Everything I wish I’d known about graduation

Graduating from a University in four years is magical, but aimed for and expected. Everything is geared towards you in regards to information about graduation and commencement, and for some this isn’t the first time in graduation ring (whether it’s a second bachelors, or being an audience member).

But, what is it like for a third year graduating early, who is the first the graduate from such a large university in her family? It’s like navigating a maze.

Senioritis is a monster that comes at the worst possible moment

Unlike high school where everyone was having senioritis, no one seems to be having it now. So, when it hits—and it will hit—it will always come at the worst possible moment: for me, I got sick, took two days off to recover, and now I don’t want to write the two term papers due this week and the impending deadline aren’t as scary as they were the last few times around.

You’ll be checking grades on SmartSite trying to figure out what is the lowest you can get without changing your GPA too much.

Or refreshing the page to see if SmartSite is working rather than doing that homework due in an hour.

SmartSite being down means that I don’t have to do work

Signing up for everything is both important and nothing to worry about

I got very lucky in terms of having a major advisor who includes graduation and commencement information in department emails, but when my weekly department update failed me, it was time to Google search and find multiple dates for the same event.

Everything worked out, I signed up first day even though I knew I didn’t have to—I was not going to forget—and I stressed out for no reason. But being prompt is beneficial in some places—cap and gown pick up or graduation photos, for example.

Grad photos aren’t easy

I assumed that my photographer would have a stole or a cap, and while he had a cap it was black (not the blue which Davis uses). If you buy a stole a la carte from the Campus Store, then you’ll get it in the moment. If you’re like me and you do things early, buying a package means you’re not going to get anything but announcements before picking up the cap and gown with everyone else. After a discussion we figure things out, but I ended up just taking professiona; pictures without the graduation flare.

Also, if you see an amazing deal (such as a graduate from Davis who now is starting up a photography business and it willing to do photos far under market value) jump on it. You will be 100% unable to find it on your Facebook wall later—mistake number 1. She probably had a stole too.

A la Carte from the Campus Store isn’t a bad idea

I bought a grad package, it was an easy, one time deal that didn’t make me leave my bed that morning, but I bought things that I don’t think I’m going to actually use. Maybe it’s a bit cheaper than having bought a cap and gown, a stole, and announcements individually; but I don’t think I’m going to ever use that “commemorative tassel” for anything.

On top of it, with exception of the cap and gown, you leave with what you bought then and there, in person.

This campus store, on the other side of the quad, is where the a la cart items are sold

As a third year, few of my close friends are feeling the same emotions I am

Only two of my closest friends are leaving Davis next year, and for me, it seems like only the three of us are feeling the same stress and the same excitement.

Getting a job, finding a new apartment, moving away—they’re all normal things that happen after graduating, but when 90% of your closest friend group isn’t in this boat, it’s easy to feel like you’re alone and sinking. It also means that the amount of people I can talk about graduation with isn’t a high as most others.

The emotions you’re going to feel are weird and confusing

I expected this excitement, and I also expected some nostalgia of leaving school and entering the work force, but the other emotions I felt were remarkably unexpected. I have never been the person to want to stay stagnate after I’ve finish my time somewhere, but graduation from college is different than graduation for high school.

I’m not taking a summer and then going back to school. When they say that most feel some extreme sadness when graduating, it really does happen. Life is going to change, and that fear and sadness of moving from one point in life to another is tangible—especially three weeks out from it being over.

My last spring in Davis isn’t helping with the nostalgia

Be flexible, things are going to change, are going to change again, and are going to change again

When my family was booking things they needed hard dates: when the ceremony is, what night to I have free to go to a dinner, when can I meet them at the airport. They’re   all things that I didn’t have answers to during Spring Break. But, this flexibility also goes for plans for next year. At the beginning of the year, I thought I would be staying in Davis, commuting to Sacramento. In November, I thought I would be moving to Sacramento.

In April, I thought I would be moving to San Francisco. Now, in May, I’m most likely going to be moving to Washington DC. The world has become an open and exciting place, and I know what I want and what I don’t want to do during my gap year, so taking a risk and moving across the country might suddenly become a reality, when before it was nothing more than a hope.

Graduation Parties, End of Year Parties, et al.

Everyone seems to leave town after graduation, family is in town and they leave with them. Of course, this is a broad generalization, but all of the seniors I spoke with as a sophomore (which, admittedly weren’t many), left town right after graduation. So, be willing to make your graduation party a “before finals, stress relief” party too.

That way, hopefully more people will show up and you’re not competing with the end of the year parties everyone else is throwing.

Cap and Gown pick-up

I was questioning if should I really be there before 9 am to get my cap and gown, or if showing up around 10 am would be just as fine. I found out that it seemed to not matter if you showed up early or not, the line was at an, honestly quick, hour’s wait.

But, the saddest part was watching people, who had been waiting just as long as I, leave just when they were nearing the front—they had class to get to.

After an hour, I was finally in the front of the line!

What is something that I still don’t know?

How does commencement actually work? We did practices at my high school, but on the scale of a UC practicing walking is something that should not, and is not (to my knowledge), be done. But, this is something that I enjoy not knowing, because being unaware of what’s going to happen adds to the experience of graduating.

If I knew everything in regards to graduating, then much of the apprehension would also be exciting. All in all, the experience from graduating has been just as magical as I expect it is for everyone else graduating. It has been nerve-racking—from not having a clue to what is currently going on, and what will go on.