This ABD reflects on yet another graduation season
So yet another graduation season has come and gone. Yet more pomp and ceremony and "Dr." calling that has passed me by…
Last Friday was the commencement ceremony. Two of my friends graduated, one of which started the program at the same time I did. With each passing year, watching friends and acquaintances and strangers and total jerks graduate while I am still slumming ABD, my feelings about the ceremony and the whole PhD process seem to change. The ceremony itself seems to grow more and more like a meaningless show full of bogus pomp and circumstance marking the end of the long, frustrating, and bureaucratic freakshow we call grad school and yet at the same time, it strikes me as more meaningful, touching, and impressive. (I mean, those hoods and sash-y things!)
Friday night one of my graduating friends had a huge party, with margaritas and an entire mariachi band. It was fun but I kept wanting it to be my party. My party, damnit! This sucks. So, to prepare for my future party, I spent (at least) 10 minutes hunting down next fall’s academic calendar to look up the dissertation deadlines. I even wrote them on my calendar:
First dissertation deadline: October 12, 2007
Final dissertation deadline: November 9, 2007
These were the only deadlines available at this time. Needless to say 25 more bureaucratic, administrative, and dissertation formatting deadlines will crop up between now and then.
Last Friday was the commencement ceremony. Two of my friends graduated, one of which started the program at the same time I did. With each passing year, watching friends and acquaintances and strangers and total jerks graduate while I am still slumming ABD, my feelings about the ceremony and the whole PhD process seem to change. The ceremony itself seems to grow more and more like a meaningless show full of bogus pomp and circumstance marking the end of the long, frustrating, and bureaucratic freakshow we call grad school and yet at the same time, it strikes me as more meaningful, touching, and impressive. (I mean, those hoods and sash-y things!)
Friday night one of my graduating friends had a huge party, with margaritas and an entire mariachi band. It was fun but I kept wanting it to be my party. My party, damnit! This sucks. So, to prepare for my future party, I spent (at least) 10 minutes hunting down next fall’s academic calendar to look up the dissertation deadlines. I even wrote them on my calendar:
First dissertation deadline: October 12, 2007
Final dissertation deadline: November 9, 2007
These were the only deadlines available at this time. Needless to say 25 more bureaucratic, administrative, and dissertation formatting deadlines will crop up between now and then.
Labels: dissertation, graduate school, graduation
posted by Julep at 2:15 PM
3 Comments:
It CAN be your party! You are soooo close! Do it! I'll be the grandest peacemother on earth! 2008 is a good year. It's my 50th high school reunion. A doctor in the family then would be sooo cool. Do it!
Seriously, have a party! You've survived one more year! Do you know how many people gave up this year? Do you know how many people don't know when the submission deadlines are because if they looked they might throw up or have to be committed or something?
I totally know what you're saying, though. Sometimes it's like you can taste it, but you're not allowed to swallow and you just feel like you're choking on the desire to be done.
It's all by inches, though, and now it's inches closer. You're imagining an end. That's a triumph in and of itself, so celebrate!
Thanks, as crazy as it seems, actually imagining an end to this is a step in the right direction for me. Thinking of a future time in which I am not ruled by the dissertation........ wow.
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