I recently participated in my third graduation ceremony, for my fourth graduation (no, the schools I attended did not have graduation ceremonies for preschool, kindergarten, elementary, or middle school). For the first time in my life, however, I have not completed the requirements necessary to obtain the degree announced at the ceremony. This will happen soon enough, but I have to wonder if being hooded by my dissertation advisor would have been a more emotional experience if it had actually marked the end of my time here. Instead, I had the privilege of telling all of my family members that I’m almost a doctor. Of course, none of them will be here to celebrate when I actually defend or file my dissertation. I guess this is fitting since many of the big moments in an academic career are unobserved by others.
*Clearly, this title makes more sense than the song that inspired it.
Memoirs of a SLACer 