It's official: I am no longer a student. Yesterday I received my final results and I am pleased and proud to inform you that I have mastered my degree. I am even more pleased and proud to tell you that I did so with distinction! Forgive me for bragging but I am really happy about it. I wasn't expecting it as my results throughout the year, though good, were not straight A's. It was my thesis that tipped the balance in my favour. I am particularly pleased at this as my thesis was what I was most eager to get right. My thesis supervisor is my current boss as well so it mattered a great deal to me to impress him.Getting my results does not mean I have officially been bestowed my title yet. For the graduation ceremony I will -bizarrely enough- have to wait until 14 May 2008. Of course nothing can ever top receiving my PhD degree. Academically that will always be the most special day in my career. But receiving this degree will be special in its own way as well. In true Anglo-Saxon style the whole affair will be Cap & Gown. For somebody coming out of the Dutch academic system that is quite a change. The venue is another special touch. Our graduation ceremony will take place in The Royal Albert Hall (pictured above)! I was gutted when I first found out that, due to renovations, my PhD defense would not take place in Leiden's beautiful Academiegebouw but I think graduating in the Albert Hall sweetens that bitter pill somewhat.
It will not be the personal affair that my other graduations have been. This is mass production. All the postgraduates from Imperial College graduate on that same day so it's one looooong procession of gowns streaming over the podium. My family will also have to pay for tickets if they want to attend! A lot of my classmates were not from the UK or even Europe and I expect a lot of people will not bother to travel all the way back for this overpriced mass production event. I personally have decided that I most definitely want to be there though. I have worked hard enough for it!
5 comments:
You are right. (And that way you can celebrate twice.) Congratulations!!
Congratulations!
Gefeliciteerd! Weer een eeuwige student minder die parasiteert op het zuurverdiende belastinggeld dat hardwerkende mensen zoals ik betalen! :-p
Wel schandalig overigens dat je familieleden een kaartje moeten kopen om bij de diploma-uitreiking te zijn!
Hier in de UK ligt het collegegeld wel wat anders dan in NL. Oftewel, jouw belastinggeld heeft niets te lijden gehad onder mijn studie. ;-) De enige bankrekening die hieronder geleden heeft is de mijne (en die van mijn moeder - met diepe dank daarvoor!)
diepe dank?! Volgens mij wordt het weer eens tijd voor een bezoekje aan NL ;-)
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