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Post by Becky on Jul 7, 2007 19:22:16 GMT
I have recently had my degree results. The graduation ceremony isn't until June next year but I've decided not to go anyway - I just don't see the point in it and have no desire to wear a tent, wait around for ages just to shake someones hand then pay a fortune for some crappy photos. And it's not like I'll be seeing anyone for the last time because there's no one who I've done it alongside all the way through.
Everyone seems to think I'll change my mind or that I'll regret it but I won't on either counts. So, at the moment, I'm trying to think of another way to mark the occasion, but I can't think of anything at the moment. I didn't do my degree in a specific subject, so I can't link it to that. Has anyone got any ideas?
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Post by Robbing the Dead on Jul 7, 2007 19:25:54 GMT
Why do you have to wait a whole year?
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Post by Becky on Jul 7, 2007 19:34:32 GMT
Because its Open University. They mainly hold the ceremonies in a huge block from April to June (only Saturdays I think) in places all over the UK and some in Europe as well, since most people get their final results in December. There's two in London in September, but even if I wanted to go those ones wouldn't be do-able for me anyway, so the one near me next year is next June.
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Post by frapperia on Jul 7, 2007 20:13:14 GMT
I understand it in your case, but I'm definitely going to mine - it's on Thursday. We all know it's for the parents, but it'll be a good opportunity to see people for possibly the last time.
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Post by pauliepoos on Jul 7, 2007 21:07:19 GMT
I can understand why you wouldn't want to go to a graduation in the circumstances but you should celebrate it regardless. Treat yourself to a nice city break or a bikini wax, or celebrate by happyslapping your favourite reality tv villain.
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Post by Becky on Jul 7, 2007 21:09:29 GMT
Well my parents want me to go so that they can 'be proud of me', but I told them they can be without having to go through all that. They countered with a 'we've supported you through it'. I answered that with a 'no you haven't'. I have paid for it all myself and they have told me on a number of occasions to give up because I'd be going to work all day and coming back and studying all evening and not having much of a chance to do much else. So therefore its my decision.
I've thought of something to do now, but it will depend on the cost. We got some decent photos taken for work last year and it just occurred to me that I might be able to get a decent picture done by the same photographer which would represent me at this point in my life than a awkward looking graduation photo. The ones we got for work were black and white and looked quite classy even though I'd forgotten we were getting them done on the day and so hadn't made much of an effort that day. And maybe go out for dinner with my immediate family and anyone else in my extended family who wants to join us.
If I was a bit more daring I would have gone for something like a parachute jump, but I'm a total scaredy cat, so that's out of the question.
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Post by pauliepoos on Jul 7, 2007 21:12:42 GMT
And I forgot to say, a very well done for graduating.
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Post by Nurse Dunkley on Jul 7, 2007 21:23:24 GMT
Yes, well done! If you don't want to go to graduation and you supported yourself through uni then don't go. The meal/picture thing sounds like a fine replacement, though I think you should totally do a sky dive. Go on! The worst that can happen is death. I don't want to go to my graduation, but will probably do it for my rents. I really hate dull formal type things, and as my uni's so big a lot of my mates will be graduating on a separate day. I can understand why you wouldn't want to go to a graduation in the circumstances but you should celebrate it regardless. Treat yourself to a nice city break or a bikini wax, or celebrate by happyslapping your favourite reality tv villain. Or happy waxing! It's the new thing. You run up to a stranger with a waxing strip, rip off some of their hair and get a mate to film it on their phone.
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Tacye Marley
Su Pollard
O Hai. I iz Homofobe nao.
Posts: 404
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Post by Tacye Marley on Jul 7, 2007 21:59:05 GMT
I think getting a nice photo taken would be really good, because really that's what you go to graduations for isn't it? The bit of paper they hand you isn't even your proper degree.
I sort of have to go to my graduation, ever though my dad's and my sister's were the dullest things I'd ever sat through. There's this arrangement above the piano, on one end there's the photo from my dad's graduation, the other a picture of my mum, in between the photos from my elder brother and sister's graduations, and then a space. I'm considering hanging a sign saying 'parental pressure' in that space. What they'll do if I drop out of uni goodness only knows.
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Post by Cherubic on Jul 7, 2007 22:06:35 GMT
I never went to mine. I think London unis schedule it so that hardly anyone can go even if they wanted to. And it would have cost me a fortune to go anyway.
You get a better hat for a Phd anyway.
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Post by Rad on Jul 8, 2007 10:18:07 GMT
I think getting a nice photo taken would be really good, because really that's what you go to graduations for isn't it? The bit of paper they hand you isn't even your proper degree. Its not a bit of paper, either, it's a sweaty bit of plastic (on the photo). We did get given our actual degree certificate in the ceremony though, obviously. One of my friends graduated a year late because of illness, so he didn't go to the ceremony, he just had the photo taken. You could always do that?
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Post by lowculture.co.uk on Jul 8, 2007 10:40:32 GMT
I didn't go to mine and have never regretted it at all.
