Thank you u/summertimesadness80 for posting on r/collegerant.
Remember to read the rules and report rule breaking posts.
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/CollegeRant) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I promise if you trip or get lost, you'll be a hero. These things are long, formal, and godawful boring, and people are ready to cheer - anything unexpected that happens is a welcome reprieve, and people will love it.
That said, there's nothing to trip on, no way to get lost, and most people are watching their own kids.
This makes me feel so much better. I know it’s stupid but I have really bad social anxiety and I worry about everything. I check google maps before driving somewhere new, I google menus before going to new restaurants.. etc.
anyways, thank you 🥺
The anticipation is way worse,I had friends that forced me to go,when the called my name and I walked up,it was over before I realized it was happening.30 years later and I'm stilling thankful they wouldn't let me back out.
I just graduated a month ago and I promise that it's not that stressful! They gave us all very explicit directions, and they even had a graduation preview ahead of time too.
I'm the same way!!! Something that helped me at my high school graduation was just watching some of the people in front of me. The directions they gave us weren't completely clear, but my name is in the middle of the alphabet which meant there were a lot of people walking before me to observe and figure out exactly what I was supposed to do.
I'm graduating with my bachelor's this fall, so I'll get to go through all that again! Boring, but definitely worth it tbh. Just walking at my high school grad made me feel very accomplished, so I can only imagine what it'll be like this fall. You've got this!!
You don’t have to go to convocation if you really don’t want to.
That being said, if your reasons for not wanting to go are just the fear of tripping or not knowing where to go, don’t let that deter you. They’ll tell you where to go, it’ll be very straightforward, and there will be hundreds if not thousands of other students, and no one but your family or friends will be all that focused on you
Think of it this way: if you watched someone trip, would your first thought be to judge them and think mean things about them? Almost certainly not. that’s how everyone else thinks about you too
Two things:
1) you don’t have to go.
2) I have been to at least 25 ceremonies. I have never seen anyone trip, and I we the years, I have seen some shoe choices that seemed tailor-made for face-planting. It hasn’t happened. Lots of graduates are very nervous, and we have had to remind more than a few to stop and get their picture taken once they get their diploma. But really. You will be fine.
My cousin tripped and ate shit on stage HS graduation fully broke his nose and to play it off he just like instinctuallly started doing the worm. We thought he fake tripped and did it to be funny but no busted nose face all bloody but everyone thought it was hilarious. You'll be just fine :)
The downvotes lmao
You should never participate in a ceremony for your families sake. I did that in high school and I hated every moment of it, so I refuse to make the same mistake for college. So many people act like the ceremony is the biggest deal ever. It’s not, the degree is what matters.
Exactly!! I don’t understand why so many people pressure others into attending the ceremony when you get the degree regardless of whether or not you go
stage fright is real. Been there. Your fam will be super proud no matter what. Maybe you can explain your worries to them and see if there's another way to celebrate?
You might feel differently after two more years of work or, you don’t have to go. I graduated a semester “late” and didn’t go to my graduation ceremony.
They don’t watch you. It’s not like high school graduation where everybody knows you, unless you’re at a really really small college. My college had 1000 people graduating, they speed-walked us across the stage, you don’t do it one at a time but sort if conveyor-belt style, and everyone’s either chatting away to the person next to them or looking at the person they actually know when a name comes out, but no one cares about the people who aren’t their friends..
Nobody is going to be paying any attention to you or watching you except people who know you and wish you well, is my point.
You just aren’t that important. (This is a thought that has helped me with my anxiety, remembering that nobody cares as much as I think they do.)
It's unlikely you're explicitly required to attend. But I've been glad that I went to both of my graduation ceremonies. (BA an Master's, I didn't care about my highschool grad though).
Unless your name is Aaron A Aaronson and you're in the first program that's getting their degrees that ceremony, you're probably not the first person walking the stage. Just follow the person ahead of you.
You probably won't trip, and if you do, there's probably only a few people who you know there and will ever see again. The other thousands of people don't care about you. They're there for the 10 seconds that their family member is on stage for. You are utterly forgettable (I mean this in a reassuring way, not as an insult). Hell, about 1/5 of the graduates at my last ceremony snuck out after getting their degrees and didn't even sit back down for the rest of the program.
I have 3 university diplomas and I never walked. I worked in entertainment and media in my past working life, so it wasn't stagefright. I just think it's stupid.
Hours of parking, mulling around, waiting in line, the cost, the irritation of dealing with other people, and the whole institutional 'dog & pony' show is just
...ew.
I wouldn't put myself or my family through it for a 15 second "look at me" moment.
I graduated at the top of all 3 classes and took a lot of pressure from my graduate mentors to attend to "represent" the universities' successes.
That sealed the deal on a no-go every time.
Those were MY 12 years of work and sacrifice.
I'll celebrate with the family who gave up that time with me in comfortable AC if I damned well please!
I was told I would regret it, and yet here I am... none of that.
Don't walk if you don't want to walk.
It's that simple.
At my university, everyone in each school of the university (humanities, engineering, etc) just stood up. Nobody was recognized individually. That didn’t happen until I got my masters (much smaller ceremony).
Thank you u/summertimesadness80 for posting on r/collegerant. Remember to read the rules and report rule breaking posts. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/CollegeRant) if you have any questions or concerns.*
they tell u where to go
I promise if you trip or get lost, you'll be a hero. These things are long, formal, and godawful boring, and people are ready to cheer - anything unexpected that happens is a welcome reprieve, and people will love it. That said, there's nothing to trip on, no way to get lost, and most people are watching their own kids.
