduation robe? It's tradition.

Unless you know that prank. If you do, you must help convince some other graduates that they're not supposed to wear anything under their robes. :)

OSU always gets good graduation speakers.

DId you know you're not supposed to wear any clothes under your graduation robe? It's tradition.

Unless you know that prank. If you do, you must help convince some other graduates that they're not supposed to wear anything under their robes. :)

If I actually considered going to my graduation ceremony, then I would've flashed everyone as soon as I got my piece of paper. I mean hey, what are they going to do about it?! lol.

Silly people...the ceremony's not for you. It's for your parents.

Silly people...the ceremony's not for you. It's for your parents.

I didn't go to my highschool graduation ceremony....I got suspended and banned from it. ;)

I hate them, I will be attending hubby's in May though.

Woot! I can post again - ! been shut out all day yesterday. Sorry I don't have anything to contribute to this thread, I'm just happy to be able to post on NSG...

Silly people...the ceremony's not for you. It's for your parents.

Exactly. Suck it up and resign yourself to being bored for a couple of hours. Trust me, this is not the last time this will happen. And remember, if you play your cards right, you can make your ungrateful children sit through an equally boring ceremony in about 20 or 30 years.

Silly people...the ceremony's not for you. It's for your parents.

Then let my parents sit through the boring waste of time. I'm going flying on my graduation day. I'll already have my diploma, so what do I care if I don't get to walk across the stage. I would rather be at 3,000 feet in the air flying and enjoying the scenery than hear some old guy talk and fart.

Am I the only one who hates the long Graduation ceremony? I mean honestly, the whole thing is just pointless. The piece of paper (diploma) will be worth more than a stupid ceremony. For those who don't live in the USA, and thereforth probably have no idea what I am talking about, I will now outline what a USA college graduation ceremony is like.
[deleted]
What do yall think of graduation ceremonies?
Just remember that weddings, funerals, graduations, and the like aren't for you. They're for the parents, family, and friends of the victims. Graduations are especially for the parents -- but what the heck do elementary and middle school students need a graduation for?

High school graduation was meh. College graduation was a lot more fun. :) We have something called wacky walk (see some of it here (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EA1lVyvabQk)) in the stadium, which is for all schools. There are a couple speeches, and degrees are conferred on graduates by the president of the university according to school. Then we split up into our respective departments, in locations across the university, to receive our actual diplomas. No valedictorian speeches at either ceremony.

Just remember that weddings, funerals, graduations, and the like aren't for you. They're for the parents, family, and friends of the victims. Graduations are especially for the parents -- but what the heck do elementary and middle school students need a graduation for?

Then why drag the victim along if it's not for us. If my parents want to sit through this long boring crap, then by all means knock yourself out. Just don't expect me to do it because hey, I'm 22, and it's not my cup of tea. If it was up to me, everything would be UPSed. The diplomas, marriage certificate, death certificate (sometimes the body) would be sent to your home via UPS, FedEx, DHL etc.

Then why drag the victim along if it's not for us. If my parents want to sit through this long boring crap, then by all means knock yourself out. Just don't expect me to do it because hey, I'm 22, and it's not my cup of tea. If it was up to me, everything would be UPSed. The diplomas, marriage certificate, death certificate (sometimes the body) would be sent to your home via UPS, FedEx, DHL etc.
What? All of them? That'd be interesting for a body...imagine the customer complaints line:

"Hello? UPS Customer Complaints? I've been expecting the head of my father to arrive for the last week now. FedEx and DHL managed to deliver the legs and torso respectively in under 24 hours, and I want an explanation as to why it's taking you so bloody long!"

George Bush, John McCain...wait...OSU seems to get Republicans an awful lot...

Then why drag the victim along if it's not for us. If my parents want to sit through this long boring crap, then by all means knock yourself out. Just don't expect me to do it because hey, I'm 22, and it's not my cup of tea. If it was up to me, everything would be UPSed. The diplomas, marriage certificate, death certificate (sometimes the body) would be sent to your home via UPS, FedEx, DHL etc.

