GRADUATION

Graduation was a funny old day.

The day was slightly bittersweet in some respects as I realised I was seeing some people I had spent three years studying with for the last time. As cliched as it sounds, the day very much marked the end of an era. It was however, a lovely day. The weather the perfect and I had my friends and family with me. My dad spent the day crying pretty much from the moment I got pinned into my gown, my nana spent each available second snapping terrible photos of me every time I moved, my mum was on hand with plasters for my bleeding feet (damn you new shoes), my strange extended family of honorary aunts and uncles made it over for lunch in the afternoon, and my oldest and best friend Kate limped her way back from Croatia a walking (well hobbling) example of the dangers of dancing on tables.

The ceremony itself was much more enjoyable that I'd expected. I was anticipating lengthy dull speech, followed by lengthy dull speech, followed by falling over on stage.  Fortunately, the walking across stage, shaking hands and not falling down the stairs part happened first, which meant I could enjoy the rest of the ceremony stress free. Plus the lengthy dull speeches weren't really that lengthy or that dull. 

The alphabetically seating meant I found myself sat next to Jai which made the whole experience much more enjoyable as it is a fact that formal ceremonies are so much more fun if there is someone willing to laugh at the ridiculous formalities with you (I'm talking everyone doffing their caps at each other every five minutes, just why? Why is that a thing?). Towards the end of the ceremony the Vice Chancellor made us all stand up and pronounced us GRADUATES in what felt like some strange mass religious blessing. Much enthusiastic and polite clapping ensued and Jai and I high-fived because as everyone knows that is the correct way to respond to having your student status forcibly removed from you whilst you're dressed like you go to Hogwarts. 

Then all that was left to do was process through a guard of academic staff, be handed an University of Huddersfield Alumni key-ring which we can use to "hold the key to our future success" (deep Huddersfield, deep) and finally abuse the free prosecco in the SU.

As an added bonus I got to graduate in the same ceremony as two of my best friends, Nicola and Megan. Nicola and I exchanged Facebook messages before we started uni in a desperate attempt not to arrive on the first day not knowing anyone, met properly for the first time when I drunkenly launched myself at her across a stereo-typically sticky dance floor in Freshers week, and have pretty much been stuck with each other ever since. Megan and I were both newbies in second year Creative Writing and as all newbies do, we stuck together. For the last two years she has been my writing and seminar skiving buddy and has proved herself as useless at finding lecture rooms as me, so she's definitely a keeper.

Over the course of the last week or so the rest of my lovely housemates have had their turn to prance about in wizard robes and between us we’ve managed to graduate with three 1:1 and three 2:1 in; English with Creative Writing, History and English, Photography, Human Biology, and Criminology. For a bunch of girls who (among other dubious deeds) have managed to break doors and be chased by security guards, fall off the edge of curbs and sustain serious injuries, be carried unconscious out of nightclubs by bouncers, get tattoos with the name of their university spelt wrong, have to ask how many quarters there are in a basketball game, and don’t know what the British Isles are, I think that’s pretty damn impressive. 

In all serious (and with a level of soppy affection and sincerity that I find most unnatural) they really are the best group of friends I could ask for and I love them all to bits. I am so incredibly proud of them all and can’t wait to see what they do with the rest of their lives because I’m sure they will continue to make me feel like a proud parent for many years to come.

Right, that’s enough of that soppy bollocks.