Did you "walk" when you graduated?
From High School or a College? I went through 5th grade then home schooled then a little college now I'm back in college and almost done with my AA YA! right. Well with being "done" comes the graduation walk!! ! I BARELY FUNCTION STANDING UP GIVING A 2-3 MIN. SPEECH! How was "walking" for you guys? Fellow Aspies? Did you wait until they called your last name? bored to death sitting among others in gowns/caps? Take an Ipod? Sit through in my case C's (ME) until Z's? Listen to boring! "valid victorian" honor roll students that are put on some DAMN PEDESTAL!! !! Whom are better than you! AHHHHH!! !! ! Plus the last name Chandler is out there more than my family so what if I don't hear the name "Brandy" and go up wrong OR as a clumsy Aspie TRIP AND FALL!! !! !! PLEASE HELP ME!
Bloom
Deinonychus

Joined: 15 Mar 2012
Gender: Female
Posts: 332
Location: On the OTHER Wrong Planet. The nicer one...
HA!
I walked for my BSs, but that was it. I had NO idea who the funky dude was standing at the podium, and I had no interest in shaking his hand. I walked, looked goofy as hell, grabbed my fake diploma from him, and waddled off very proud of myself. My department chair (who knew about my AS) walked up, shook my hand, I hugged him, and spun me around, walked me back to the funky dude, politely informed me he was the president of the university, and said, "Oh, hey", and walked away again.
The chair grabbed my robe, spun me around again, and told me to shake his hand and get my photo taken. I told him I had no interest in shaking any else's hand, nor having my photo taken. The president then informed me that "everyone wants their photo taken to remember the event" - and reached for my hand. I pulled away, let him know I wasn't everyone, and hugged the chair again, and sauntered off just happy as could be!
Mind, this was all on stage! Looking back I'm pretty embarrassed... at the time I was completely oblivious.
I chose not to walk for my next few degrees. When my board asked me why I wasn't going to walk / appear for the ceremony for the last degree I told them I didn't want to be forced to shake anyone's hand.
I still have no interest in shaking your hand just because it's "proper"! I need more...
HA!
As for what to take? The whole thing is terribly boring - and it does look like a popularity contest. All the "jocks" (girls included) get the big standing ovations. The geeks, like me, get "polite claps" - or in my case, laughs. I really, REALLY can't take the crowds and the noise, so I took my iphone with a selection of music that stimulated the appropriate tactile sensation to counter the ongoing ruckus.
Also, most graduations happen in the summer or winter. Often during the sun's highest peaks (between 1100-1400). Most robes are dark, and there's the cap. The robe is heavy... heavy black robe over your normal clothes, in the heat, outside, under the sun, for at *least* two hours, while deep inside a noisy crowd.
Hell yeah I only went once.
I walked for my BSs, but that was it. I had NO idea who the funky dude was standing at the podium, and I had no interest in shaking his hand. I walked, looked goofy as hell, grabbed my fake diploma from him, and waddled off very proud of myself. My department chair (who knew about my AS) walked up, shook my hand, I hugged him, and spun me around, walked me back to the funky dude, politely informed me he was the president of the university, and said, "Oh, hey", and walked away again.
The chair grabbed my robe, spun me around again, and told me to shake his hand and get my photo taken. I told him I had no interest in shaking any else's hand, nor having my photo taken. The president then informed me that "everyone wants their photo taken to remember the event" - and reached for my hand. I pulled away, let him know I wasn't everyone, and hugged the chair again, and sauntered off just happy as could be!
Mind, this was all on stage! Looking back I'm pretty embarrassed... at the time I was completely oblivious.
I chose not to walk for my next few degrees. When my board asked me why I wasn't going to walk / appear for the ceremony for the last degree I told them I didn't want to be forced to shake anyone's hand.
I still have no interest in shaking your hand just because it's "proper"! I need more...

HA!
As for what to take? The whole thing is terribly boring - and it does look like a popularity contest. All the "jocks" (girls included) get the big standing ovations. The geeks, like me, get "polite claps" - or in my case, laughs. I really, REALLY can't take the crowds and the noise, so I took my iphone with a selection of music that stimulated the appropriate tactile sensation to counter the ongoing ruckus.
Also, most graduations happen in the summer or winter. Often during the sun's highest peaks (between 1100-1400). Most robes are dark, and there's the cap. The robe is heavy... heavy black robe over your normal clothes, in the heat, outside, under the sun, for at *least* two hours, while deep inside a noisy crowd.
Hell yeah I only went once.

OMG! UH! I live in Florida! and it's already tipped 80's feeling like 90's to me! a big thick robe! PLUS my regular clothes IMO No thanks!

No I did not walk. It's just an overhyped ceremony to me. I don't know if it's the same for all colleges but at the ceremony for my college you didn't even get the real diploma. Just a blank piece of paper because it takes about 4 months for the actual diploma to process.
My family was upset they missed the ceremony, but meh. They're not the ones who have to worry about vomiting on stage from fright.
I walked for my high school diploma however, and I pretty much ran across the stage like a maniac. (Okay, just walked very, very fast.) Did not enjoy it at all.
Last edited by JesseCat on 30 Mar 2012, 2:29 am, edited 1 time in total.
I had to do my 8th grade graduation. Instead of robes the girls had to wear really fancy dresses that were sort of like brides maid dresses, and also wear a corsage, either on the breast or on the wrist. I have never been a dress person, and hadn't worn one in many years, except for a very few special occasions, and I had never worn a really fancy dress or corsage. That sort of thing is just not me. I also don't like being out in public or on stage. Unfortunately, my parents would have gone ballistic if I had not gone through with the d*** event. I did try to get them to not force me through it, but no go. I am also not a "take my pix" person. However, even that far in advance, I figured that if I went through the 8th grade ceremony and pix taking, I would be able to get away with refusing the high school one. So for high school, I did dig in my heels and refuse that one. My folks weren't thrilled, but they knew how much I hated being out in public and on stage, and they remembered that I had at least done the 8th grade one. Besides that one had the fancy dress--which I never wore again. The high school graduation had the traditional gowns. I did go to school a few days later to pick up my diploma at the office. Either the principal or vice principal came out to give it to me and shake my hand. The whole thing was silly. I never went to any higher ed places after that, but if I had, I would not have attended the grad ceremony.
After graduation I wore a skirt one more time to attend a family wedding. One of my widowed great aunt's was getting married again to a widower. I happened to like her so I was willing to go to her wedding, and had a skirt that I would on rare occasions wear to church. It was a hand-me-down from my sister, but it was decent enough, as I was not one of the main wedding party participants. My great aunt was old then, but managed to outlive her second husband by a good number of years. I'm sorry she's gone, though, and I was able to attend her funeral. I have never been really close to anyone, but there have been some people I did like, and she was one of them. I also liked her first husband, but never really warmed up to the second one.
I don't think people who don't like being on stage should be forced into it. There are plenty of both male and female drama queens who like it fine. Let them have the limelight.
_________________
If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer.
Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured, or far away.--Henry David Thoreau
CockneyRebel
Veteran

Joined: 17 Jul 2004
Age: 50
Gender: Male
Posts: 118,454
Location: In my little Olympic World of peace and love
Nope, I skipped my college graduation. I went to a big state school with literally thousands in my graduating class and felt NO desire to sit through such a long ceremony, nor pay the money for a cap and gown that I would only wear one time. They sent me my diploma in the mail and that was just fine with me.
I walked in high school. I didn't have a problem with it because I was just happy that I finally finished! Plus it didn't hurt that my graduation was inside in the air conditioning and my class was really small. I'll probably walk when I finish college because I'll be so proud of graduating!