Did you go to/enjoy your uni graduation?

Most people have been having their graduation days over the past week.

Being a second year, I thought I'd start this thread so I could see what the experiences.

University graduation day closes the curtain on three years of university life, and is a chance to celebrate with peers and your parents as you get your certificate/

My Mum really wants me to go to graduation, but I'd be really nervous and don't think it's for me - too expensive and very staged. Anybody else have perception?

What about positive experiences of graduation? Is it worth going to?.

Reply 1

EveandElla

1

Mine was not typical. I had been though a whole series of foster placements and finally into a Children's Home so I didn't have any family to come to the ceremony. My best friend from my home town was my only guest. But I am pleased I attended, it had been a difficult three years with money problems (due to the Local Authority not doing what they promised and what they were required by law to do BTW) and endless issues over where I was supposed to live during the holidays. I was proud that I had made it through to the end with an upper second. I couldn't afford to have proper photos done but I have a couple that my friend took for me.

(edited 9 years ago)

Reply 2

Motorbiker

21

Original post by Numberwang

University graduation day closes the curtain on three years of university life, and is a chance to celebrate with peers and your parents as you get your certificate/

My Mum really wants me to go to graduation, but I'd be really nervous and don't think it's for me - too expensive and very staged. Anybody else have perception?

What about positive experiences of graduation? Is it worth going to?.

Graduation is awesome. You think beforehand that it will be super clinical and staged but when you're there you really enjoy it.

You get the speeches from people, the videos. you get to see your peers graduate. It's a once in a lifetime experience and the photos you get you can show off forever.

Definitely 100% worth going to. It's the final goodbye from you to most of your colleagues until potential re-unions.

Ask other questions and i'll elaborate.

Reply 3

Numberwang

OP

12

Original post by Motorbiker

Graduation is awesome. You think beforehand that it will be super clinical and staged but when you're there you really enjoy it.

You get the speeches from people, the videos. you get to see your peers graduate. It's a once in a lifetime experience and the photos you get you can show off forever.

Definitely 100% worth going to. It's the final goodbye from you to most of your colleagues until potential re-unions.

Ask other questions and i'll elaborate.

Isn't it a bit cheesy and American? Maybe I was born 50 years too late, I dunno.

Reply 4

Motorbiker

21

Original post by Numberwang

Isn't it a bit cheesy and American? Maybe I was born 50 years too late, I dunno.

Tbh i haven't checked but since our universities are older than America i'd guess we had graduations ceremonies first.

And the very first sussex uni Graduation was 50 years ago this year and they only had 38 people.

It's just a nice send off to the world form your uni. A great chance to get 1000 photos, talk to the lecturers/peers, Reminisce and put on very uncomfortable robes and get a photo your parents can spam all of your distant family with.

Reply 5

Numberwang

OP

12

Original post by Motorbiker

Tbh i haven't checked but since our universities are older than America i'd guess we had graduations ceremonies first.

And the very first sussex uni Graduation was 50 years ago this year and they only had 38 people.

It's just a nice send off to the world form your uni. A great chance to get 1000 photos, talk to the lecturers/peers, Reminisce and put on very uncomfortable robes and get a photo your parents can spam all of your distant family with.

I wasn't doubting America had universities first, but the whole atmosphere seems a bit American insofar as it almost seems to have turned into a corporate event and the deep-lying tradition of the ceremony and built-up respect for the bastion of the pubilc higher educational establishment is removed. The 'I :heart:

[insert uni here]' bag particularly turns me off.

Reply 6

Antifazian

16

Original post by Motorbiker

Graduation is awesome. You think beforehand that it will be super clinical and staged but when you're there you really enjoy it.

You get the speeches from people, the videos. you get to see your peers graduate. It's a once in a lifetime experience and the photos you get you can show off forever.

Definitely 100% worth going to. It's the final goodbye from you to most of your colleagues until potential re-unions.

Ask other questions and i'll elaborate.

I agree with this, I thought it would be really cheesy beforehand, but actually it was a really lovely day.

Reply 7

EveandElla

1

I forgot to say that the whole graduation process can be expensive, what with hiring the gown, photos and the like it can end up costing a lot of money!

Reply 8

Motorbiker

21

Original post by Numberwang

I wasn't doubting America had universities first, but the whole atmosphere seems a bit American insofar as it almost seems to have turned into a corporate event and the deep-lying tradition of the ceremony and built-up respect for the bastion of the pubilc higher educational establishment is removed. The 'I :heart:

[insert uni here]' bag particularly turns me off.

