Miscellaneous thoughts prompted by yesterday's Commencement:
- Like most of the graduations I've been to, Union's academic procession is led by a pipe and drum band. Why is that? What is it about academia and bagpipes?
- Also like most of the graduatiions I've been to, Union's graduation is held early on Sunday morning, with the students required to vacate campus housing by 5:00 that afternoon. This means that all the really big student parties are the night before, which in turn means that a large fraction of the graduating class is nursing a bad hangover during the procession and speeches. This lends an odd element to the proceedings.
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- Of course, I can't really throw stones from the Moral High Ground on this issue. I distinctly remember looking at my watch the night before my own college graduation, and saying "Hey. It's 4am, and I need to meet my parents at 6am." Though, weirdly, I don't recall being particularly hung over during the ceremony. Of course, I don't remember much about the ceremony, either...
- It's interesting how the meaning of these things changes as you move up the academic ladder. High-school graduation was a big deal, because it meant really leaving home, for most of us. It was pretty much all celebration, though, because the actual leave-taking wouldn't come until the end of the summer.
College graduation was also a big deal, again, because we were going to scatter across the country immediately afterwards (In fact, starting at 5:00 that afternoon...). That put a different sort of spin on the whole event-- a little more bittersweet.
When I marched for my Ph.D., on the other hand, it wasn't really a big deal at all. The crucial moment in the Ph.D. process is the thesis defense, which had taken place a month earlier. That's when you pop the champagne, and have a big party. The graduation ceremony is a footnote at best.
- It's also interesting to watch the students with their parents at the post-ceremony reception. The students are usually so caught up in the moment that they almost forget to be embarassed by the uncool old people following them around. It makes for an amusing contrast with the Admissions events that are the other main place we see students and parents together.
Anyway, congratulations again to the Class of 2006.
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I wasn't even planning on walking in my PhD graduation -- I had already moved on to start my post-doc, and had just come back a few weeks before to defend my thesis. Why make the additional trip? However, my paernts wanted to watch me walk, and one set of grandparents wanted to come out and see it. It was important to them to see their grandson getting his PhD, as they were very proud of that sort of thing.
For me, yes, it was the thesis defense that was the big rite of passage.
-Rob
The pipe and drum band is a new one on me. Must be a northeastern thing.
My Ph.D. hooding will be doubly anticlimatic, since with UCSB's lax regulations, I'll walk this weekend and defend in six months or so. The ceremony this week is mostly peer pressure, as enough of the folks I came in with have defended/will defend that we all might as well celebrate together. I'll probably be in the lab that night.