college graduation

curiouser
Tue, 01 Mar 2011 17:31:39 +0000

We had two kids who graduated from college–different schools. At each, we attended both the large university commencement and then the additional ceremony for the specific college/department.

In D’s case, the big event was long, boring and a surprisingly terrible speaker (who sounded great on paper!). This was our first kid to graduate, and I guess we thought we should attend. Her individual department (biology) had its own ceremony later that day. So personal. Each graduate was announced, along with a little info about their successes in college as well as next steps. It was terrific.

In S’s case, we also attended both. His was spectacularly fun. Seriously. We had lots of family who came to celebrate with us and the verdict was unanimous–best graduation ever! Great speakers and even entertainment. After the main event, his school, the College of Liberal Arts, stayed in the Superdome and had their diplomas handed out. There were ALOT of kids, so no individual info announced here.

In retrospect, we generally felt we were glad we attended everything. After all, how many times will your kid graduate from college? Maybe attending both also helped us feel more like we were getting our money’s worth, down to the last moment!

I would absolutely agree that, most of the time, the speakers who are booked for commencement tend to be very good. That alone can make it worthwhile.

Oh, and congratulations to you! I honestly felt it was as much a milestone for my husband and me as it was for our graduates.