Mind Boggling - Not going to graduation?

CrunchRN, ADN, RN · Jun 18, 2009

It was disappointing. And all the schools around us had great faculty.

It was kind of funny to be 2nd in class and not go though..........LOL!

libragirl924 · Jun 18, 2009

Most of our faculty was/is wonderful; they weren't the issue. What was the issue for me personally (other than being the primary caregiver for my grandfather) was being completely unprepared and not dedicated enough to truly care about what I was doing. There are many, many people in my class who are single parents, working 40+ hours a week, and going to school FT, and getting 4.0 GPAs. I couldn't handle it going part-time with only myself and my grandfather to worry about, along with work - minimal responsibility, to say the least. I managed to graduate this past semester, but I'm leaning more toward not taking the NCLEX exam because I don't feel that I'm dedicated enough to the profession.

oncnursemsn · Jun 18, 2009

((Libragirl)) for heaven's sake, sit for the boards! You have completed a rigorous nursing program- take a review course, get some rest and take the boards! You have nothing to lose- and what if you pass? (Which if your program was decent- you should!)

Sorry- hate to see nursing students go through intense program and walk away...

HyperSaurus, RN, BSN · Jun 20, 2009

I agree. And how do you know if you're 'dedicated enough' if you don't even try? Just because you had a tough time during school doesn't mean you'll be a bad nurse. It just means you had a tough time during school.

gipsonbee · Jun 20, 2009

There are a few reasons I did not want to attend my pinning ceremony. First, I am not into all the limelight stuff, I have always been quite, to myself, and shined alone. I don't have much family and there has never has been anything big going on. My only concern was graduating and walking. I am just not into all that stuff. I told the few people I had connected with in nursing school that I wasn't attending, they didn't believe me. I hadn't purchased my lamp, pin, or bought a dress two days before. Another reason was because it was hard to get in the spirit, we had to pass hesi before we could walk n graduation and we wouldn't know until 4 days before (hesi was on the 4th, graduation on the 8th). As a matter of fact we had two exit text (hesi and ati) that we had to pass or we didn't graduate. So my focus was really on passing these test ,I said damn a pinning ceremony. Who could focus under this type of stress. But I went on to pass the ati, and flunked the hesi, but they gave us three chances so we took it again the very next day, and I told the Lord if he let me pass I would attend this pinning ceremony. Well, I passed and had to honor my promise; that was on a Tues. That evening I told my bestfriend, my boyfriend, sister, and my kids about the ceremony, then I purchased my pin and lamp that Wenes. As I was about to buy my dress my cell rang and they announced the pinning had been canceled do to the lyceum flooding. The Lord knew I didn't want to attend. Another reason is because the administration was so ill, they have thier picks and chooses they had an awards ceremony a couple days before and gave the awards to the ones that did nothing in clinical or anything else, so I was disqusted with that also. To give u a good example, we lost two people this last semester and they was on schedule for the pinning ceremony (had active parts in), if the ceremony had have went forward they would have flunked out the next day (which they did) then all was lost, seeing that they have to repeat that semester, which they can't get back in until this time next year and they will have another pinning ceremony. So y have one if you don't know if you are gonna graduate? These exit exams really do make it hard to get excited.

chevyv, BSN, RN · Jun 20, 2009

I did not attend pinning or graduation. For me I just didn't feel it was necessary for myself. I did well and made it through and that is enough for me. I've attended one college grad (my sis n law) and it was sooooo long, I couldn't even see her cross the stage, and it was hot as heck out! Everyone around us was miserable the entire afternoon. I had no desire to ask my family to go through that again. I don't feel any regret over not attending. Yes, I worked hard and applaud my classmates for wanting to attend. It just isn't for me.

fifi rockefeller · Jun 21, 2009

My non-NLN accredited nursing college had a pinning ceremony and a graduation. We were at the same college as other professional programs, and our pinning ceremony was really our graduation. Graduation was six months after we left, with the Paralegals, Law Enforcement, Med. Assistant, and one or two other programs.

