#AtoZChallenge : Graduation
When I look back and think about the one moment in my 20s that I has been the happiest, it has to be my graduation! Trust me looking at the proud smiles on your parents faces is the best feeling in the world. When I think about my graduation, I can’t believe that college life is over. I know I can still pursue my masters and that would be college life again but undergrad life is in a league of its own.
College has been such a wonderful journey. From the excitement on that first day of college to throwing the graduation caps up in the air in celebration, it has given me a bagful of memories- mostly good, but some bad.
The struggles were numerous. The 8 am classes were a pain to attend. If there was a completely theoretical class in the afternoon, then it was bound to be a struggle to keep your eyes open! The never ending assignments gave a headache but we never worried about it until the last day. We belonged to a tribe procrastinators. Be it exams or assignments they were never to be touched until the last day. Lab sessions were dreaded more for the viva voce rather than actually conducting the experiments.
But yes we did work it all out together. Group studies were the norm. The topper’s notes or the notes of the person with the neatest handwriting in class were photocopied! There would always be that one friend who would teach you everything that you were supposed to know for the exam in a matter of a few minutes (A lot of times yours truly was that friend). Assignments were dealt with in groups. Boring classes were bunked in masses. We were all in it together!
Endless conversations over a cup of tea and some snacks from the college canteen were an everyday ritual that we could never miss. There were stories to be shared, gossip to be discussed and there was news to be updated about. There was always some event or the other happening in the college campus. If participating in it wasn’t our cup of tea, then we were all out there cheering the ones who did. The college fest was the one thing that we waited for the most throughout the year! Participating, winning trophies and being a loyal supporter of ones department was something that we couldn’t stop doing. And in the midst of all this madness, there were love stories some of which blossomed and others which didn’t go that well.
The nights before the exams and project presentations were definitely sleepless ones. Examinations meant an endless doubt clearing session in person, over a phone or over endless Whatsapp messages! When it came to project preparations, then there was always something that went wrong at the last moment. An LED or a battery that wouldn’t work, a semicolon that went missing at the last moment, or a slightly messed up calculation that spelt disaster! Something had to go wrong!
Then arrived the final year, sooner than we expected. It wasn’t enough to brush our technical skills, there were soft skills also to be developed. After endless trips to the placement and never ending rounds of interviews, we had job offers! It was then that we realized that it was the beginning of the end! In just a matter of a few more months, it would all be over. We’d all be in different places.
We’d laughed together and cried together. While we were beaming with joy on accomplishing something in our lives on our graduation, we cried silent tears thinking about the fact that it had all come to an end!
And that’s where we are now- in different places, doing different things! How I miss my college days!
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VTFu-7TLBK8&w=600&h=360 ]
I’m participating in the #AtoZChallenge . I’ll be writing about the Life and Times of Twenty something throughout April.
Graduation is a heady feeling! Finally freedom from studies and welcome big bad world
I relived my college days through your post. There was a smile on my face as memories came flooding back
Greiving
Ah! College days are some of the best, most carefree days, aren’t they? This post brought back so many fun memories!
I took my degree in absentia – such big regrets but glad you were on such a high.
Graduation was the happiness of being grown up as well as the sadness of having to grow up!
You brought back some fond memories. Awesome post, Reema 🙂
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Graduation has that special feeling for all of us and reading you in your twenties is extremely relatable buddy
Your post got back many wonderful memories of college days. Lovely post.
Oh I love love love that song. What a lovely one and your post is perfect for that feeling. Btw – yours truly was also teaching folks around on those last minute deals in those days 🙂 Gosh, such a long time back 😉
I too remember that period fondly… college years, the fun and the tension, finally passing and yes, the graduation ceremony where we were the stars of a program with the whole world watching 🙂 Well, our whole world anyway.
Like the others who have commented here, I too miss it. I really wish I were there again…
Godyears.net
With that post you brought back a flood of memories. The exams times were always stressful, making color coded notes, photocopying old question papers, drinking tea in gallons … I miss those days 😀
So well done. You really captured a stage of life that I also remember with happiness. Thank you.
These are memories for life. College days are nostalgia in the purest form for me. I’m glad you enjoyed them too.
Till date, I regret joining my engineering college because they don’t conduct graduation ceremony!! All those 4 years of effort and you can’t get even that much? Such a waste!
Great Indian Sale
I was just on college tours with my youngest this weekend. I am so excited that she is about to embark on this next adventure. The college years are a special time. WeekendsInMaine
My undergrad was a bit underwhelming I must admit in terms of graduation — I think because we didn’t really attend a ceremony, it didn’t mean as much. However, when I finished my Masters, that felt awesome after 2 years of super-hard work and juggling working while studying was great. 🙂
Ghazal – Love
I missed my graduation day! And believe me, this is one thing I regret so much in life. We had a morning flight and due to fog it got cancelled! 🙁 I came back home empty hands!
Whenever, I look someone’s graduating picture in the family, something literally pricks my heart 🙁
Glad to know, you were able to attend your golden day!
Cheers
BoisterousBee
Loved how well you’ve described this. College wasn’t the best period of my life, which is why posts such as these warm me up, the kind of college life everyone should enjoy 🙂
I have very fond memories of My Graduation Days from college and university! It was such fun.