BootsnAll Travel Community

Whatever you call it, commencement or graduation from high school, on my trip I will probably be missing mine next year. I actually finish in June, but the following October is when all the grads from the previous year return to walk across the stage with the gown and cap and get the diploma and what not. I've told a few of my friends that i'll be missing it and they can't believe I would, I told my mom and she almost cried cuz she wouldnt see me do my little 15 second walk across the stage.
Has anyone missed their high school grad and regretted it, or is it not such a big deal? I'm thinking that instead of one night of seeing people i haven't talked to in a few months is not worth postponing a trip I've been planning for almost a year. Any thoughts?

I didn't miss mine, but I really wish I had a good excuse to miss it.

I felt no accomplishment graduating.. none at all. I hadn't tried, I hadn't done anything special, and I really didn't care to parade that fact in some gown.

But I've never been one for ceremonies anyway...

A lot of people I talk to walk just to appease their mother's, grandmothers, aunts, sisters, mother's in-laws...you get the picture. I think it's a woman thing. I didn't walk in my university ceremony. I actually played in grad band and made 70 bucks. When I asked my parents if they cared, my dad said, if you want us to be there, then we'll be there (but I hate 4 hour ceremonies) and that's the thing, it's your day so I think you should be the one to decide. Sorry moms!

i chose not to walk at my graduation.. and i didnt because i didnt feel the need to try and please my family... or the other students in my graduating class.. because i was not close to either.. but its a personal choice... and you should think about how you will look back on it in 20 years... see if you feel like you would be missing out on anything

It's not that big of a deal. I walked just to do it, but nobody cared enough to show up. It was very much a non-event. I walked in college, and the same, only 2 people showed. That was a bit more momentous, except our commencement speaker was a jack@$$. I was tempted to stage a walk out.

when i graduated from my associate of arts program from community college, i couldn't care less. why do i have to pay freakin $40 for a stupid gown? why do i have to pay to park in downtown for some boring 2 hour long ceremony just so i can pick up a piece of paper? i picked up my certificate half a year after i graduated lol.

on the other hand though, my high school graduation meant a lot to me only because i had gone through more than the average student to get there (dropped out, went through depression, got back into school with all my friends, teachers and counselors supporting me, etc).

I went to my highschool grad because several people (including myself) didn't think I would make it. I went to my university graduation ceremony because it was actually a big accomplishment. The cool thing was that the two honorary PhDs that were granted during the ceremony went to musicians. Rather than speaking, they performed so it was pretty cool.

For my BA, the grad ceremony gave me closure so I'm glad I went.

I had two high school graduation ceremonies to attend. I didn't even get my graduation photos ordered - I took them, so I could show up on the composites and the Ontario Scholars thing, but I didn't order them. My mom hassled me for about a year, and I told her that if she cared she could order them.

My first high school grad was to actually graduate and get my French Immersion diploma. I cared more about the French Immersion one that the OSSD, because I put wayyy more work into my French classes than anything else. The second graduation was for awards, Ontario Scholar, etc. etc.

I do plan to attend my B.Comm graduation next year. I wouldn't miss it - it will bring serious closure to four intense years of work and fighting with the co-op office. It will be an accomplishment I was proud of, since I actually had to put some effort into it!

This is one of those situations where there's no way you can know ahead of time which decision you'll regret.

On one hand, graduation is a one-time thing, while travel is something you want to do the rest of your life. On the other hand, there will almost always be some important thing for which you could postpone traveling. That seems to be the rut I've gotten into over and over (and over again). It's scary.

The only thing you can do is to do what feels right at the moment.

Choosing to travel independently to a foreign country says a lot more profoundly that you've "graduated" than spending fifteen seconds walking across a stage to collect a piece of paper does.

Have a great trip.

NTF Travis

P.S. For the record....I attended my High School graduation. The only thing I remember about the day was getting busted by a cop for smoking a joint with a girlfriend before the ceremony. That's the ONLY thing I remember. Must have been good weed....

I DO remember the day I graduated from college. It was a much bigger accomplishment for me. Like someone else mentioned, I skated through High school. And my grandfather, who helped me out financially--when my father wouldn't--attended the mercifully short and small ceremony. So that one was meaningful, and therefore, memorable.

I'm with NTF Travis. I have absolutely no memory of my High School Graduation (even without the aid of controlled substances) but I do remember very clearly the summer that followed, part of which was spent travelling. It was my first truly independent time in my life.

I graduated from college a semester "early" and did come back to walk at that graduation, since I was in the neighborhood at the time and wanted to hang out with friends again. (That and the fact that Susan from Sesame Street was the commencement speaker)

I remember my HS grad. It was a great way to celebrate the end of 'childhood' (no offense intended here - in my background, most people aren't considered adults until they reach university age).

My bachelor degree ceremony sucked - very, very long. I had just moved to Japan so was unable to attend my MBA ceremony. I'm still disappointed (5 years later) that I was unable to attend. It is an accomplishment that I wish I had celebrated.

If the ceremony is long and impersonal, I wouldn't bother (don't know how big your HS is). If you are from a small or close community / HS, I would recommend going.

Liz

Grad ceremonies are, IMO, a waste of time and effort. I guess I've just never seen to point in getting dressed up to go walk accross a stage. Also, I ended up being sick at my grad banquet (on a different day than commencement) and it wasn't much fun either. If I'm going to be sick, I'd rather be sick in Europe than at some overpriced dinner with lots of boring speeches.

Get the hell outta there. grad is long and boring, with, from the sounds of some of your other rants, a bunch of people that you can't tolerate. Your mom will get over it--mine did, and my mom still loves me to this day even though I keep dissapointing her at every turn. Dropping out of school, travelling instead of saving not getting married and having babies by the time I'm 22, you know usual mon stuff.

Well, the decision has been made. I booked my tickets today and I will be in Europe for 8 weeks. I return on the 21st of October next year,and if my high school grad is before that date, then I guess I will just have to miss it. I'll always have my university grad, then there was my grade 8 grad, of course we still have that home movie of the time I graduated pre-school. So if I miss one, no big deal. I'll come back to school one day, say hi to the friends who are still there, talk to the teachers I liked, and that will probably be alot better than the actual grad ceremony, and definetly alot more personal. Thanks for the advice and the stories about the not missing the grad so much, or not remembering it at all.

they had a guy who was kicked off of survivor like 2nd or something come talk at my graduation, he told us we were all survivors.......at the time i was really into the whole graduation thing, mostly casue ive always been obsessed with pop culture and nostaligic childhood things like kevin and winnie from the wonder years when they graduated..ahaa...but actually looking back at it, once you leave high school you realize how un-important it all is....i doubt you'll regret missing it.....most people sleep through it or are too preoccupied with trying not to trip to even be there......HAVE A GREAT TRIP!!

The only good part of my high school graduation were the beach balls that someone inflated and started bopping around during our principals speech. I was more excited about getting the hell out of their then marching all over the place.

I was in the hospital having hip surgery on the day of my high school graduation.

Bummer.