April 27, 2009

To Walk or Not to Walk, That Is The Question

Nice to see you again. Follow me, @SydneyOwen. Thanks for being here!

I never planned to have a job lined up for after graduation.  I mean, don’t get me wrong, I was hoping, but I didn’t plan for it. And I plan everything.

My initial thought was to cram as much into this semester as humanly possible. But the timing was off. So I settled with the fact that I’d have to come back after spring semester and take two classes this summer before I was officially graduated. I decided, based on that knowledge, that I didn’t want to walk with my class this spring and then have to come back for two more classes. (It felt like I was lying.. lol) If I was going to walk, I wanted to walk and not have to turn back. No more college. I walk and that’s it.

Now I want to walk with my class. I want to walk on Saturday and I can’t, because I didn’t plan on the chance that I’d have a job lined up before I graduated. So now, do I walk in August or do I just get up and go to Chicago and call it a day?

I can sell myself either way.

I should walk because: this is all about me, not my class, I don’t have to walk with my class. I have worked really hard to get this degree. My parents should see me walk. It’s a really big deal. I walked for HS graduation, why wouldn’t I walk for college?

I shouldn’t walk because: I move to Chicago in August, I’ll have to fly back to walk on August 8th, or, I have to put off moving and then there’s less time for me to acclimated. I am not walking with my class, so why does it matter? Nobody walks in the summer. I want to move on with my life. You have to pay to walk, and I’m tired of giving USF money.

I’m leaning more towards yes. I do want to walk. My parent’s didn’t, but they weren’t traditional students either. I need to walk. It closes my chapter in Tampa. It solidifies that I’m a grown-up.

Did you walk for your college graduation? Why or why not? Is it a big deal? Will I regret not walking if I decide not to?

Tagged as: gen-y, Graduation, Learning

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  • Quite the predicament, I know. I'm graduating in one week and I am not walking. However, the only reason I'm not is because at this point I see every hour of every day as either a billable or unbillable hour. Three hours for commencement! That's too long to not bill any hours for me.
  • Sydney,

    I'm in the same boat--class-wise--as you are. I am walking on Friday, but need one last class to officially graduate. I am very cynical and find the entire ceremony boring and overtly fake, but will walk to make my parents happy. I will walk because I signify only the fourth person in my entire extended family to graduate college, so it means a great deal to my family.

    I say walk to show your appreciation for your family's support during these past four years. It also, as you say, closes this chapter and opens the door to much more possibilities. I'm happy to be leaving this sweltering hole, so I too am walking to close the book on my college career in Tampa.

    WALK...what have you got to lose?
  • Sydney
    @Ryan - I agree. I like the idea that my parents will probably be beaming with joy.

    @Erica - I'm thinking maybe it won't be long and ridiculous since it's summer graduation. I might want to research this before I use that as a deciding factor.

    @Nate - I am so excited for you! Are you coming to the Gala on Thursday?

    @Norcross - My parents didn't walk so they could care either way. They're down for the ceremony, and they're down for a dinner or something that's just the four of us. The festivities that follow the walk (or non-walk) are yet to be determined - maybe I should think about that. :)
  • Ultimately it's completely up to you and what walking means to you and your circumstances. If you're leaning towards walking because it closes that chapter, then by all means.

    I walked. The President of the US also spoke at my commencement. That was big factor. I wasn't too keen on walking, but then I realized it was kind of cool to do a last hurrah of sorts with my friends, and more importantly it made my family proud.

    There's not a greater feeling than making the people you love and care about the most proud, and that's the primary reason why I walked -- they wanted me to, and I'm okay with that!

    Best of luck in your decision.
  • I didn't want to walk but my parents guilted me into it. I'm not sure what they got out of it. I certainly didn't get any joy or satisfaction from it. I didn't want to walk in high school either.
  • I didn't walk. High school was different - I felt a sense of camaraderie with my friends and students, and I wanted to go through this last ritual with them. College? Whatever! Not only is the ceremony long and ridiculous, I didn't really have any close classmates and didn't feel anything towards the class as a whole. I thought it was a waste of time and money. If you want a "ceremony" - go with your folks to a nice restaurant and celebrate.
  • As someone who has sat through a few USF graduations (sister, mother, sister-in-law, and best friend), I can say that the whole event is somewhat geared towards the family of the student.

    If your parents want to come down and see it, then go for it. Otherwise, I'd pass. Save the money, get to Chicago, and get going!
  • I walked even though my family couldn't drive up to see me. It was fun to get my picture taken by the cheesy photographers and it is just one of those rites of passage that you might regret later. And, it's a good way to get some graduate gifts! ;)
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