Thoughts On Graduation

[Lux]

Anyone going to graduate from highschool, college, or graduate school?

If not, any related thoughts or feelings?


I will graduate from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor by the end of April 2005, with a Bachelor's of Arts in Political Science. Then, the real fun will begin. I plan a short vacay, then settle wherever I can find a job. The US job market sucks, even for us smart liberal prestigious Michigan graduates. If not a job, then perhaps an internship or something politics-related in Asia.

The point of this thread: I have a limited view on people's reactions to graduation, as many seniors here are reluctant for fearing to leave the college lifestyle and enter the real world. Others could not be more excited to leave. I have no reaction. Wait. There is too much in my mind to focus on one thing and react coherently. If I try to take it all in, my brain might go on strike for a few days. I am far too busy to devote thoughts on leaving the lifestyle of the last 3.5 years. That is, the college lifestyle.

What lies after college? Will life be restructured? Is there going to be manageable routine? Will there be less financial security? Mom and Dad is not going to be the bank for much longer. Nor do I want them to. Recently, besides tuition, I am financially independent. [No one said it would be this comfortable]. More importantly, is there more freedom?

I want to be independent, moreso than currently. I work 15 hours a week, take 5 upper level classes from the best political science department in the country [United States], and did alot of volunteer work surrounding the past presidential election [for all the good that did, I conclude that voting does not work. If life gets too sweet, I will always have that bitterness to balance the proverbial palate]. Sometimes, there is no time to enjoy even the freezing rainy days. I wonder what life will be when this ends, in 5 1/2 months.

Independence is achieved when one is financially independent. In that regard, I will not be independent until my undergraduate student loans are paid. Before that happens, I just might go to graduate school, to accru another sum of debt. Hoorah for higher education. Hoorah for life. Hoorah for the system.


What will happen after graduate school? Only imagination can see.


...........

So, any thoughts? Anyone in a similar situation? Any comments at all?
All are welcome.

[Kate]

It's scary for me. I just graduated from high school last year, and just finished my first year in Uni. What will happen afterwards, I don't know. But I'll make sure my studying process lasts for as long as possible - I'll go for a PhD. :gigi:

[XSpex]

I wanted desperately to finish Uni, I wanted so bad to graduate. Finally it happened and it just felt like any other day :p. Probably because I had the same routine since high school, go and take clases and then go back home at the end of the day... my lifestyle didn't change that much.
Now work is also a routine.
btw, I am a IT developer :)

[luxxi]

I graduated from Uni 2 weeks ago. Nothing much except I got really drunk couple of days later. Now I'm at employment centre trying to get a job.

:newyear:

[belissa]

I'll graduate from the high school next year and it's really scary for me. I dunno how it will be in the University... :rolleyes:

[Kate]

belissa, my first year in Uni was a complete waste of time, which means that I found the courses extremely easy and had lots of free time to hang out with my friends. :D

[belissa]

katbeidar, I hope I'll have the same situation! But the time will show! ;) And I hope it won't be very hard to study their 'cause I'm going to have technical education...I'm gonna to enter physico-mathematical faculty, but I dunno if I can to study there. :rolleyes:

[Mossopp]

Although technically there is no "graduation" in Scottish high schools (you finish 6th year and you have to leave regardless of how poor your exam results are) my final day was certainly memorable.
It was complete chaos. Everyone in my year - with the exception of a couple of people who don't know how to have a good time - was drunk. In fact, one girl got so drunk that she passed out and started to throw-up blood.
Now, none of us bothered to go to classes that day so we were all just living it up in the common room. Most of the boys were busy trashing the place and trying to set things on fire. I, however, was just playing cards with a couple of people.
When Michelle started to lose it noone knew what to do. We couldn't go get a teacher cos then we'd all be busted, so some of the girls decided that the best thing to do would just be to shove her in the cupboard and take turns keeping an eye on her to make sure nothing really serious went wrong.
Then one of the sober people went and told the Assistant Head Teacher what was going on. This was of course the sensible course of action and the right thing to do. However, at the time we didn't see it that way and the snitch well and truly got his arse kicked.
So, with us all in various stages of inebriation and the Assistant Head well on his way to the common room, we all ran en masse to the hill up behind the football pitch and bribed the younger kids (it was lunchtime at this point so practically every student was milling around up there) to hide our drink for us.
It must have been a strange sight - the entire 6th year sitting in silence on the hill, watching the ambulance pull into the school car park and Michelle get carried out on a stretcher and loaded into the vehicle.
This signalled - for most of us, anyway - that the fun was well and truly over and a lot of us just got our booze back off the generous 2nd years who were kind enough to "look after" it for us and went home. I however found time to watch some fellow pupils procure a 'slippery surface' warning sign from the cleaners closet and then proceed to lob it into a tree.
There was talk of a goat being let loose in the Mathematics Department, but I believe that was just hearsay.
All in all a very productive day. :D

[Rachel]

I remember my last day of school - everyone was crying their eyes out :rolleyes: saying "I'm gonna miss you!" to everyone LMAO Then we all went to a local field that night and got completely trashed LOL The pigs (police LOL) were called and we all had to stumble away and hide - something we didn't do well as we were all giggleing LMAO They just told us to all go home, but of course that didn't happen, then someone turned up in a car to supply us with music :D Then an miserable lady came out of her house and started having a go at us and telling us she was trying to sleep LMAO A *very* fun night :D

Went to sixth form (a UK variation of college) for 6 weeks and HATED IT so I ended up leaving. I was only there for about 2 weeks of the 6 - that's how much I hated it. Once when the head of sixth form asked me why I had not been there for a few days I said my uncle had died LMAO Yeah, I know it's an awful thing to say but it was just the first thing that popped into my head LMAO

Basically, education is crap and I hope to win the lottery LOL :p

[belissa]

All in all a very productive day.
And really memorable, it doesn't matter what happened, you remember this day and it matters! ;)

[Lux]

mossopp - LMAOOO
if *only* that happened in highschools here

[TaTu^HeRo]

Am graduating this year from highschool..

I just have this 'numb' feeling, cause i feel am loosing my friends whom i lived with all my life. and last week i went out with the whole gang, and i thought "How the hell did i miss this fun" i mean seriously, i didn't realize how scary it would be to think of waking up and not seeing those 30 faces in front of me everyday, or walk through the hallways, or hearing their laughter... it makes me sad to think we're all going in seperate directions... but still i am glad am on my way...

Graduating June/2005 :D

[belissa]

TaTu^HeRo, oh, I have the same feelings. I know I'll miss my classmates, teahers. But life should go on and change for better. ;)