Convocation @ UBC

It was a glorious and uplifting day last Thursday as I walked across UBC's Chan Centre stage for the 3rd time in 5 years. I may still look young but it seems that I no longer feel young since my levels of interest and enthusiasm are no where near those obtaining the B.Ed. or bachelor of any kind. I mean, I'm happy that I've completed my Masters and proud of myself to achieve such a milestone but c'mon...what am I suppose to anticipate for the 3rd time?

Mind you, probably because of constant increases to tuition, UBC seems to have invested a bit more into the gift tokens beyond the diploma. Alas! We now have a pin AND a UBC notepad. On a second thought, I think the institution is still leaning towards the thrifty side. You would know what I mean if you arrived at the refreshments tent 5 mins after the initial crowd. We couldn't even tell what the refreshments were because the plates were so bare. I'm not exaggerating. We were lucky to get some ice water and coffee. Doesn't that seem just a tad cheap considering how we each paid 5 digits of tuition for our 1 degree?

As for the gown itself, although the Masters cape symbolizes a higher achievement compared to the Bachelor one but it doesn't have a band of any colour...simply all black. How dull for my fashion sense? Of course the Doctorate one is uniquely different in both colour and style...but really...no fashionable gown is going to convince me to go for a PhD! Nonetheless, it's how we have to use a million pins to attempt to make the cape stay on evenly and stable that's the problem. Why can't they use velcro or buttons? Is this a designing flaw that they are again too cheap to invest and improve on?

All-in-all, graduating is a great event. Please don't let me deter you from paying the $40 gown rental for the whole memorable experience.