{"id":8059,"date":"2018-03-21T13:15:31","date_gmt":"2018-03-21T13:15:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ounews.co\/?p=8059"},"modified":"2018-03-21T13:15:31","modified_gmt":"2018-03-21T13:15:31","slug":"6-reasons-to-look-forward-to-graduation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/news\/around-ou\/university-news\/6-reasons-to-look-forward-to-graduation\/","title":{"rendered":"6 reasons to look forward to graduation"},"content":{"rendered":"

Spring is always a good time of year \u2013 new growth, warmer weather, more colour. More importantly, it\u2019s when our degree ceremony season starts and when students blossom into graduates and continue to grow into new lives, new careers, new opportunities or maybe even a new qualification.<\/p>\n

Last year we saw 8,000 graduates cross the stage at 29 ceremonies in 16 locations. They were joined by 26,000 guests \u2013 friends and family who\u2019ve lived through the OU journey every bit as much as the graduates themselves. And I\u2019m very much looking forward to meeting the next wave of graduates, starting at The Barbican in London this weekend.<\/p>\n

Here are six reasons why we should all be looking forward to the 2018 degree ceremony season:<\/p>\n

\"OU1) They’re inspirational<\/h2>\n

During my time as Vice-Chancellor I have never met anyone who isn\u2019t moved or inspired by our ceremonies \u2013 they\u2019re a proud moment for us all \u2013 they inspire potential students to make enquiries, give current students a reminder of what they\u2019re aiming for, offer our alumni a chance to reflect on their own great day, and help staff to take pride in their part of the journey.<\/p>\n

Graduation is what most students aim for, ultimately. To complete that last TMA, that last exam, and wait for results then graduation day, the day they\u2019re rewarded for all that they\u2019ve put in. Our alumni, each year, continue to inspire, and in many cases support current and new students \u2013 sharing tips, words of wisdom, encouragement and swapping stories. So important when the nature of OU study means our students are everywhere and anywhere. Here\u2019s a great example on Twitter of the power of the OU community<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Following the #OU_ceremonies hashtag on Twitter<\/a> or Instagram<\/a>\u00a0will also give you an inspirational flavour of what OU graduation entails.<\/p>\n

2) Everyone loves a good story<\/h2>\n

There will always be extraordinary stories like John\u2019s \u2013 so consumed by pride at achieving a dream he was told he\u2019d never be able to<\/a> \u2013 he was physically unable to walk across the stage. And many others like him<\/a> who have overcome misconceptions about their ability, a bad experience with earlier study, or general lack of confidence.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s fantastic, as a Vice-Chancellor, to meet the thousands of students who cross the stage each year, each with a unique story or experience. But each story, no matter how big or small, is amazing. Studying is no mean feat and OU students do it around so many other challenges, highs and lows.<\/p>\n

Darren finished his degree aged 47, while working full-time. He said: \u201cWe are not part-time students, we are amazing students.\u201d And I\u2019m certainly not going to argue with him.<\/p>\n

3) There are plenty of laugh out loud moments<\/h2>\n

Our degree ceremonies are far from stuffy; they are joyous celebrations. We\u2019ve seen cartwheels across the stage, new parents carrying babies, guide dogs accompanying their owners, dancing and even the worm! (It’s worth watching the short video below to the end).<\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/theopenuniversity\/videos\/10156502113545676\/<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Degree ceremonies make me laugh (and sometimes cry!). They\u2019re a jovial occasion. Andrea says when she graduates she\u2019s going to \u201cswirl that bat cape round and embarrass my daughter as much as possible\u201d. And when I ask what students are most looking forward to about their day, for many it\u2019s to \u201cmake it across the stage without tripping and falling on my face\u201d and plenty have confessed to face ache from all the laughing and smiling the day brings.<\/p>\n

Many students say having a sense of humour is key to study survival \u2013 it\u2019s great to see that continue into the auditorium on graduation day.<\/p>\n

4) Education unites us all<\/h2>\n

Our graduates rarely experience their journey alone \u2013 supported by their fellow students and our tutors, of course, but also by their friends, their partners, their parents, their children; people who have seen their journey and are just as proud of them. Our degree ceremonies, we hope, will help inspire the next generation of students \u2013 sometimes this is family members catching the \u2018OU study bug\u2019, friends deciding to study together, or simply setting a fantastic example for their children. It\u2019s a great thing to see young children tugging on the graduation gowns of their parents, sword fighting with the scroll and clapping with pride as their mum or dad crosses the stage.<\/p>\n

You need only take a look at our Instagram page<\/a>\u00a0 \u2013 a virtual window into the lives of our students \u2013 to see how OU study impacts lives, including the children of OU students. Some youngsters spur their parents on with motivational pictures in their notepads, others take an interest in their course material or the posters that accompany our TV series like Blue Planet<\/a>. And sometimes it\u2019s the other way around. Take, for example, Francis<\/a>, who took a break from his history degree to pull a homework all-nighter for his son\u2019s history project.\u00a0Education, I think, unites us all.<\/p>\n

\"Jumping5) You’ll make friends for life<\/h2>\n

Matthew achieved his BA (Honours) in English Language and Literature and phrased it nicely when he said: \u201cThat is the great thing about the OU, it throws together people of all ages and from all walks of life and I must admit that on the day of my degree ceremony, in my robes, I felt that I was part of a special club.\u201d<\/p>\n

And he\u2019s right \u2013 OU students and graduates are united \u2013 they\u2019ve been there, experienced the highs and lows of studying and revelled in their well-earned success come graduation day. It really is a day to cherish. As a member of our Alumni Association<\/a> you\u2019ll have friends for life, around two million of them who have studied with The Open University \u2013 and we welcome each and every one of them to the club (oh, and we want to stay in touch so don\u2019t forget to update your contact details<\/a>).<\/p>\n

6) It’s not the end<\/h2>\n

Graduation is not the end, not really. For many it\u2019s the beginning. Of a new career, continued study, or just a new you \u2013 with more confidence and more skills. Whatever they decide to do next we\u2019ll hope they\u2019ll continue to spread their student story, inspire new students, help current students and keep pushing to realise their ambitions.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re yet to graduate, keep your eye on the prize \u2013 you will get there. And if you\u2019re graduating this Spring, well done and huge congratulations. You did it!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Spring is always a good time of year \u2013 new growth, warmer weather, more colour. More importantly, it\u2019s when our degree ceremony season starts and when students blossom into graduates and continue to grow into new lives, new careers, new opportunities or maybe even a new qualification. Last year we saw 8,000 graduates cross the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":8066,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[102,593,996,998,1699],"class_list":["post-8059","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-university-news","tag-alumni","tag-degree-ceremony","tag-graduate","tag-graduation","tag-peter-horrocks"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8059","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8059"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8059\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8066"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8059"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8059"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8059"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}