[MSc] Graduation

[dancefloorlandmine]

Given that I'm graduating a year late, due to Project Cock-Up, should I bother going to the graduation ceremony? I suspect most of my classmates who graduated will have done so last year, so I'll be with the following year's class. In addition, I need to pay for clown robes and so on. cookwitch has expressed an interest in attending, if I do, and valkyriekaren is pretty sure that she has meetings that afternoon (20th March). Anyone else want to see me trip up on the top step and headbut whoever's doing the presentation in the groin (a traditional part of the graduation ceremony)?

How many MSc CompScis need to resubmit their project, on average?

And how come Computer Science is a Social Science? Surely, as valkyriekaren says, it's an antisocial science?

[Poll #924644]

Comments

[makyo.livejournal.com]

Well, it's entirely up to you whether you go or not. Personally, I think graduation ceremonies are nice occasions, but if you really think it's going to be a pointless waste of time then nobody's forcing you to go.

I've seen a lot of graduation ceremonies over the years, and I keep noticing that while a lot of students say "well, I wasn't going to go but my parents want me to" on the actual day, they're generally the ones grinning and swanning around in their gowns and mortarboards, while their proud parents subtly look at their watches and wonder if they'll manage to avoid the rush-hour traffic on the journey home.

Abi wasn't going to go to her MA graduation, not least because as a part-time remote MA by research, she didn't know anyone else who was going to be there. But her parents and I gently encouraged her to go, and she really enjoyed it.

One of my students last year said "I'm going, because if I don't go then I'll regret it at some point. Whereas if I do go, even if it's a bit boring, I'm unlikely to regret it anywhere near as much" which I thought was a valid point.

I can't remember what university this is - if you tell me, I'll look up the robes in one of my books, and tell you what they look like.

[makyo.livejournal.com]

OK, Birkbeck is part of the University of London, yes? In which case, the MSc gown is a standard black masters' gown (with closed 'tudor' sleeves) and the hood is black, 'full shape' (ie with a squarish cape attached to the cowl) lined with yellow-gold silk. In fact, the Burgon Society have one in their archive - here's a picture.

[d-floorlandmine.livejournal.com]

Aha. OK, fairly decent! Ta!

[makyo.livejournal.com]

Yeah, they certainly look a bit smarter than the rather underwhelming grey polyester that York uses...

[blue-condition.livejournal.com]

True, I've worn better than that when having my hair cut - then again I do occasionally get my hair cut ;)