Pomp and... Pomp
I promised a round-up for graduation, but really, I'm not feeling terribly moved to write about it. It was last Thursday, which already feels like a lifetime ago.
I was amazed at how many people came out to see the ceremony--family flew in from as far away as Australia. I never thought graduating from grad school was such a big deal; the reward was the work done, not the piece of paper. I didn't bother walking in my grad-school ceremony nor has anyone in my family. But then, this isn't any old school graduation. This is Hah-vahd B-school.
We skipped the big event in Hah-vahd Yahd because it was huge and there was nothing we'd be able to see. I didn't think Doodles would have the patience for it. But we met up with Adam and his family in time for the luncheon. What was HBS thinking? 894 students. And their families. And the luncheon is in a huge tent in which they've set up tables and put out covered plates of food at each place. We're walking on wet grass with the stroller searching for five empty places at a table. Hell, we would have taken just five meals that we could have snagged to take outside to sustain ourselves for the tedium--um, I mean thrill--of the graduation ceremony. It was a moronic set-up, only to be compounded by the fact that when we did find five seats, the meals were highly mediocre.
Then there was graduation itself. What a chaotic event. When you have 894 graduates, the procession tends to take a while. The audience was enthusiastic in the beginning but as the afternoon droned on, people would suddenly give a cheer when their grad crossed the stage, and then they'd vamoose. By the time poor Section J crossed, the place was deserted. Thank goodness Adam was in Section A--first across the stage, which was only important because Adam walked with Doodles, and by the time Section B made it to stage, Doodles was fast asleep in his stroller. As a bonus, Adam got singled out for a mention in the Dean's speech.
What can I say about the past two years that I haven't said already? Adam really enjoyed it and it wasn't a horrible experience for me. I made some good friends and I got to poke fun at people who deserved a bit of fun poked at them. I'm sure I'll come up with more as I have more time to reflect on it, but for now, I have no regrets about coming out here and being a "partner," but on the other hand, I'm glad it's over.
I was amazed at how many people came out to see the ceremony--family flew in from as far away as Australia. I never thought graduating from grad school was such a big deal; the reward was the work done, not the piece of paper. I didn't bother walking in my grad-school ceremony nor has anyone in my family. But then, this isn't any old school graduation. This is Hah-vahd B-school.
We skipped the big event in Hah-vahd Yahd because it was huge and there was nothing we'd be able to see. I didn't think Doodles would have the patience for it. But we met up with Adam and his family in time for the luncheon. What was HBS thinking? 894 students. And their families. And the luncheon is in a huge tent in which they've set up tables and put out covered plates of food at each place. We're walking on wet grass with the stroller searching for five empty places at a table. Hell, we would have taken just five meals that we could have snagged to take outside to sustain ourselves for the tedium--um, I mean thrill--of the graduation ceremony. It was a moronic set-up, only to be compounded by the fact that when we did find five seats, the meals were highly mediocre.
Then there was graduation itself. What a chaotic event. When you have 894 graduates, the procession tends to take a while. The audience was enthusiastic in the beginning but as the afternoon droned on, people would suddenly give a cheer when their grad crossed the stage, and then they'd vamoose. By the time poor Section J crossed, the place was deserted. Thank goodness Adam was in Section A--first across the stage, which was only important because Adam walked with Doodles, and by the time Section B made it to stage, Doodles was fast asleep in his stroller. As a bonus, Adam got singled out for a mention in the Dean's speech.
What can I say about the past two years that I haven't said already? Adam really enjoyed it and it wasn't a horrible experience for me. I made some good friends and I got to poke fun at people who deserved a bit of fun poked at them. I'm sure I'll come up with more as I have more time to reflect on it, but for now, I have no regrets about coming out here and being a "partner," but on the other hand, I'm glad it's over.
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