Is walking at commencement ceremony worth the price?

Photo by Dave Herholz, via flickr

Adrianne Richardson/Contributing Writer 

Graduation is what most students look forward to when attending college because it proves that you have made it through the trial of paying tuition and fees.

Paying $6,506.18 for in-state tuition is not easy, and personally, I pay an extra $3,500 for on campus living. My heart breaks every semester.

I really feel for out-of-state students who have to dish out $18,905.18 and add another $3,000 plus for living on campus.

As students, we agree to pay these amounts because we really want to earn a degree and be successful.

But what if I told you that we have to pay graduation fees if we want to attend our commencement ceremony? I know this may not come as a surprise to most of you because we all know that nothing is free. But, what if I told you that I see nothing wrong with the prices of graduation?

Call me crazy, but I have my reasons.

I feel that paying for graduation is not an issue because no one is making you pay–you pay if you want to! Plus, FIU has packages that students can choose from for their graduation expenses. According to commencement.fiu.edu, the cheapest grad-pack is $62.99 and it includes a cap and gown, tassel with the year, one year alumni association membership and various alumni gifts.

What more do you need?

I am not the only crazy one.

Justin Griffin, who majored in marketing, recently graduated from FIU in Spring 2012 and he agreed that the price was reasonable.

“I spent around $90; I got the basic stuff though. It was affordable. In my opinion, it could have been worse,” said Griffin.

College is really expensive and out of all the colleges around the world, we are not the only students who suffer from heartbreak every time we view our bank account status at the beginning and end of a semester; for some of us, it’s even during the semester.

I view graduation as a celebration and a cure for the entire heartbreak we go through for four years.

College is an opportunity that none of us are forced to take, but we choose to take. Graduation is also an opportunity that you are not forced to take, but some of us will choose to take, and I’m telling you it’s worth it!

You have time to think about this but I guarantee that $62.99 will start to seem a whole lot cheaper the closer you get to graduating! You will make so many people proud, including yourself. So, instead of asking “Why pay for a commencement ceremony?” ask “Why not?”

Thank me later.

opinion@fiusm.com