Three Graduations and a Funeral

I have a confession to make… I have never really graduated. That is I have never attended a tertiary level graduation.

I was supposed to graduate from my undergraduate degree in the summer of 1998. But days from graduation I found out that I still needed 3 units. Like any diligent student I went to the College Secretary’s office at the start of the second sem of my senior year, to check my status and I was assured that I was all set to graduate. But because of some mix up with my records due to the change in curriculum with our department I somehow missed 3 units. It would have been ok if I missed a major subject or something really important, but instead I lacked 3 units of free electives. The worst part was I was only told of this problem about 3 weeks after the summer classes had already started so I had to take that 3 units of free elective on the 1^st sem of the next school year. An uncle of mine had also died, and on the day I was supposed to graduate I instead attended a funeral. Faith it seems has a sick sense of humor. I ended up taking a class on photography from the College of Mass Communication. I spent a sem going around with an old SLR camera taking pictures and generally just bumming around.

In paper I graduated in October of 1998. But in order to please my parents I attended the College recognition rites in the summer of 1999. But as the dean said; only the UP President could actually declare us as graduates, thus the need to attend the University Commencement Exercises. Again I opted not to attend. This time it was because Erap, the then recently elected and now deposed President of the Philippines, was the guest of honor and speaker. I’d much rather spend my time doing something really boring or worthless than listen to that guy.

Fast forward to 2005. I have completed the requirements for graduation and was supposed to graduate along with 4,000 other students of UP Diliman, yesterday. I have already completed the required 21 units and was supposed to graduate with a post-graduate diploma in Industrial Relations. But since I still need 12 more units and to pass a comprehensive exam in order to get a Masters degree, it really doesn’t feel like I am actually graduating. This time I spent my time drinking with officemates, sleeping, and watching a movie on dvd.

Maybe next time…