I'm not going to try to answer that except to say that I'd feel cheated if, after spending close to $100K on college educations, I wasn't permitted to see the symbolic completion of that process.

My advice to my kids was to go easy on the drinking the night before. Sitting in a hot stadium with a hang-over makes it all the more miserable.

Meh, my parents wanted me to do mine so I obliged them the small discomfort.

My only gripe is, I have to wait until mid-March next year - my last exam is next Monday. That's another 5 months stuck in a supermarket despite having completed all of my studies.

Ah, who am I kidding, i'll probably be stuck there for a few years anyway. :p

What do yall think of graduation ceremonies?I consider them practice for Business meetings.

Meh, my parents wanted me to do mine so I obliged them the small discomfort.

My only gripe is, I have to wait until mid-March next year - my last exam is next Monday. That's another 5 months stuck in a supermarket despite having completed all of my studies.

Ah, who am I kidding, i'll probably be stuck there for a few years anyway. :p

You could get your diploma in the mail.

I walked in my undergraduate ceremony mainly because I'd been out of high school for 12 years by then (I started college when I was 26) and I must have forgotten just how dull they are. Four years later when I got my terminal degree, I avoided it. If and when I become a tenured member of faculty, I'll probably have to stand in them from time to time, and I won't be happy about it.

But when I walked as an undergrad, I had the loudest mortarboard anywhere. I took a red papier-mache cactus and glued it to the top. It made be about 6'8" tall. My fiction teacher gave me a thumbs up as I passed him.

I personally loathe them. I skipped out on my undergrad ceremony completely. The only reason I'll be attending my doctoral ceremony is because after investing this much time and effort I'd probably regret not attending more than attending.

If I actually considered going to my graduation ceremony, then I would've flashed everyone as soon as I got my piece of paper. I mean hey, what are they going to do about it?! lol.

Worst case scenario: Arrest you. Prosecute you. Add you to the Sex offender's list.

Likely scenario: Laugh, roll their eyes and shove you off the stage. :p

If I actually considered going to my graduation ceremony, then I would've flashed everyone as soon as I got my piece of paper. I mean hey, what are they going to do about it?! lol.

arrest you, and/or revoke your Graduated status and hold you back a year (yes, they can do that.)

do you honestly think you will be the first to flash people or do other craziness during Graduation?

arrest you, and/or revoke your Graduated status and hold you back a year (yes, they can do that.)

do you honestly think you will be the first to flash people or do other craziness during Graduation?I danced my way off the stage after I got the cover for my degree--the degree came in the mail some weeks later.

I danced my way off the stage after I got the cover for my degree--the degree came in the mail some weeks later.

Dancing, doing cartwheels and even disrobing to reveal a different set of clothes (not naked) is different than flashing people (assuming he's flashing them in the traditional sense of the word.)

one of my classmates flashed both cheeks (mooning) and he got his diploma in the mail... about a year later.

The only graduation I've been through is my middle school graduation.

It was the first time in 5 years that I'd worn a dress to school.

That was boring. And my high school graduation is in 2010.

Just remember that weddings, funerals, graduations, and the like aren't for you. They're for the parents, family, and friends of the victims. Graduations are especially for the parents -- but what the heck do elementary and middle school students need a graduation for?

Middle school graduation is a ceremony where you rememer all your years of middle school and feel relieved that you never ever have to go back there EVER AGAIN. :D

The ceremony is just the last few dregs of Hell.

Elementary school graduation is for the parents to remind that their little pre-pubescent babies are gettign ready for Hell and to start homeschooling them. However most parents don't get the hint. Mine didn't. :(

Middle school graduation is a ceremony where you rememer all your years of middle school and feel relieved that you never ever have to go back there EVER AGAIN. :D

The ceremony is just the last few dregs of Hell.

Elementary school graduation is for the parents to remind that their little pre-pubescent babies are gettign ready for Hell and to start homeschooling them. However most parents don't get the hint. Mine didn't. :(

and College graduation is a waste of time! lol.

