Are you attending your Graduation?

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Global Warming

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I will not attend my graduation b/c the idea of UG doesn't really seem important to me. Before you flame hear me out....

Now that I am in college, I barely remember anything from HS (partial reason due to drug experimentation).

My thinking is that I will not recall or even care about anything that I did in UG when I am in med school. Come to think of it, I probably won't attend MD graduation if I ever get there. Definitely skipping the White Coat Ceremony.

Also, I need that money to spend on interviews...plane tickets and hotels aren't cheap.

I seem to be alone on this issue...anybody else?
 
Go to your graduation.

Graduation isn't for you, it's for your parents.
 
:lame:

I'm going. I hate long pointless ceremonies but I am going because I have become really close with a lot of people in my major since we pretty much have taken every class together for the last 4 years. It's like a mini-high school within our college. I am only going for them, not for me.
 
the past and the present are just as important as the future
 
Good point...

In that case, I rather go to the White Coat Ceremony than UG graduation. My school is not top 100 or anything...imo not really worth going. Thousands of students graduate every year...not really a big deal.
 
the past and the present are just as important as the future

I guess I'm just the type of person that doesn't like making a big deal out of things. It's not that I am not proud of myself for kicking ass in college and graduating...in fact I am very proud. I'll be very happy inside, but don't see the value in causing a huge scene over something as common as college graduation.
 
I almost didn't go to mine either, but am glad I did. You might be surprised how "uncommon" UG graduation actually is. Its not about making a scene but enjoying the fruits of your labor. It is also for family, parents, professors, etc. Its a right of passage, its not showing off, its learning humility. At the very least you need to go to your white coat ceremony and MD/DO graduation. You can forget the experience if it wasn't good, but you can't get it back if you avoid it.

I look back and am glad I went, it was boring, hot, and long but I'm glad I did it. You get to party a bit with friends, its fun.
 
I didn't go to mine and I can't say that I regret it. I will attend all the med school stuff though.
 
My graduation meant next to nothing to me. I would have gone if my family could have been there since my mom and grandma really would have liked to see me walk. However, they had to work, and I was in Little Rock interviewing. No loss.
 
"Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it."

-Ferris Bueller



go to your damn graduation
 
For ppl who went, how much money did you spend?

Im not exactly rich...I know for a fact that money will be an issue during interviews.
 
Graduation? Like $50 maybe (hat, dress, etc). Party afterwards.....

Reallllllly? I thought it was gonna cost me $200-400. Are you allowed to walk w/o a gown? The idea of walking with jeans + T-shirt seems really awesome to me. Maybe that's a result of watching too much House lol :laugh:
 
I wouldn't go if it weren't for family. It's important for my parents so I'll do it for them. Otherwise I couldn't care less about all the pomp.
 
I'm surprised at how many ppl share my "enthusiam" for graduation. I honestly thought I would be condemned and exiled to an island for committing the crime of graduation non-celebratory Act III section IV.
 
I can't even think of missing graduation. My parents would be so dissappointed. They have helped me through all my education (in addition to bringing me up) and they get close to nothing back. Graduation is one of the small things they get back.

do not live your life waiting or you'll be waiting till your death. you can't say "i'll go for my med school graduation" and hope that will make up for it, You have no idea what will happen in your life between now and then.

p.s. My graduation gown/ cap / tassel cost me 40 dollars. and that is really all you need.
 
If you don't go, at least make sure you do something nice for yourself. You deserve to be proud of your accomplishments. 🙂
 
I can't even think of missing graduation. My parents would be so dissappointed. They have helped me through all my education (in addition to bringing me up) and they get close to nothing back. Graduation is one of the small things they get back.

do not live your life waiting or you'll be waiting till your death. you can't say "i'll go for my med school graduation" and hope that will make up for it, You have no idea what will happen in your life between now and then.

p.s. My graduation gown/ cap / tassel cost me 40 dollars. and that is really all you need.

So having thought about my reasons for not wanting to attend, I realized that the money is just an excuse w/o consequences. I think the truth is...I have better things to do. At least in my mind, those things are better.

I see your point about giving something back to my parents, but I believe that I reward them often. I often talk to my parents on the phone and share good and bad news w/ them. They also know that once I start making money, they never have to worry about money again.
 
holy **** really OP?

I'm glad I didn't go to your school - I would've been taken out back and shot if I hadn't gone to my graduation.
 
holy **** really OP?

I'm glad I didn't go to your school - I would've been taken out back and shot if I hadn't gone to my graduation.

I'm certain you go somewhere prestigious? That's not a question actually...I know you do.
 
So having thought about my reasons for not wanting to attend, I realized that the money is just an excuse w/o consequences. I think the truth is...I have better things to do. At least in my mind, those things are better.

I see your point about giving something back to my parents, but I believe that I reward them often. I often talk to my parents on the phone and share good and bad news w/ them. They also know that once I start making money, they never have to worry about money again.


I hope my post didn't make it sound like i don't share the little achievments with my parents because i do. and talk to them all the time. I just feel like graduation is so much more than just telling them stuff going on in my life.
 
holy **** really OP?

I'm glad I didn't go to your school - I would've been taken out back and shot if I hadn't gone to my graduation.


X3

and i go to a state school that is nothing fancy
 
I hope my post didn't make it sound like i don't share the little achievments with my parents because i do. and talk to them all the time. I just feel like graduation is so much more than just telling them stuff going on in my life.