Not sure which ones you've been to lately but the one you'll have next year is fairly cool and traditional. You start with all the faculty walking in slowly to music along with the cermonial maces. Lots of cool fluffy cermonial crap. I don't want to spoil it for you but the cermony itself is really great.

The "I Heart US" Stuff is just clever marketing by the uni, give people a bag they will use and free adveritising. If the robes had it on or it was during the ceremony i'd agree but it's not.

Original post by Antifazian

I agree with this, I thought it would be really cheesy beforehand, but actually it was a really lovely day.

when/where was yours?

I may get up a cool graduation thread in a minute to get thoughts in a seperate way to this one

Original post by EveandElla

I forgot to say that the whole graduation process can be expensive, what with hiring the gown, photos and the like it can end up costing a lot of money!

This is fairly true. At my uni the robes cost £50 i think to hire, tickets were £25 a head for guests(Parents paid this as they were the ticketholders) and the photos can be expensive but it's worth it as they're around forever, and parents paid for these as well. since i have the selfies i took with lecturers and that's good enough for me tbh. :lol:

Reply 9

Antifazian

16

Original post by Motorbiker

when/where was yours?

I may get up a cool graduation thread in a minute to get thoughts in a seperate way to this one

It was at the start of July in Durham :smile:

They held it in the cathedral which was pretty cool

Reply 10

Motorbiker

21

Original post by Antifazian

It was at the start of July in Durham :smile:

They held it in the cathedral which was pretty cool

http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=2737406

Go check out that thread. :tongue:

Sounds cool. Ours was in the Brighton dome.

Reply 11

the greatest

14

Definitely worth going, once in a lifetime experience for many!!

Great to see alot of people you'll be seeing for the last time, and the atmosphere of the whole event with your friends and family is really enjoyable. I feel its always nicer to recieve your degree while your name being called out rather than recieving your degree in the post.

The only downside of my graduation was that (i) my parents or no family members were there and (ii) I wish it could have lasted a bit longer

Reply 12

gemmam

17

I didn't go to mine. I was never keen on the idea of it (I imagined it would've been very cheesy and boring) and my mother wasn't fussed either way so I didn't bother.

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Reply 13

The_Lonely_Goatherd

20

I went to both of mine and I should have my MA (Oxon) one this October, if I've calculated right! I thought I was gonna hate my first Oxford one because it sounded so poncy, but it was great fun (even though no one really understood what was going on, due to the ceremony being in Latin). I really got into the swing of it! Food at Oxford one was a bit of a let down because they hadn't put much effort in because so few of us were graduating on that particular day.

My Goldsmiths one was amazing, even though I didn't really have any friends. It was very special for me because my whole nuclear family were there (my older sister lives in the USA) and the canapes were AMAZING :drool:

I thought I was gonna fall over (despite being in flat shoes) but twas fine in the end :colondollar:

Am very much looking forward to my MA (Oxon) one coz I get to graduate (again) with all my friends :biggrin:

Reply 14

jelly1000

21

Original post by The_Lonely_Goatherd

I went to both of mine and I should have my MA (Oxon) one this October, if I've calculated right! I thought I was gonna hate my first Oxford one because it sounded so poncy, but it was great fun (even though no one really understood what was going on, due to the ceremony being in Latin). I really got into the swing of it! Food at Oxford one was a bit of a let down because they hadn't put much effort in because so few of us were graduating on that particular day.

My Goldsmiths one was amazing, even though I didn't really have any friends. It was very special for me because my whole nuclear family were there (my older sister lives in the USA) and the canapes were AMAZING :drool:

I thought I was gonna fall over (despite being in flat shoes) but twas fine in the end :colondollar:

Am very much looking forward to my MA (Oxon) one coz I get to graduate (again) with all my friends :biggrin:

How comes you have two at Oxford?

Reply 15

Brit_Miller

14

I didn't go. I couldn't really afford it and I didn't want to go up and collect an award. I might go to my next one if I get that far, just so my family has a photo.

Reply 16

donutaud15

22

I went to mine. I didn't want to but apparently I would regret it if I didn't. It was ok, had some tears towards the end what with all the inspirational speeches and the finality of it. Wearing the gown was pretty awesome. Cost far too much though.

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Reply 17

Reue

20

Didn't bother going to mine. Wasnt close friends with anyone doing my subject and ultimately it was a long way to go just to collect a piece of paper.