Yesterday was graduation for the Hult International Business School class of 2011!  We arrived later than expected due to issues with TFL (yet another perfect event to end our year), but still had plenty of time to take pictures.

We had professional photos done (it was included in the gown rental and we could not opt out), and then went outside to take pictures together in front of Westminster Abbey.  There were also some lovely riot vans that passed by that capped things off nicely.  A lot of added bonuses going on.

Then we had to line up like an hour early for our entrance into the main hall.  It was awful, we were so hot in our gowns and many of the girls were obviously in heels so it was just not pleasant.  I had also forgotten that I needed to eat at some point - with an arrival time around 11:30 (turned into 12) and the ceremony from 2:30-4:30, perhaps I should have had more foresight.

Finally the ceremony arrived which was nap-inducing for sure.  The student speakers were pretty good, but the main speaker was from 3M and basically proceeded to give us a presentation on how awesome 3M is for 30 minutes.  Miserable.  And then of course getting through all 5 programs with each person called one by one.  Oh we wanted to die.  Masters of Digital Marketing (MDM’s) go next to last of course, after sitting through HUNDREDS of MBA’s, MIB’s, and MAIR’s.  Only the poor 50 or so undergrads had it worse, going dead last.

After all that, they had to clear out the hall of all but the students and faculty (not easy or quick), for some arbitrary picture of the whole graduating class with the faculty.  Gotta tell you I was real cranky at that point, what with hunger and robe-induced heat exhaustion.  I couldn’t believe they wouldn’t let us out to just get a glass of water after sitting there for 3+ hours.

We made it through and made our way to the champagne reception, which was jam-packed.  I quickly disrobed (ha) and picked up my diploma, fixed my hair, and went back out.  It was so very nice of them to include our final grades in our diploma holder… NOT.  (FYI Mom, cumulative GPA of 3.27 which is actually slightly better than my Bachelor’s.)

Mingled for a little while with friends’ parents before we all got it together and decided to nip this hunger thing in the bud.  Only the best would do for our graduation day, so Andrew, Alex, Abby, Roy, and I all went to Pizza Express (there’s a London joke in there somewhere).  Abby and I fixed our hair and makeup much to the guys’ annoyance (we took a little while…), and then we were off to grab a quick drink before getting over to the real after party.

The party was a ton of fun.  They rented out the SkyBar/Altitude 360 along the river, which has great views of the city.  Each program had tables set up, and the MDM’s got 3 free bottles throughout the night (those went within 5 mins each).  We also got free welcome drinks.  So I ended up not spending any money except for the cab ride.  I danced with friends, said goodbyes, and tried not to get too emotional.

But by about 2:15 I was ready to go before the waterworks really started, so Amanda and I left with our friends in a cab after saying some tough final goodbyes.

It was, dare I say, 1000x more fun than previous graduations.  Ceremonies are always the WORST but the parties and the people make it.  And hey, we didn’t have to wear goofy Christopher Columbus hats like MBA’s do.  We just had to be strangled (some of us) by our Masters hoods.

I’m lucky to have met some of the best people while I’ve been here, and I hope that some of them will really keep in touch and that we WILL see each other again.  I’ve been to some truly incredible places, some favorites include Edinburgh, Berlin, Dublin, Prague…  And I’ve gotten a post-grad degree.

I can’t believe how fast this year has gone and how close I’ve grown to certain people in such a short time.

Tomorrow morning I leave for my final European adventure!  Look forward to hearing about Athens, Santorini, Rome, Barcelona and Paris in the next few weeks :)

And life apparently goes on after a year in London, as I am now scheduled to go to Michigan for my Grandma’s birthday in Michigan, only 11 days after getting back home.  Time to get back into the American swing of things…