It’s quite astonishing how quickly the last three years have gone.
Reading the posts of Robin and Florence as undergraduates really does make me
realise how far I’ve come from the nervous, awkward 18-year-old who started
University in September 2009. It seems impossible to celebrate everything that
has happened over three years in just one day, but that’s what graduation is
basically all about.
We decided to travel down the night before to save time, staying over
in a local hotel with my family. The next day, after we had tucked into a hearty
continental breakfast, my mum, dad, sister and I all headed onto campus to
begin the day, aided by the uni-link park and ride and a very friendly bus
driver.
After donning my cap and gown with no problems, getting the obligatory
professional photo done in the Students’ Union (which no doubt will be on my
parent’s mantelpiece for years to come), and having a family photo session on one
of the many patches of green grass that are abundant on campus, I headed over
to the University’s Nuffield Theatre to officially graduate with all my
classmates. By this time, the sun was already rising high in the sky, and we
were beginning to feel really rather hot under our mortar boards! Of course,
the blue skies and hot sun were welcome instead of the wind and rain that I had
dreaded for months. I was lucky that my graduation had landed on what was
apparently the only week of sun we will be seeing this summer.
Me and my family before the ceremony, very proud and very happy!
There had been some speculation that the Nuffield Theatre and Turner Sims concert hall were not ‘grand’ enough as venues for our ceremonies, with a
number of articles and debates on the matter. However, upon entering the
theatre and finding my seat amongst my fellow graduands, I was impressed with
how distinguished the whole place looked. Classical music filled the air as
graduands and visitors filled the seats. Within half an hour or less of the
ceremony starting, I walked onto the stage, shook the hand of the Chancellor,
and collected my certificate. My part in the ceremony was over – without anyone
falling down the stairs! Once the grand
ceremony had ended and the speeches had been made, we were finally released
into the real world as fully fledged graduates of the University of Southampton.
A lovely reception was provided, with strawberries and cream and champagne,
giving us the chance to mingle, chat and thank many of our lecturers – even
having photos taken with those whose help had been vital to our success. I spent
the next hour or two posing for yet more photographs with my closest friends
and repeatedly throwing my cap into the air to gain that perfect, stereotypical
‘I’ve Graduated!’ Hallmark photograph, before my family and I headed off for a Caribbean meal and a couple of celebratory cocktails in
the town centre.
Officially a graduate: Me and my certificate after the ceremony
Myself and legendary lecturer Professor John McGavin, who had greatly
influenced my decision to make Southampton my first choice back in 2009 after
his fantastic open day lecture, and has continued to inspire me throughout my
time here.
It was a perfect celebration of the best three years of my life so far. I spent the day with my family, and many of my closest friends; the sun was shining; the Pimm’s was flowing and the whole day went without a problem. The facilities on offer were fantastic, with noodles and ice cream and a BBQ available, and everything seemed to run very smoothly. I must take this opportunity to thank the University for putting on such an incredible day for us all!
My course-mates and I celebrating our graduation!
Many of you reading this may be graduating within the next few years,
so the whole process might seem distant / daunting / alien to you. But trust
me; the day will suddenly be upon you, and you’ll be abruptly entering the
‘real world’ (though my MA means I’ll be avoiding that for another year!). So
here are a few tips that I’ll share with you in preparation for your big day:
- You’ll probably be
reluctant to take your robes off before you leave. Make the most of your
ability to do accurate impressions of Dracula / Batman / large birds
before you have to hand them back.
- Photography sessions
with friends and family will take forever, and people will start to get
impatient or bored – but you only get a day, so be as snap happy as you
want! You can always delete the excess photos later. It’s better to have
too many.
- Take plenty of hair
pins, safety pins, and blister plasters. It’s a long day, and you and your
outfit will need some TLC and attention.
- Make the most of any
free drinks / nibbles you may get in any reception you may have. Just
because you’ve just graduated doesn’t mean you must lose the love you had
as a student of free things!
- You will get awful hat hair
afterwards. I don’t think there’s a remedy for that one, aside from going bald…
so just try and avoid cameras after you return your robes.
- Make the most of
your special day with your family. My dad said that a graduation day is
on a par with other big life events such as christenings and weddings, and
most people only graduate once. So enjoy their company – they’re going to
be proud of you, and will want you to realise that the day is to celebrate
the hard work you put into the last three years.
My sister and I on campus post-ceremony
It’s been over a week, and I am still looking over photographs of the
day. It was mostly down to my wonderful family, who supported me through three
years of joy, excitement, tears, worrying and stress, and who made the day and
the time leading up to my graduation as special and exciting as possible. My
friends also have a lot to do with it, and my University experience as an undergraduate
would definitely not have been the
same if it wasn’t for all of them. I know that I have made many friends for
life. Though I will (hopefully!) be
graduating from my Masters in December 2013, my Graduation this year was
definitely the best day of my year and possibly of my life so far. And if the
next year is anything like the last three, then I can’t wait to get started!
There are obviously far too many photos that I want to share with you
all, so these were only a selection of the best!
Joanne
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