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My college nickle-and-dimed me, charged fees for things we had no use for, and generally tormented us. Tuition was raised once, and we were not "grandfathered in", and raised again after my class graduated. Some of those fees were for a pinning ceremony, a basic pin, and a graduation ceremony with a bunch of strangers.

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I said I wasn't going, made my intentions clear to the office staff, etc., and wanted my money back. (Can you hear the laughing yet?) Took it as far as the president of the college; I was not getting my money for those "fees" returned. So I went to the pinning ceremony.

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Thing was, I volunteered to help set up for the class before me, and I knew we would get a rose that did not have a scent from Krogers, a ceramic oil lamp (non-functional, with the college logo), some cake, chips, pretzels, and punch, and whatever pin we paid for. Woo and Hoo. The ceremony was held in a church both times (different churches). Oh yeah, we got a program with our names on it.

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I am glad I got the class picture. (Truthfully, I am.)

I am glad I bought a school picture of myself for my momma.

I couldn't even tell you where that pin is now.

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I attended our pinning ceremony "under protest" and only because if I paid for it, I was going. I really wanted my money back. And I entirely regret going to a non-NLN college. I did not know how important that would be. f.r.

Ayvah, RN · Jun 21, 2009

There are several reasons that I did not attend my pinning. There was a large cost for pinning/ceremony, not being much of a ceremony person, and some resentment about the program where only 1/3 of us who started graduated. I felt like I was pretty much unsupported in my program and spent the time celebrating with my family, as I felt they were the ones who got me through nursing school, not the school itself. I felt no reason to celebrate with the school. The nursing program underwent a big overhaul after I left.

NeoNurseTX, RN · Jun 21, 2009

Nursing is a second career for many people...second degree, etc. A lot of people from my class didn't go to graduation because it was at the 'home' campus about 3 hours away! It really wasn't a big deal..nothing like high school graduation.

mb1949 · Jun 21, 2009

I am planning not to go to either graduation or pinning, I HATE MY SCHOOL, 2 semesters ago, they cancel pinning because no one went. I have had some wonderful professors, nurses who inspired me, who I hope someday to be 1/2 half as knowledgable as they are. On the other hand, there is a click of instructors in my school who go out of their way to make life miserable for students. I am not a kid, I am a grandmother in her 50's and will graduate in December (God willing) and the last semester was a nightmare, it turned me off completely to this school. It is not a question of being passionate about nursing, this is probably the most important thing I have done for myself, but these women have just completely turned me off to this school. I just want out.

sunray12 · Jun 21, 2009

I can understand negative feelings about a school, bad teachers, arbitrary testing systems, etc., etc. But in the end I don't think you should take it so personally to the point where you don't go to the final ceremony. I mean face it - if you are graduating then you have achieved something and you should feel that it is significant. So at that point it doesn't matter whether you had a mean teacher or two or three, or other people in the class got better grades than you did, or if you had a prior degree. This is like winning an olympic medal and deciding you don't feel like getting on the stand. It shouldn't matter if you didn't like one of your coachs.

If you have kids, or younger siblings, or any other young people who you are a role model to then you should do it. Because if you don't participate it sends a bad message to the young ones - i.e. how are they supposed to know they should achieve if you've achieved and you're playing it down or even sending out the message that you don't care or that you did a bad thing. I can understand being shy and/or just not liking formal events. Well pinning might be a little different but it's not black tie and as for graduation I've known some people who had on jeans under their gowns and I've seen plenty of people graduate in flip flops. Unless your school is tiny then graduations are big events and there will be enough people that it's not like you will be in the spotlight except for your family and close friends that's not a bad thing.

julstexas · Jun 22, 2009

I did not attend my pinning or graduation for many reasons. I was fed up with the school, my classmates (for the most part) and the instructors who spoon fed some favorites while making life hard for the others. I also have a BS and an MS so for me the ADN wasn't that big of a deal. Partied after I passed the nclex (since that is the real test). I think i was 1st or 2nd in my class, but I wasn't going to spend a whole evening acting like a hypocrite. My class had some really nasty people in it and some instructors that I think lived to bring others down. I was glad to get out of that place with my sanity intact.