By Tanner Harris
Reporter
It’s basically accepted by the students of CSU Bakersfield that every part of going to school is stressful. Getting to class, having a decent meal, constant exams and assignments, all stressful. The stress is doubled for students planning to graduate this semester.
People would think that preparing for graduation would be one of the least stressful parts of the university experience. A celebration for all the blood, sweat, and tears you put into that degree. However, the process to getting to graduate is anything but easy. First, there is a $75 charge to make sure that you’re on track for graduation, which itself takes nearly an entire year to process. If done incorrectly, graduates may be set back a semester or more.
After the grad check and classes are passed, comes graduation. Graduates have to wake up very early in the morning to prepare for receiving the diplomas they have worked so hard for. This rubs many students the wrong way, as it’s supposed to be their day and they would not like to spend it sleep deprived.
Rebecca Spickler, music major graduate from 2016, has expressed her frustration about the entire process. “If you mess [graduation counseling] up, it might set you back another term. But if you do it right, you get a diploma….I’m not interested in paying that kind of money to be part of a six hour commencement ceremony from 6 AM to noon in the Bakersfield heat. I just want the paper that says I’m qualified to do the job I’ve been doing.”
Many students have also expressed frustration that something that’s supposed to signify them moving on in the world is not the most efficient process CSUB offers. When asked her opinion, Krislene Pilkington, biology major set to graduate in May, said she had a mixed opinion.
“I had write out what classes I was taking at the time, and was going to take to ensure I met my degree requirements. It’s expensive to apply for a diploma and I don’t even know if some of my classes would be available. After I got it done though, I didn’t have much to worry about,” said Pilkington.
It’s not all gray skies and stress though. The students who walk across the stage every semester have poured many hours into finding, working, and completing mountains of homework, papers, readings, and online assignments in the hopes of having a better future for themselves. And while for many it hasn’t been the smoothest ride, the reward is certainly worth consideration.
“It made me feel proud of myself that I made it through all the hard work, tears, and breakdowns,” said Allison Duggins, biology graduate from 2016. “I felt that if I could survive that I could do anything….It was all so worth it in the end.”
So to those who are about to graduate on May 18th, take a deep breath and make sure that everything is in order. Once it is, take a moment to relax, secure in the knowledge that your day is coming.
Just a few more days of waking up as a student of CSUB. Then you’ll have that coveted degree in hand and finally be an alumni of CSUB.