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Post by [james] on Jul 8, 2007 10:42:23 GMT
I don't really want to go to mine but my parents are insisting as it's more of a event for them and considering they've paid tutition, housing etc I will oblige. Shame that graduation gowns are very unflattering and I don't suit any form of hat.
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Post by Nurse Dunkley on Jul 8, 2007 12:37:27 GMT
Oh god they really are, my sister looks 30 stone in her graduation picture and she's not even large. It's hilarious to show it to people who've not seen her in a while and watch them look shocked at how she's piled it on.
I'll make sure mine's pinned at the back when I have mine taken.
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Post by LoveMusic on Jul 8, 2007 13:21:10 GMT
Congratulations on your degree
Its your degree, do whatever makes you happy.
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Post by jode* on Jul 9, 2007 6:52:16 GMT
I've been to three (mine, my brother's, my mum's) and they were all mind-numbingly boring. It really is for the parents, although I must say when I took the stage and all my uni mates cheered that was pretty great.
The photo is awful (taken after the ceremony, sweaty, tired, not having looked in a mirror, being forced to smile with teeth) so not really a glowing reminder of three years of work.
Ours was 5 months after we finished, so I was really there to see everyone. There was a ball in the evening and most people were down for the whole weekend so it was great.
I say just do it for the parents. You have nothing to lose (apart from a day out of your life).
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Post by QuincyMD on Jul 9, 2007 10:06:42 GMT
I didn't go to mine and have never regretted it at all. You didn't miss much!!! Mine was almost 3 hours long and the honourary degrees were being given to a farmer and a scientist, the afternoon lot got Kate Adie. You listen to a bunch of dull speeches and then you walked on stage got tapped on the shoulder, got a hood put over your head and then were given your certificate, curled up with a nice ribbon round it. The sad thing is once you got off stage they took the certificate off you and handed you an A4 envelope with your real certificate in.
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Post by Nurse Dunkley on Jul 9, 2007 10:13:13 GMT
I will be shit scared of falling over on stage too.
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Post by Adrian on Jul 9, 2007 12:57:21 GMT
When I submit my PhD, I am going to make damn sure I go to mine. I've spent 5 years working on the fucker just so I can wear the big floppy hat and swooshy cape.
A
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Post by Feral on Jul 9, 2007 21:06:00 GMT
I couldn't be arsed going to my graduation, and can't say i've ever regretted it. Didn't give my parents much choice in the matter, but I think they were relieved enough with me actually getting my degree not to be bothered whether I went to some pretty much pointless ceremony or not..
Having said that, one of my friend was sat near JK Rowling in his graduation ceremony, which was quite neat. He reeked of money for days after.
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Post by georgie on Jul 10, 2007 11:41:08 GMT
I went to mine and not a lot of other people on my course did.
I got the photo back and its currently at the bottom of my sock drawer, in an envelope, covered in many clothes. Looking at it makes me cry because I look like a watermelon dressed in a bad Harry Potter outfit.
Roll up a newspaper, stand in front of some nice wallpaper/floor lengeth curtain and get a friend to take some photos of you in a typical graduation/cheesey grin pose - it's pretty much the same as the real thing minus the rubbish hat, and at least you can take millions of pics to get it right instead of just the one which has a 99% chance of being completely horrendous
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Post by boyboyboy on Jul 10, 2007 23:32:07 GMT
I got the photo back and its currently at the bottom of my sock drawer, in an envelope, covered in many clothes. Looking at it makes me cry because I look like a watermelon dressed in a bad Harry Potter outfit. Graduation *had* to be the day that I experimented with a concealer stick to hide two massive spots on my forehead. Of course, it didn't match my skin, and even though people asked me before the photos if I was wearing makeup, I was certain that it wouldn't show up. I was wrong. Now my makeup hell is on the walls' of various extended family members.
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Post by audrey notwhatsheusedtobe on Jul 11, 2007 9:41:43 GMT
I went to mine and it was boring and shit. My family didn't cope well with the alien surroundings and it was excruciating.
The only person who got anything out of it was my granny who has a massive copy of my graduation photo on her livingroom wall to brag to her neighbours about (I know it might not seem worth bragging about but I'm pretty much the only one of her grandkids not to have gone straight from school to prison/a bad marriage/addiction/the dole queue, so it was a big deal to her). I look particularly dreadful in the photo.
Some snobby people I have worked with hire the gown for an extra day and take their kids to a proper photograher to get a nice photo. I think that's ridiculous. But only because I'm jealous my parents didn't think to do the same thing.
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Post by QuincyMD on Jul 11, 2007 13:02:12 GMT
I refused to have photos done as they were asking for some stupid amount of money, I will admit to buying the T-Shirt that had a list of all our names on and I shall forever be stuck on a cheap cotton garment next to Anthony Michael St.George.
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Post by coxy1979 on Jul 11, 2007 15:26:25 GMT
My mum and dad argued all the way to my graduation ceremony about who had forgotten to bring the camera.
When I suggested getting a disposable one at a service station, they dismissed the idea as they didn't want rubbish quality ones. So instead they HAD NONE!!!!!
And then at the pub, one of my drunk classmates revealed that I smoke but never bought my own cigarettes. I went red and glared, but my Dad did say "Well done son."
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