Graduating soon, Billy no mates

LegacyUser

hello there!
I'm graduating from college soon, so will have to go to the ceremony and all of that. I assume the parents will come along too. The problem is that I only know 3 or 4 people in the whole college! I've seen pictures of my siblings' graduation ceremonies and they all have pictures with friends, etc, but considering I don't have m/any, I'm not looking forward to it

Could someone perhaps give me an idea of what graduation ceremonies usually entail? Is it possible to just get the script thing and then do a runner?

I'm not a fan of college (wonder why!), and really I have no interest in going to graduation, but I'm mainly going for the parents' sake.
Will it be painful?

Thanks

crazzzzy

for my graduation, we were sitting in alphabetical order. I wouldn't worry too much bout it really....its a boring ceremony & after you can take picture with your parents if you want & leave. You don't have to hang around if you don't want but some classes take group picture so you might like to join them. Why don't you try meet up with the people you know from college.

HouseHippo

Give making friends a try for your last while in college

Zillah

You can usually be awarded in absentia if you like. They don't force you to attend, they'll mail your script out to you.

That said, it's no big deal. You'll walk in and sit down in your assigned seat, a bunch of people will waffle on for a while and then you'll sit around for a few hours while students line up one by one to be handed their qualifications. You'll be told what to do every step of the way. After that they'll tell you it's over and there will probably be an official photographer where you can queue up and can get some professional photos taken. Don't worry about group photos, get some of yourself and your parents and maybe a few snapshots with the people you do know.

It's no big deal and really extremely boring.

Monkey61

Some colleges do force you to attend. I hated college - although I knew everyone in my class (which was quite small), none of my friends were at my graduation cos they were at a different end of the alphabet.

It's absolutely grand - very boring but grand. You pick up your gown, sit in an assigned seat and then leave an hour later. Most people just get photographs with their parents (I didn't bother) and then go off to lunch or something.

I was the first one to return my gown as I ran straight off home afterwards. Don't worry though, everyone is too busy being mortified by their own parents and running around after them to be bothered about anyone else!

It'll be dull, but not horrendous.

Wagon

You sound like me. Most of the boozing I did was with mates outside college. My college made it compulsary to attend or I wouldn't get the poxy bit of paper. But it wasn't so bad, had a laugh with the people I did hang around with there (not many) and just ****ed off afterwards to a nice bit of grub with the parents. Then out again that night for halloween messing. It really isn't that bad, and keep in touch with the mates you do know. I got some good ones out of college. But at the same time, i was glad to get the **** out of the place So you'll be grand.

AARRRGH

I just graduated with an MSc in Computer Science. It was a 12 month part-time course, and everyone I knew failed, so I went to my graduation on my own.

I assure you whether or not I had 20 friends or zero friends there, it would have made no difference, as you spend your time in alphabetical order and everyone is nervous. It was absolutely not a bother whatsoever that I knew no one there!

Honestly, you will be fine. Enjoy your day.

AvrilLavigne

Congrats on graduating! I had three and missed them all. They send out the papers.

Firetrap

When I graduated, they brought us all to a meeting point and lined us up alphabetically before we went into the hall. We were all sat together in the one area. Then we were called up one by one to get our degrees before sitting back down again.

After the ceremony, you could do what you wanted really. I think when I graduated, I got my photo taken after we came out of the hall. Your family will probably be more caught up in the excitement of your graduating than meeting strangers.

Maybe you could arrange for you all to go for a nice meal somewhere after the ceremony. That'd be nice and a distraction.

midlandsmissus

Yes,

I found the whole thing quite silly really. We (The girls) all had high heels on as we were quite dressed up. The stage we had to go up and get our degrees on was notoriously slippy, and our ceremonial gowns were very long. This in front of hundreds of people. The whole time, all I and everyone else was thinking was 'please don't let me trip up there!'. Was I glad to get it, and sit back down!

Afterwards you only hang around as long as you want, so I wouldn't worry.