<p>Do most parents attend undergraduate ceremonies? Our youngest son is at university in the US and will graduate in early summer. In the UK we don't really have this tradition. My older kids didn't even bother to pick up their certificates from their university in the UK. My son has assured me that he is cool with us not going over. Is it extremely unusual for parents not to be there?</p>
<p>I’d say it would be unusual but certainly not unheard of.</p>
<p>Could be a guy thing? We attended our daughter’s, but her boyfriend’s parents did not.</p>
<p>I didn’t attend my own undergrad ceremony because it was huge (in a football stadium), the grads didn’t actually walk, but just stood up as a group and flipped their own tassels. I ended up borrowing a friends cap and gown and having a faux graduation picture taken of myself that day. </p>
<p>I did not attend either of my sons’ undergrad ceremonies, but my ex-husband did. I did attend my son’s coating ceremony for med school. I will be attending my other son’s master’s degree ceremony in a couple weeks. I will definitely attend my son’s med school ceremony as well.</p>
<p>If your son’s fine with it I really wouldn’t worry. Take the money you would have spent on plane tickets and buy him a fabulous graduation present. ;)</p>
<p>I like to be able to trust that people mean what they say. It makes the relationship so much easier- no reading-between-the-lines. I’d trust that your son is saying what he really means. And given your distance away, not attending, is a very reasonable decision.</p>
<p>I think it is less a guy/gal thing than the size of the graduating class, even in the U.S. If your son is graduating in a class of 500 then it might be more usual for parents in the U.S. to attend. If he is graduating in a class of 7,500, then not so much (though in those cases there would likely be departmental events which are more personal).</p>
<p>I think it would be unusual unless graduate isn’t actually participating in the ceremony.
If you haven’t had the chance before this to see where he has been attending school, I would use this opportunity to visit and have a great time!</p>
<p>We attended our older’s graduation, and the stadium was completely packed. There were parents and a lot of extended family members. So yes, in the US it is a big deal. If it is possible, I would make a point to attend. D1 also attended her major’s graduation ceremony. It was very small because it was math. As you could imagine, there were many Asians, and a lot of their parents came great distance to see their kids graduate.</p>
<p>I have never heard of parents not attending a college graduation except in one case, where twins were graduating the same weekend across the country. The father went to one and the mother to the other.</p>
<p>Wild horses couldn’t keep me away.</p>
<p>An ocean and limited funds for travel might. Being laid up in the hospital might.</p>
<p>But otherwise, I will be there!</p>
<p>Yeah, the university is giving the kid 8 tickets and we plan to use them all.</p>
<p>It is definitely a personal choice and if you don’t go, your son will not be the only one there without parents. Given that you are in the UK, I think it is perfectly acceptable not to attend (I probably wouldn’t if I were in your shoes). I think it does depend on the school and location. My D is attending on the east coast and I think most parents are attending. Here on the west coast, I think graduations might be less well attended. Maybe I’m wrong…</p>
<p>Your responses/opinions have been very much appreciated. Thank you CC parents.</p>
<p>We attended both of our S’s graduations at instate big state u’s.
They were easy to get to and there wasn’t a lot of expense. If I lived in another country, I may not have made the trip…depending on expense,time off work,etc. </p>
<p>In my kids’ cases they were both ready to run off w/ their friends the minute it was over.
Really weren’t interested in sitting around visiting w/ us for very long!</p>
<p>I can imagine that int’l parents don’t always come. </p>
<p>I can also imagine that low income parents whose kids got free rides to ivies and similar schools don’t have the funds to fly across the country, stay in hotels, rent cars, etc, to attend graduations.</p>
<p>And for those students whose parents don’t attend, their tickets can often be very valuable, especially for those graduates in need of extra tickets. They can and do pay top dollar for them…</p>
<p>A lot of schools offer their dorms for parents to stay.</p>
<p>My experience is that everyone’s parents attend UK graduation ceremonies. Mine came from Australia. Of course the student does not have to attend and can just get the certificate sent to them.if they prefer.</p>
<p>I went to both daughters’ undergrad graduations. My youngest will receive her Masters in August, and can participate in the May graduation ceremony - getting recognized and receiving a “dummy” diploma. I will skip that because she said it isn’t important for me to be there; it is a Sunday morning ceremony and I am a church pastor with only 4 Sundays a year available for personal use. </p>
<p>There is a hooding ceremony the day before - a very solemen service that is similar to commencement, and also where the students receive any honors and awards. That I will attend, as well as her actual graduation in August, which is a simple ceremony just for the students in her degree program.</p>