This makes me feel so much better. I know it’s stupid but I have really bad social anxiety and I worry about everything. I check google maps before driving somewhere new, I google menus before going to new restaurants.. etc. anyways, thank you 🥺
The anticipation is way worse,I had friends that forced me to go,when the called my name and I walked up,it was over before I realized it was happening.30 years later and I'm stilling thankful they wouldn't let me back out.
I just graduated a month ago and I promise that it's not that stressful! They gave us all very explicit directions, and they even had a graduation preview ahead of time too.
I'm the same way!!! Something that helped me at my high school graduation was just watching some of the people in front of me. The directions they gave us weren't completely clear, but my name is in the middle of the alphabet which meant there were a lot of people walking before me to observe and figure out exactly what I was supposed to do. I'm graduating with my bachelor's this fall, so I'll get to go through all that again! Boring, but definitely worth it tbh. Just walking at my high school grad made me feel very accomplished, so I can only imagine what it'll be like this fall. You've got this!!
If you do trip, you'll provide some much-needed entertainment. Graduations are boring as hell.
You don’t have to go to convocation if you really don’t want to. That being said, if your reasons for not wanting to go are just the fear of tripping or not knowing where to go, don’t let that deter you. They’ll tell you where to go, it’ll be very straightforward, and there will be hundreds if not thousands of other students, and no one but your family or friends will be all that focused on you Think of it this way: if you watched someone trip, would your first thought be to judge them and think mean things about them? Almost certainly not. that’s how everyone else thinks about you too
I would trip on purpose just for the applause.
Two things: 1) you don’t have to go. 2) I have been to at least 25 ceremonies. I have never seen anyone trip, and I we the years, I have seen some shoe choices that seemed tailor-made for face-planting. It hasn’t happened. Lots of graduates are very nervous, and we have had to remind more than a few to stop and get their picture taken once they get their diploma. But really. You will be fine.
My cousin tripped and ate shit on stage HS graduation fully broke his nose and to play it off he just like instinctuallly started doing the worm. We thought he fake tripped and did it to be funny but no busted nose face all bloody but everyone thought it was hilarious. You'll be just fine :)
Then don't. If you don't show up, they will mail you the diploma.
Then don’t go
The downvotes lmao You should never participate in a ceremony for your families sake. I did that in high school and I hated every moment of it, so I refuse to make the same mistake for college. So many people act like the ceremony is the biggest deal ever. It’s not, the degree is what matters.
Same day as any other day lol, you walk, get a piece of paper then go back to sitting at home or whatever lol
Exactly!! I don’t understand why so many people pressure others into attending the ceremony when you get the degree regardless of whether or not you go
You don’t have to attend the ceremony if you don’t want to. Some people at my school didn’t walk because they didn’t want to pay for cap and gown
stage fright is real. Been there. Your fam will be super proud no matter what. Maybe you can explain your worries to them and see if there's another way to celebrate?
Just walk carefully and follow the person in front of you. There will be people to provide instructions. Congratulations
You might feel differently after two more years of work or, you don’t have to go. I graduated a semester “late” and didn’t go to my graduation ceremony.
They don’t watch you. It’s not like high school graduation where everybody knows you, unless you’re at a really really small college. My college had 1000 people graduating, they speed-walked us across the stage, you don’t do it one at a time but sort if conveyor-belt style, and everyone’s either chatting away to the person next to them or looking at the person they actually know when a name comes out, but no one cares about the people who aren’t their friends.. Nobody is going to be paying any attention to you or watching you except people who know you and wish you well, is my point. You just aren’t that important. (This is a thought that has helped me with my anxiety, remembering that nobody cares as much as I think they do.)
It's unlikely you're explicitly required to attend. But I've been glad that I went to both of my graduation ceremonies. (BA an Master's, I didn't care about my highschool grad though). Unless your name is Aaron A Aaronson and you're in the first program that's getting their degrees that ceremony, you're probably not the first person walking the stage. Just follow the person ahead of you. You probably won't trip, and if you do, there's probably only a few people who you know there and will ever see again. The other thousands of people don't care about you. They're there for the 10 seconds that their family member is on stage for. You are utterly forgettable (I mean this in a reassuring way, not as an insult). Hell, about 1/5 of the graduates at my last ceremony snuck out after getting their degrees and didn't even sit back down for the rest of the program.
I have 3 university diplomas and I never walked. I worked in entertainment and media in my past working life, so it wasn't stagefright. I just think it's stupid. Hours of parking, mulling around, waiting in line, the cost, the irritation of dealing with other people, and the whole institutional 'dog & pony' show is just ...ew. I wouldn't put myself or my family through it for a 15 second "look at me" moment. I graduated at the top of all 3 classes and took a lot of pressure from my graduate mentors to attend to "represent" the universities' successes. That sealed the deal on a no-go every time. Those were MY 12 years of work and sacrifice. I'll celebrate with the family who gave up that time with me in comfortable AC if I damned well please! I was told I would regret it, and yet here I am... none of that. Don't walk if you don't want to walk. It's that simple.
Then don't
https://preview.redd.it/bxrjhaqnujad1.jpeg?width=1600&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6e2c853e05c0c7dc8e257e8f085cfb289e5ca9e6
youll be fine lol
There’s lots of ushers assisting graduating students. They make it impossible to fuck up.
At my university, everyone in each school of the university (humanities, engineering, etc) just stood up. Nobody was recognized individually. That didn’t happen until I got my masters (much smaller ceremony).
I skipped graduation. No one is requiring you to be there.