There was one thread, but it was four years old. There are a bunch of graduation threads, but most are about tickets. I want to know how long the big ceremony is gonna take. I'm just kinda curious if we're going to be rushed from the end of the main ceremony to the beginning of the departmental one at 1:30 PM. I'd like to partake in lunch, but if its gonna be a clusterfuck and then we're not gonna have enough time, well, then I think I may have to eat a big breakfast

Two hours? Three hours?

Post your experience.

4/19/2009 3:58:36 PM

Ugh, why bother going to the big one? You're just going to hear a ton of names you don't care about. I couldn't stand sitting through my departmental one... But good luck with that... Oh yea.. I would expect that graduation to last about 3-4 hours...

4/19/2009 4:05:16 PM

you get there at like 8:30 and leave at like 10:30 or so iirc

4/19/2009 4:40:52 PM

I don't remember exactly how long it was but there wasn't much time left between so my family had to eat at Wendy's with the million other people there. I would suggest skipping the big one, too much hassle.

4/19/2009 5:22:56 PM

Ok, so we got a vote for 3-4 hours, and another that for 2. What names are going to be called - I know not undergraduates (I thought it was gonna be a "all seniors from this college, stand!).

My departmental graduation will be short, short, short. I have eight people graduating with my major - my guess is that there will be less than 100 people graduating from the college as a whole.

I'm gonna go, I mean, why the hell not? I know lots of people personally in my college, I'll be sitting with them... Yes, it will be long, but you know, I've sat through much boring things that lasted four hours.

4/19/2009 5:32:54 PM

Quote :

"my guess is that there will be less than 100 people graduating from the college as a whole."

Ha ha I believe there were about that many in my major. CALS for sure will have more than 100. We are talking about a college graduation, not highschool...

But I think you're very supportive for going. I wanted to go to some of my friends' graduation but I decided it probably be better to go to their departmental... Also most of my friends graduated in my department

4/19/2009 7:23:53 PM

may 2007.

took fucking forever. depends a lot on the commencement speaker. ours had a 50 minute speech that could have used some serious editing. if yours goes that route, you can forget about lunch.

4/19/2009 9:08:46 PM

going to the big one is dumb

4/19/2009 9:16:29 PM

I just went to my department graduation. Probably the best decision I made that day

4/19/2009 9:31:44 PM

there really is no point in going to the big ceremony, unless you are being called out for something specific (and not just as a group of people)

4/19/2009 11:18:33 PM

The one time I went to big one you only get recognition if you got your doctorate from the vet school, got your masters, or PhD iirc. Everyone else just files into the seats, sits there in the heat for a couple hours, and files back out.


[Edited on April 20, 2009 at 2:46 AM. Reason : .]

4/20/2009 2:40:03 AM

Yeah, screw the big one, go to your departmental one unless you want your parents to take pictures of a massive crowd with no way to tell which one is you. The departmental ceremony is quicker, more intimate, more receptive to photography (that is, should be easier to get a good photograph), and you tend to walk out of that one with a degree.

It's also better to just hit the short one if you have any children at all showing up for this event.

4/20/2009 2:44:27 AM

^^^ agree

4/20/2009 5:21:35 AM

CALS was long enough, skip the big one.

4/20/2009 6:05:09 AM

yeh, if your in cals, it will be long enough. my sister's was about an hour and 15 minutes for a total of like 30 people.

however, my graduate, 100+ was like 30 minutes. ccee ftmfw

4/20/2009 8:16:15 AM

I did not inform my parents that there was anything other than the departmental graduation. This is the advantage of being the oldest of my generation.

My sister followed suit (actually, she didn't even bother going to any of them, but caught a lot of shit from the rents).

Then when my cousin graduated from UNC, my parents were all like, how come NCSU doesn't have a "big" graduation like UNC?

4/20/2009 9:06:14 AM

lol

[Edited on April 20, 2009 at 9:55 AM. Reason : my dad gave me $100 for not going to the big ceremony ]

4/20/2009 9:55:14 AM

Well, I'm not in CALS. Don't know where that came from. And yes, there are less than 100 people graduating in my college. If I look at the registrar, and see how many people are in my academic program (textiles), there are 294. That's so sad...hehe.

My parents can go, or not go. I told them I don't care. I'd like to go, cause what the hell else am I gonna do? I know personally around 50% of the people I'm graduating with. I'd rather go and not get bitched out by my Dean, who told me I better come cause he doesn't want to stand up alone when they call out the College of Textiles. My family is definitely going to the departmental, cause there will be photos (and a free DVD provided of the ceremony). No children to think about at all.

4/20/2009 10:49:25 AM

our main grad (2002) was at the rbc center and we (students, on the floor) couldnt even hear what they were saying over the pa system.

deparmental was better

for my masters, i didnt go to either of them, if that says anything.

4/20/2009 11:50:01 AM

Don't go to the big ceremony, you and your family will hate themselves.

4/20/2009 12:11:39 PM

I enjoyed the big ceremony. It wasn't that long. We had time to drive to Cary, eat lunch at Ruby Tuesday, and get back in time for the 1:30 departmental ceremony. I think you should go to the big one. Of course, I did get the priviledge of having Bill Cowher speak at ours in December! You won't be rushed, there will be time for lunch, and I do recommend making reservations wherever you want to eat.

4/20/2009 3:04:36 PM

Big ceremony in December definitely not the same as the big ceremony in May.

4/20/2009 5:08:52 PM

I know someone already mentioned who gets called out, etc.... but I heard masters people DON'T get their named called...instead it is only doctoral candidates....

anyone know if that's true?

4/20/2009 9:03:15 PM

^that's true. a masters aint shit.

4/20/2009 9:15:17 PM