Graduation. It’s a simple word that evokes a myriad of different feelings from different people. Freshmen are fresh off of their high school graduation, and college graduation is but a dream. Sophomores laugh at the word, the thought far from their priorities. Juniors think about it, but can still push it from their minds if they really want. And seniors, well, we’re just screwed.
Talk of graduation surrounds us from the first day of senior year. We’re thinking and making plans for what we’re going to be doing once we finish up. People are constantly asking and emailing us about it. It’s a non-stop, full-on barrage of graduation talk. But recently, the talk has shifted from the metaphorical, philosophical and all-around meaning of graduation and what comes after, to the technical aspects of graduating. The heavy questions are replaced by simpler ones, such as “Are you going?” “Do you have extra tickets?,” and, “Do you even have a cap and gown yet?”
And these are the graduation questions I love. I love these questions, because unlike a lot of people, I love the actual act of graduating. Boring, mildly inspiring speakers? Bring it on! Awkward, uncomfortable gowns and accoutrement? I will wear that stuff all day. I’m going to both the main commencement and my college’s commencement, and I couldn’t be more excited to sit through both of them. Sure, I probably won’t pay attention the whole time, but I know I’ll get emotional when it’s time to move the little tassel from one side of the cap to the other. I know I’ll throw my cap the highest once it’s over (does that actually happen at graduations?), and I know I’ll dance all the way back to my seat with my little scroll of paper telling me my diploma’s in the mail.
A lot of my friends are excited to be graduating but roll their eyes at the thought of going to commencement. But can you imagine finishing your last final, packing up all your stuff, and then just driving off campus? Past that giant M (which I still need a picture with), past the red brick buildings and fields and just moving on to wherever the next stage of your life takes you? How can you not want to go to commencement?
The actual event isn’t a waste of time (well, it probably could be shorter, but that’s not the point). It’s a milestone in our lives. It’s a sentimental occasion, one that we’ll remember for a while. There will be plenty of other things we did in college that we can do in the “real” world. There will also be things we did in college that we won’t be able to do in the “real” world. The commencement ceremony is a moment in between college and life after college, a pat on the back saying, “Congrats!” before pushing you out the door and saying, “Go get ’em, tiger!”
See you there!
Ellen Linzer is a senior English major. She can be reached at linzer at umdbk dot com.
