Comments on Heidelbergerin: Commencement

Hah I'm glad to get a better insight into graduati...

2009-06-26T22:42:59.937+02:00

Hah I'm glad to get a better insight into graduations over here. My friend just gradated from college in the Netherlands, and I think the story from this post perfectly compliments the photos I saw of her ceremony.

Also, I just graduated from OU a couple weeks ago and it was completely anti climactic and kind of sad. I wanted to go out with people afterward for dinner but the lady planning it backed out. I still have yet to celebrate! Now I'm using it as an excuse to go out to dinner every time I don't want to cook :)

Michael: So the robes smell funny? ;) Kato: This ...

2009-06-25T23:19:22.592+02:00

Michael: So the robes smell funny? ;)

Kato: This guy was definitely a prof - maybe none of the student projects were good enough this year ;)

If you don't know what demetia has to do with high...

2009-06-22T18:34:04.732+02:00

If you don't know what demetia has to do with higher education, then you may not remember college very well. ;P

(Sorry, I just couldn't resist...)

Abi graduation: Usually a very similar affair to t...

2009-06-21T16:22:51.596+02:00

Abi graduation: Usually a very similar affair to the one described. Just without the pretzels. Usually has most graduates present (some ditch the affair, which can be ... awkward when they're called up) plus families and a couple invited alumni.
The binge drinking in matching shirts happens a couple weeks before that mere formality btw, in Heidelberg the abi graduation ceremonies are always June 30th (because that's the last day the school insurance will still cover the graduates as students).

As for the speeches - at least at HD Uni it's common in most departments that they'll select a few "outstanding" theses of the graduates and will force them to present it. I think the last time i attended one i fell asleep halfway through the second presentation on uh... something about the EM spectrum of pulsar stars i think.

We went to Haut-Koenigsbourg last summer. Stunnin...

2009-06-21T14:01:44.394+02:00

We went to Haut-Koenigsbourg last summer. Stunning place, beautifully restored at the turn of the century, but the day we were there it was so very crowded inside and out, it was hard to enjoy it fully. It's too bad they don't somehow require cars to park far away, and limit the number of people crawling around there at any one time, either by bussing them up or building a small chairlift. It was a zoo.

Damon's response: We actually did have a universi...

2009-06-21T13:31:12.878+02:00

Damon's response:

We actually did have a university-wide commencement with Pomp and Circumstance and a famous speaker and all that, but since it was a huge university (the basketball gymnasium of our Big 12 school was the only location large enough to seat everyone) they didn't call out all the names of the graduates or hand you your degree in person. So, I opted for the smaller College of Agriculture commencement so that the family and friends who had traveled hours and hours to Ames, IA wouldn't have to suffer through such a ceremony. CN probably just forgot this fact as it only existed in theory to her at some point nine years ago. I don't know if there were bagpipes.

>We can only guess at why students >would want to ...

2009-06-21T11:19:14.587+02:00

>We can only guess at why students
>would want to get rid of academic
>dress/ritual - to quit the
>pretense?

It is a leftover from Germany’s 1968 student rebellion.

During the installation of the new rector at Hamburg’s university, students unfurl a banner with the slogan: “Unter den Talaren - Muff von 1000 Jahren” (”Underneath the professors' gowns lurks the musty smells of a thousend years”) which becomes iconic for Germany’s 1968 student rebellion.

More under http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unter_den_Talaren_%E2%80%93_Muff_von_1000_Jahren

MIHH: They run out into the streets, drinking, scr...

2009-06-21T11:09:39.123+02:00

MIHH: They run out into the streets, drinking, screaming, and blowing whistles while wearing matching t-shirts. ;) I don't know about ceremonies though!

Jen: Maybe not? I got that impression but I'm not sure why. Your sister's college is also private, right? Like I said, I did like them. And liked hearing them practice outside Woodward (RIP). ;)

Are bagpipes pretentious? They had them at my sist...

2009-06-21T09:11:41.637+02:00

Are bagpipes pretentious? They had them at my sister's graduation this month as well (small college in MA). Still, the fact that we have enough bagpipe-playing alumni to constitute a band pretty much rocks.

How...unusual. I wonder what they do for the abi ...

2009-06-21T05:17:16.520+02:00

How...unusual. I wonder what they do for the abi graduations?
My undergrad commencement was almost identical to yours! Bagpipes too! Oh, and our "speaker" was the President of the U too. He was retiring that year and decided to do the speech to talk about how much better the college was since he took over and how the incoming president shouldn't screw it up. What an ass.