I've been working on my degree for the last two years. On the first day of orientation, our class was walked around the auditorium as a representative from the Graduate Studies program gave us a visual of what graduation is like---from the "hood", to the cheering professors on the staircase, to the lining up and the march into the auditorium, where our friends and family would be watching our big event. We were told "just imagine this day, and it will get you through 2.5 years to your December 2008 graduation." And trust me, sometimes it's only the idea of wearing the hood that keeps you from tossing it all in.

Today, we received in the mail a letter from the new program head. Turns out that our last day of class is December 16, and there needs to be a 10-day allowance for grades. We can't walk in graduation unless all our credits are accounted for rather than make them up later like other institutions would allow. Therefore, we can't graduate in December like planned, but that our official graduation date is May 23, which by the by, is Memorial Day weekend. Furthermore, walking in commencement is a graduation requirement!!! What????? In other words, we can't officially say we have the degree for six months, when we actually do.  Another girl took a job in England in January because she thought she'd be done with the program; she gets an exemption in walking in commencement, but she really wants to walk!

As a result, our class is putting our heads together and are trying to come up with a way to honor the college's guidelines, yet we can graduate on time. It probably means cutting out breaks, but that's fine with me! I hope it flies.