Absolutely. You guys are making sense...god dammit. I think, for the sake of my parents, I should attend. 🙁
 
Do you have something better to do for a couple of hours?
 
i don't get why you wouldn't go unless there's somewhere else you have to be. the "too cool for school" thing seems very high school to me. go to your damn graduation and celebrate your accomplishments, for the love of god. 😎

For ppl who went, how much money did you spend?

Im not exactly rich...I know for a fact that money will be an issue during interviews.

$0.
 
i don't get why you wouldn't go unless there's somewhere else you have to be. the "too cool for school" thing seems very high school to me. go to your damn graduation and celebrate your accomplishments, for the love of god. 😎



$0.

Totally agree. It's a loser thing to do. Perhaps a bit of appreciation that you can move on to the next step (med school) due to the credentials given to you by your undergrad? Or you can skip your commencement, and give a big "F-you" to your school. In that case, undergrad didn't give you the maturity that is expected of someone entering professional school.
 
I don't really care for going - but I'm walking for my family.

I'm the first person to graduate/attend college on my dad's side of the family, and my grandparents have been looking forward to this for a long time. If it wasn't for them, I wouldn't walk. I'm sure my parents want to see it but understand it doesn't mean much to me and that I have bigger and better goals. I'm doing it for my grandparents.

Why would you not want to go to your white coat ceremony and med school graduation? That just makes you seem selfish and not wanting to waste any of your time. I understand not wanting to do undergrad, but those other ones are really important and I can't believe anyone wouldn't want to do that.
 
I can't say that I was "too cool for school," more like graduation was 2 weeks after my last final and I didn't want to put off some travel plans to wait for it. Backpacking through Europe > graduation. Besides, none of my family lived near my undergrad so it's not like anyone would be watching. 😛
 
This will be my second undergraduate graduation and I am definitely going.


My IN-LAWS are coming.
How cool is that? :laugh:

I love any reason to go out with friends and family and celebrate.

...And who the heck spends $300 on graduation?!?! Our hat/gown/tassel was $35, plus the school had a "gradfest" 10% off sale. My program gave me 5 free invites to send. There is a "reception" with food & drinks after, and my mom or mom-in-law is buying dinner. 👍
 
Commencement weekend at my school was a pretty big deal. My school had like 4 graduations for me to attend...I went to all of them mostly because of family and to see Oprah (disappointed? yes..). We don't even walk across the stage at the large ceremony, they just have EVERYONE who is Bachelor of Science etc. stand up and that's it so it was pretty anti-climatic. We received our diplomas at our "major's ceremony" which was extremely small, informal and in some raggedy lecture hall where we took many of our pre-reqs. I left right after I got my diploma. With the exception of the ceremony where I actually got my diploma (ha)...I'm glad I attended them. It was a good end to 4 years well spent with my friends and family to celebrate. Graduating from undergrad may not seem like a big deal to many people but I've never seen my parents and family so proud and I'm glad I was able to share that with them.

Our cap/gown/hood was about 40 something...but I'm a girl and I had to have a different dress for each day so that was kind of expensive.
 
I never finished high-school due to family reasons (got the GED= good enough diploma). I watched all of my friends walk and it is something I have always been a little regretful about. So, I am for sure going for my college graduation because it is really symbolic for me. For me, it symbolizes overcoming obstacles, accomplishment, and proving myself, well, to myself.

But I could see how some people see it as pain.
 
the only thing that keeps me in school is the thought of graduating! i wouldnt miss it, and so shouldnt u! its once in a life time right!?
 
Did this thread just change someones opinion? I dont think I've ever seen a thread do that! 👍

🙂 Hope you do end up going even if just for your parents. I dont think you can walk without the gown (btw in my post dress=gown). You could probably get donations from people here who want you to go that would cover your costs (read it costs basically nothing) and you'll be glad you did one day. Even if that is the day your trying to convince your kid to go to theirs so you can watch them walk.
 
It's not really for you so much as your parents/family. It gives them nice pictures and what-not.

In my case, I didn't care, my parents didn't care, so I didn't go. I can't say I regret it.
 
I went to graduation because my parents and siblings flew all the way to see it. I'm glad I did. It was sort of a culminating event to undergrad. But I went to a medium-sized school that made a huge deal about it.
 
Hours in a year: 8,760
x 4 (years of school)=35,040
A six hour graduation event carries roughly the time commitment of 1/100th of 1 per cent of your college years.

Go to it.
 
OP, I thought the same as you- UG doesn't matter cuz I'll be going to med sch anyways and I thought the whole thing was lame. But I went and it proved to be lame for the most part but I was glad I did cuz one of the speeches unexpectedly warmed my heart and just for a second, I felt this immense pride for myself. Just for that one second, everything else was worth it. Do go.
 
....................due to a landslide decision.

I'll probably go...but I definitely won't enjoy it :laugh:
 
I understand those of you who had other engagements and couldn't make it. But if you have nothing better to do, why not go??? I went to mine and I'm proud of my undergrad. No one cares if you didn't go to a top 100 school.....Graduation is something to be proud off.

It saddens me that people try to rush the good things in life. Go to your graduation, go to your white coat ceremony, AND your medical school graduation. God I wouldn't think to miss any of those.....
 
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