Well yesterday was a good day, as it was both my PhD Graduation ceremony and my Birthday, double bloody wammy! [emoji41]
The School of Biological Sciences (where I?ve been based) were the last to graduate this year, so the ceremony didn?t start until 4 pm.
Although I?ve graduated from the University of Essex previously, some 5 years ago now after completing my BSc, and although I felt as cool as ice prior to the ceremony, the pre-match jitters started to build as we were all seated in the lecture theatre. What didn?t help matters was that it was boiling hot and I was in pole position, so first in line to actually ?graduate?!
The proceedings are essentially as follows, some blah blah blah from someone I can?t remember, then a speech from the Chancellor who officially starts the ceremony, followed by a bit more blah blah blah from the Head of Department, before the graduands go up for a hand shake.
Anyway, a new Chancellor was appointed recently, and it was none other than the Right Honourable John Bercow MP, the speaker of the House of Commons.
He was a real character and actually makes for a very good Chancellor. He opened up the ceremony by saying ?order! Order!!!! Followed by lots of, you guessed it, blah blah blah about how amazing the Uni is.
So, back to proceedings, when the Head of Department is saying his speech, my apprehension is building as they?re all talking about the actual graduation starting and we?re all still sat at the back of the lecture theatre. It just feels wrong, like you?re in the wrong place lol.
Anyway, after what seems like an age goes by, an attendant lets me know the route to follow and what I should bring (ticket with name on it, and hat).
So, I?m at the front of the line, you get told what to do by another attendant, as a PhD graduate you give them your hat and by this point I?m stressing thinking this is worse than my Viva Voce lol!
A friend behind me says the classic ?no pressure Oli?! Still, it?s quite fun knowing that if I ballsed it up there would be the ?error carried forward? for the rest of them [emoji12]
When eventually it?s time, I walk up to the head of department, he says some more blurb followed by ?Oliver Deacon?, I then walk over with applause in the background to good old John Bercow with a beaming smile, a firm handshake and then, by my surprise he shouts out ?stop ... this man has just been achieved a Doctorate ... I think we can do better than that, so let?s give him a more suitable round of applause!? What follows is a massive applause, he dons by hat, shakes my hand again and says congratulations and I?m on my merry way across the stage and back to my seat. And reeelllllaaaax, I didn?t stack it, I didn?t screw it up, job done!
What then followed was what must have been a solid 1 hour of clapping as student after student goes up to shake the Chancellors hand. It?s always quite surprising to see the brake down of students, in that there were only 5 PhD Graduates, maybe 25 or 30 MSc students and probably 150 undergraduates. Just goes to show how nuts you have to be to stay on for a PhD, I mean they don?t call it ?Permanent head Damage? for nothing after all lol!
The whole ceremony is over with in an hour and a half, by the time I got out my previously pristine white shirt was now entirely soaked, which was actually a sort of result as meant the sweat ?patches? were now throughly indistinguishable. The suit jacket, well ... that needed dry cleaning!
My parents and I meet up, head over to the marquee and they get to meet some of the academics and fellow students I?ve worked with over the years. This was a nice experience for them to finally put faces to names etc.
My lab colleagues organised a dinner at a local pub so some 25 of us all had dinner at 8 pm, had a bit of a laugh, one of the old Professors started doing magic tricks and drew a bit of a crowd! Was a nice way to end the day.
Well everyone, that was my PhD Graduation in a nutshell from the University of Essex.
Please see below for select photos from the day.
I hope this has been a somewhat enjoyable read, and I wish you all and your families the very best of luck with whatever future studies you pursue [emoji4]
- Oli
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