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Graduation: What's it good for?
What does graduation mean? I'm talking about the actual ceremony here. Is it important? Should I go?
My final semester of law school starts tomorrow. That's obviously a great thing— 5 down, one to go. But it also means I have to find that job, figure out where to sit for the bar, and whether to go to graduation.
Yeah, that last one might be a no-brainer for most law students. You go to school for three years, borrowing an arm and a leg for the privilege, jumping through all manner of hoops to get this Juris “Doctor” degree, so why wouldn't you go to graduation?
My answer is not very clear, but it begins with the fact that I've never really thought much of such ceremonies. They seem to be empty gestures, silly rituals devoid of meaning. Will I actually feel any different after I hear my name called or walk across a stage and receive a ceremonial piece of paper?* I don't think so.
In addition, I don't really want to be part of or support a big ceremonial event that will consist largely of my school bragging about how great it is. Although I feel I have received a fine, relatively average legal education at GW, I see it as a very average sort of law school and therefore a cog in the larger machine of legal education that is failing its students and the general public by producing classes of money-grubbing technical functionaries rather than effective advocates for true equality and justice in this country. In this light, attending graduation and joining the collective self-congratulations of the school and my fellow graduates makes me more complicit in the whole broken system. That's stupid, I know. If a graduation ceremony makes me complicit, what does three years of school make me? I'm a cog already.
So what it comes down to is I have what may be an irrational desire to, in some small way, express my disappointment in GW and the larger legal education machine of which it is a part, and I have this idea that refusing to participate in graduation will constitute such an expression. Plus, as I said, it seems like an empty gesture and a big hassle and expense for myself and my family to attend. It will cost my family upwards of $1000 to get and stay here for a few days and since they've all been to D.C. before, it just seems like a waste. I'm pretty sure they would rather use their vacation days and dollars some other way.
Finally, graduation from law school seems so anticlimactic. The hard part seems to be making it through the first year; after that, the real challenge is passing the bar and getting a good job, so graduation shrinks to little more than a door prize on the way to those main events. Why make a big deal out of such a relatively small thing?
On the other hand, I could be all wrong. Perhaps there is something about graduation that makes it more than an empty gesture. Does it play a role in people's lives like other ceremonies or rituals? For example, a funeral is not for the person who died—being dead, that person can't get anything out of it. So the funeral is for those left behind, a ritual to perform in order to assure themselves and others that the deceased was beloved by and important to them. Weddings have something of this about them as well—if two people choose to marry, they shouldn't need a ceremony to confirm their feelings; rather the ceremony confirms those feelings to those who attend.
So, again, what purpose do graduations serve? It seems possible they are a way for the graduate to thank those who have supported him/her through school. If this is true it seems you thank those you love simply by inviting them. Do you need to actually go? But perhaps there is also a value to those supporting family members in actually attending a graduation ceremony; perhaps in some small way it allows them to share in the sense of accomplishment that comes from graduating law school. Maybe even I, as a graduate, would get something out of it. Then again, maybe not.
What do you think? Have you attended the graduation ceremonies for which you were eligible? If so, why? If not, why not? Do you think I should attend mine?
* At the only graduation I attended (high school) I recall that when I walked across the stage I got a nice looking folder w/the name of my school embossed on the front. Inside I thought I would find my diploma; instead I found a piece of paper that said I would get my diploma in the mail some time in the future once final grades were calculated and they were sure I had graduated. This wasn't because there was really any doubt about my graduating; it was just the standard way the school did graduation. But like I said, that made the whole exercise seem pretty meaningless.
Posted January 8, 2006 02:27 PM | 3L
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I think the other thing is that, just b/c you don't want to attend now, it doesn't mean you won't regret it later. You only graduate from law school once. To be safe, better go and take some pictures. Having your parents go is a small price to pay considering what you payed for tuition already.
Also if you want to make a statement about GW, your post here is much more effective.
Posted by: Igots at January 8, 2006 02:59 PM
Just to clarify, I didn't intend to indict GW particularly as somehow a subpar school. As I said, I think it's a fine school w/an excellent faculty and generally very good physical plant. I simply think it does little to nothing to change what's wrong with legal education. Therefore, if I think the larger system of legal education is flawed, and if GW is a good to average part of that system, then GW is also flawed.
GW has been pretty good to me, overall, and I don't really mean to single it out as a "bad apple." I don't think there are any bad apples, but a bad system overall. Unfortunately for GW, it's the law school with which I'm most familiar so it ends up bearing the brunt of my criticisms which could be applied much more widely.
Posted by: ambimb at January 8, 2006 03:37 PM
I didn't walk for either my Undergrad or MA graduation ceremonies, but I will be for my law school one. The only real reason is that my parents live close enough to drive to it, so I'm going to go ahead and just walk. If they lived far away (as they did for the past two), I would likely finish up exams and then head home for a few days before I started bar review. As you well know, I feel much the same way about law school in general as you do. I'm happy to be going to my graduation, but I don't regret not going to my last two or think that I missed anything of particular importance.
Posted by: energy spatula at January 8, 2006 05:35 PM
I walked for high school and college. For college we didn't have a good speaker so it was hot and boring. Sometimes, life is hot and boring.
Posted by: Igots at January 8, 2006 05:53 PM
Do whatever makes you comfortable, but don't assume your family won't care or won't want to come, let them decide for themselves. On a personal note, the moment I walked across the stage and got hooded at my law school graduation was one of the most exhilerating moments of my entire life.
