I am trying to gather evidence to support my side of an argument that me and my girlfriend recently had. She will be graduating this month from the UT Health Science Center in San Antonio. Their date is set for the 25th of May. However, she is taking her last final on Tuesday the 14th. I asked her why there was so much time in between Finals and graduation. She says that they have to grade the test and make sure everyone passed everything. Thats fine. I got no problem with checking your potential graduates. However, when I graduated from college (2000) I had a final the day before my ceremony. So technically I didn't know if I passed the course since my final hadn't been graded yet. But then she rips my school because we took our finals and had graduation the same week. WTF!! I argued that most schools have their ceremony right after finals are over. So if you screw up on a final, then you have to come back and take that class over. That sucks, but thats just the rules. Which way does/did your school handle the graduation ceremony? Did you take your finals and graduate that same weekend, or did you already know your grades once you walked? If you are a current student how does your school handle their graduation? I need some good evidence to come back at her tonight.
Well, I didn't have a final my last semester at SWT, but if I remember correctly, it was more like your experience. RM95's Girl had a final the morning before she graduated from law school last week...she still doesn't know if she really graduated!
At A&M, if you are a potentially graduating senior, the professor MUST have your grade in by Friday of the same week as the last final. So, you DO know your grades before your ceremony, but it is still during the same week as your last final.
Here at UTD, I took my last final yesterday (Wed. May 8th)...but my graduation is not until May 18th.
I think last day of finals at UT is May 14th. Graduation is that weekend from May 17th-19th. Grades can be checked online, and this semester grades will be input online for the first time meaning the second the professor enters the grade, you will know. All the seniors know their grades if they check.
SWT had a week between finals and graduation, but in Grad school it was the day before. Most people know whether they passed the class or not, they just may not know the exact grade. After a year out of college, no one will care anyway. DaDakota
Having two deadlines (a "graduating seniors" and "everybody else") is pretty common. Here, the "everybody else" deadline is actually a week *after* commencement. Besides, IMHO the majority of senior level classes shouldn't even have a "final exam."
at UT you don't have to "officially" graduate to participate in the graduation ceremony... i have many friends that thought they were going to graduate, walked in the ceremony, than learned that they didn't pass one of their classes... thus had to return the next semester to get their degree... they can choose to walk again the next semester if they want too... in order to walk in the ceremony at UT, you just have to show proof that you are on TRACK to graduate (by fulfilling your credits) at the end of a particular semester
I go to A&M. I'm graduating tomorrow(Friday) at 2pm. Finals ended on Wednesday. So in this case you're right about gradaution ceremonies coming right after finals are over. I don't want to wait around any longer than I have to get my diploma. So, IMO, the sooner the better! I believe grades were due yesterday for graduating seniors. There is also a number that graduates can call the day before the ceremony just to be sure that they are cleared to graduate. I'll be doing that here in a little while. I already know all of my grades, but I just want to be safe.
What college are you in? I heard GHBush is speaking at LBJ School of Public Affairs, and Dan Rather is at the undergrad College of Communications. Engineering has the CEO of Silicon Labs I believe. I'm 10 hours short, so I'll walk next December -> another football season for me.
So who all is graduating this spring? I'm graduating from UT in a week. Since I'm in grad school, I haven't been taking classes, but I'm pretty sure I fulfilled all the requirements and I seem to be on the graduation list. I just had to get my dissertation defended and submitted. At my undergrad school (Rice), the seniors' exams were graded early. You checked a list in the registrar's office to make sure you were actually graduating. They give out real diplomas there, so they don't want anyone walking who isn't done. And they check everything. One misguided friend of mine had been there five years and didn't pass one of his classes, so he had the brilliant idea to forge a letter from his department to the registrar saying it was OK for him to graduate. They finally caught him the night before (after all his relatives had come down there...). Very bad.
University of Northern Colorado has finals tomorrow. The graduation ceremony is Saturday morning. I thought all colleges were like this personally.
At St. Mary's University, we had a week in between finals and graduation. It was great. Kindof like a little vacation. You could still hang out and have fun on campus, but you had no school drawbacks. One of the most fun weeks I ever had!!
