Timing is everything. Students on track for a May graduation date from UVA are treated to a ceremonial smorgasbord of festive “Final Exercises,” while those slated for a January graduation get what could be called the collegiate shaft. Simply put, they don’t get a commencement ceremony at all. And because of tradition, the University would like to keep it that way.
UVA grads get all the pomp and circumstance they can stomach in May, but those who opt for midterm graduation get no official sendoff beyond a diploma in the mail.
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This year, UVA records show 544 “degree candidates,” mean-ing students eligible for grad-uation, are set for a January 4 degree confirmation, though those December exams and papers could end up knocking that number down. New graduates can either pick up diplomas or have them mailed home, but will leave town with nary a balloon or confetti dropped.
“We really encourage the students to graduate in four years, to get the whole undergraduate college experience,” says Carol Wood, UVA spokesperson. Because no one should be faulted for graduating early (or even a semester late), Wood says University officials urge the students to come back for the May commencement ceremonies, when thousands of students walk the Lawn for graduation.
Of course, not all schools snub mid-year ceremonies. The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill graduated 1,266 December grads. Despite a lower number than in May, the university holds a commencement ceremony for all mid-year graduates, and individual schools often do as well.
But, at least this year, UVA’s mid-year grads have one thing going for them: jobs. According to the National Association of College and Employers’ (www.naceweb.org) Job Outlook 2007 survey, employers expect to hire 17.4 percent more new college graduates than they hired last year—and the early graduates are lining up first.