What do yall think of graduation ceremonies?

I think it's a waste of time for one photo opportunity. This go around my wife is applying for graduation because she needs to in order to get her diploma, but there's no requirement for her to attend the ceremony. We already went through the ceremony for her bachelor's -- we have no intention of doing it again for her master's.

Middle school graduation is a ceremony where you rememer all your years of middle school and feel relieved that you never ever have to go back there EVER AGAIN. :D

The ceremony is just the last few dregs of Hell.

Elementary school graduation is for the parents to remind that their little pre-pubescent babies are gettign ready for Hell and to start homeschooling them. However most parents don't get the hint. Mine didn't. :(

Middle School... Elementary School...

wow... that's alot of graduation cerimonies...


I skipped my college one to. :p

I suffered through high school graduation, which actually wasn't that bad...only lasted an hour, i got my diploma and a free Barq's root beer, and my folks too kme to dinner (they wanted to go to some fancy restaurant but I wanted to play trivia so we went to TGI Friday's and I beat the pants off my dad at trivia.) All I remember about that is that I refused to take my graduation gown off. I only got to wear the damn thing once, so I was getting my money's worth.

College graduation, though, I avoided. I graduated in the fall, got my diploma in the mail, and went to work. I didn't want to walk anyway. I was disillusioned with my college experience when I left. It wasn't about me, my parents, or anyone. It was my decision not to walk simply because I didn't really think it was necessary.

I've decided to go back to business school here in a while. I might walk, but if I don't, I have no one to answer to, since business school will be all on me. If I do walk, it might be just a bunch of smarmy "I'm SOOOOOOO proud of you!" horse-hockey that I could do without. So the hell with it.

and College graduation is a waste of time! lol.

Thanks for the heads up (though I probably won't need that info for another 8 years!) :p

Graduation ceremonies really do suck, and I've only been through elementary school and middle school ones. They really are just for the parents.

and amazingly, I nearly felt like crying after my middle school graduation. Hmmm.... probably tears of joy. :D

I suffered through high school graduation, which actually wasn't that bad...only lasted an hour, i got my diploma and a free Barq's root beer, and my folks too kme to dinner (they wanted to go to some fancy restaurant but I wanted to play trivia so we went to TGI Friday's and I beat the pants off my dad at trivia.) All I remember about that is that I refused to take my graduation gown off. I only got to wear the damn thing once, so I was getting my money's worth.

College graduation, though, I avoided. I graduated in the fall, got my diploma in the mail, and went to work. I didn't want to walk anyway. I was disillusioned with my college experience when I left. It wasn't about me, my parents, or anyone. It was my decision not to walk simply because I didn't really think it was necessary.

I've decided to go back to business school here in a while. I might walk, but if I don't, I have no one to answer to, since business school will be all on me. If I do walk, it might be just a bunch of smarmy "I'm SOOOOOOO proud of you!" horse-hockey that I could do without. So the hell with it.

I hear ya!

and College graduation is a waste of time! lol.
I suppose it depends on your school, but mine was festive and rather a lot of fun. The schoolwide ceremony was a chance for me to run into and bid farewell to a lot of people I wouldn't have seen otherwise. The whole thing was chaotic and fun; my friends and I, for example, were playing frisbee. My department ceremony was great because the department chair knew every one of us and was able to make the whole thing very personal because of that. Not to mention that he was a good speaker. It was also a chance to reflect on how far we'd all come since starting (a lot of us had been taking classes together for years, and most speakers brought up some moments of hilarity from our intro courses), and for me to say goodbye to my advisor (actually cried for that one). Very worthwhile for me.

http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=485685

:p

Silly people...the ceremony's not for you. It's for your parents.
All the more reason to get stoned before hand and smuggle in your gameboy! :p

All the more reason to get stoned before hand and smuggle in your gameboy! :p

I'm going to smuggle in a Plane & Pilot. It's an aviation magazine.