Graduation ceremonies expensive (in this case for masters)

anewman

Am I the only one who thinks paying £42 to hire a gown, and hang around all day just to shake someone's hand, who if your university has a celebrity chancellor might be a celebrity if they can be bothered that day (in my case Lord Melvyn Bragg) - is a bit of a waste of money?

I guess it's probably interesting to do the first time but now I've done it once for my undergrad degree, now it's for my Masters I just feel I can't really be bothered and am seriously considering asking to graduate in absentia.

Not forgetting that if you do go then you're tempted to buy a portrait, pics of you shaking hands, a degree video and various other bits and bobs the University sells on the day. You can easily spend well over £100 on one day. I'd rather go for a nice meal or a weekend away for the money to be honest.

The_One_Who

I'm sure at my university there is a cost to actually graduate, never mind all the gown hire etc. But to be honest, I don't really mind. Maybe for a masters I'd forget about the graduation, but for undergraduate it's meant to be the final big experience.

Oldernotwiser

anewman wrote: »

Am I the only one who thinks paying £42 to hire a gown, and hang around all day just to shake someone's hand, who if your university has a celebrity chancellor might be a celebrity if they can be bothered that day (in my case Lord Melvyn Bragg) - is a bit of a waste of money?

I guess it's probably interesting to do the first time but now I've done it once for my undergrad degree, now it's for my Masters I just feel I can't really be bothered and am seriously considering asking to graduate in absentia.

Not forgetting that if you do go then you're tempted to buy a portrait, pics of you shaking hands, a degree video and various other bits and bobs the University sells on the day. You can easily spend well over £100 on one day. I'd rather go for a nice meal or a weekend away for the money to be honest.

Well do that then; it's your choice.

anewman

The_One_Who wrote: »

I'm sure at my university there is a cost to actually graduate, never mind all the gown hire etc. But to be honest, I don't really mind. Maybe for a masters I'd forget about the graduation, but for undergraduate it's meant to be the final big experience.

Yes I think there was somthing like thatat my last university but can't remember the cost. Think they tried to "sweeten" it with free parking and the offer of food.

clairec79

I didn't bother going to mine - really couldn't see the point, and do I feel I missed out? Not at all, everyone else in my cohort thought it was such a big thing and I didn't feel like that

Torby

makes a nice photo for your parents and grandparents....I mean, who really thinks their graduation photos are for themselves.....cue Carly Simon...

kr15snw

Mine was expensive but I wanted to do it. Quite a few of my friends didnt do it as they just couldnt be bothered with the cost.

£40 gown hire
£100 photos (yes every auntie wanted one and of course Im the one to pay for them, lol)
£30 for 3 guest tickets

eilidh_s

I was sponsored by a large shipping company through my degree and they agreed to pay for the graduation costs in return for an article in the company magazine so I got a freebie for five minutes of writing a bit of rubish and a wee picture. If I hadn't though I would have paid for it myself, its a record of what you have achieved and it was agreat day.

Voyager2002

Yes, they are expensive, but I think they are primarily for parents rather than for you.

I attended the ceremony for my BSc, and did not bother for the others. Although looking back I regret not receiving my PhD in person, mainly because it would have been a good day out for my other family members.

clairec79

How is it a record of what you achieved?

lilysgarden

Well it's a record of what I've achieved. I spent my entire life at school being told by teachers that I was stupid, useless and would never even go to college. I went to uni as a mature student, my graduation ceremony is next week and I can't wait! Even my parents doubted that I would even get this far so their really proud and I think my mums more excited about the ceremony than I am.

I think the graduation ceremony is everyone's own choice. If you think it's a rip off and a fuss, then don't go. Simple as that. Personally, the £120 I've spent on three guest tickets, photo's for all the relatives who want one, and my gown hire, is a small price to pay for the pleasure of proving every single person who told me I was stupid, wrong. My boyfriend isn't attending his because he feels he shouldn't have screwed up his undergrad degree first time round, but he's doing his masters now and wants to go to that one when he finishes next year because he never believed he'd get that far. It's a choice at the end of the day, so why moan about it?!