Posted by: TSCGirl at January 8, 2006 06:39 PM
i think it's worth going to. i bet your family would be proud to see you walk.
(and you should ask GW if the diploma will be in there. it might actually be.)
Posted by: monica at January 8, 2006 06:55 PM
I did not want to do my undergrad, and only did because my gf at the time wanted to... it was a joke.
But I'll probably do the law school, if only because 1) my parents will probably come, 2) I paid for it with my damn fees and tuition, 3) I like the idea of being hooded, and because my wife is a JD from the same school, she'll actually be able to hood me, which I think is kind of cool.
Now, I have a lot of complaints about the law school experience (and good experiences as well) but I do think not going to graduation isn't a very good way to voice those concerns...
Bottom line: if you don't want to go, don't... but you only get one shot. It's usually better to regret something you have done than something you haven't.
Posted by: Dave! at January 8, 2006 07:01 PM
You hit the nail on the head when you said some ceremonies are for other people, in this case it is for your parentsif they want it. GW law graduations sucks the big one. If not for our parents we wouldn't have gone. As usual, GW found a way to take something that ultimately sucks and make it infinitely worse. 2 years ago graduation was a week sooner, so the students actually had some time to relax between graduation and bar classes, but in an attempt to save time and money by joining the law school graduation with the general one, they've now delayed the graduation one week so it coincides with the undergrad ceremony. Law school students are given tickets a general ceremony at the ellipse where a thrilling speaker will talk about whatever (we had Andy Rooney) and then later there is the law school graduation. The latter is mostly a lot of hurry up and wait... in the scorching sun and humidity. The ceremony takes forever and features Professors you've never had talking. The student body president getting an award for being the most self-less student and someone you've never met getting the award for having the highest GPA. Next you'll have the speaker telling you to be a responsible lawyer, blah, blah, blah. Normally they tell you to help people even though they usually got to were they are by being a corporate lemming. We happened to have Harry Reid who ranted against the Republicans and although it was interesting, I was hungry and tired. Then you walk across the stage with 500 other people and it is endless. The whole time youare sitting in alphabetical order so you may not even have a bud to talk to. Afterward, there is a coctail party with food in Kogan plaza, where you get sweaty and your family gets tired and stressed about making it to the airport/dinner.
That being said, my parents were so proud that they didn't mind any of it. So I would do it all over for them.
If your parents aren't to into it, skip it. I know it will aggravate the crap out of you. Besides, you canjust have your own graduation with them the next time you are home.
Posted by: DL at January 8, 2006 07:06 PM
I'm not going. I don't actually have a great reason. It doesn't seem worth the money to get my family out here to see it, especially since A) We don't even get our diplomas B)I have almost 2 weeks before my final exam and graduation (and can not imagine hanging around for those weeks or worse, coming back for it) C) I can think of so many things I want to do before starting to study for the dreaded bar D) I'm in the 'it's just another ceremony' camp.
My family doesn't seem into it anyway so it works out nicely. I say if your family really wants to, then you should do it for them. If not, and you don't want to do it then hey, skip it. :-)
Posted by: DG at January 9, 2006 12:07 AM
But dude, if you don't go, who am I going to share my sarcastic comments about the ceremony with? On the other hand, you do have a good point about not putting out your family; mine live close enough to drive in for the day.
Posted by: josiah at January 9, 2006 07:56 AM
I walked for undergrad (big fat waste of time) and did not for my MFA. I do NOT regret it. I won't walk for my J.D. either. There are really just other things I'd rather spend my time & energy doing. It just seems silly after college anyway.
Posted by: AH-P at January 9, 2006 11:23 AM
Hey all -- thanks for all the great feedback!
DL and Josiah: You people need blogs! Also to Josiah, we couldn't share sarcastic comments anyway b/c, as DL pointed out, they're going to make us be all alphabetical.
Turns out I won't be going. Like me, my family isn't huge on pomp and circumstance, so they're going to be proud of the graduation accomplishment whether I'm sweating in a funny robe or hanging out in Red Lodge, Montana, listening to the music of the "crick" laughing by. As some of you said, if they were closer perhaps we'd do it, but it's going to work out much better for all of us to skip it. Maybe if I'm nice Josiah will take pics for me. ;-)
Posted by: ambimb at January 9, 2006 10:30 PM
I did not go to my undergraduate graduation ceremony, but I will probably go to the law school one. First, I paid so much money. Second, I know more people. Third, even though I love the subject-matter, the experience needs closure.
CL
accuracyblog.blogspot.com
Posted by: Chris Laurel at January 11, 2006 11:52 AM
Well, have fun not going. Just think of all you'll be missing, and be glad. I didn't go to my undergrad because I didn't want to sit through the whole list of names and my mother bribed me. What can I say, we're not ceremony people either.
Posted by: kmsqrd at January 12, 2006 01:54 PM
My family is big into ceremony. I realized how much so when they expected that I'd be attending my sister's MBA graduation. I'd kind of thought, "It was two years, they paid for it and I'm not exactly sure what she can do now that she couldn't do with her undergrad degrees," but I'm going even if it's not convenient to trek halfway across the country. I also give my parents the diplomas that they paid for, so to this point they have one from my crappy public high school and one from my decent public university. I might ask for those back, though, because I think it would be funny to frame the HS one alongside the JD.
Posted by: PG at January 19, 2006 01:09 AM
