Graduation 2: The Master of Arts

As many of my dear readers will know, I started this blog to chronicle my experience writing my MA thesis in the wake of completing a project on blogging for the taught component of the degree. I have also managed to include pieces on other events in my life, making this a kind of non-private journal. I have since begun writing about the post-university experience and am excited to continue in the coming months. However, this post returns to the roots of the blog as we are once again talking about my MA in Modern Literature and Film, more specifically the true end of the journey, as two weeks ago I returned to my alma-mater University College Cork for the graduation ceremony.

After getting up bright and early for the drive to Cork (many thanks to my mother, since I am still working on getting my license) I made my way through that beautiful campus as I had for almost 5 years and suitably attired myself for the ceremony, and I don’t just mean my suit (a lovely burgundy ensemble for those interested) I am speaking of course of the graduation gown, which are in fact as majestic as they look in movies. Once I was looking scholarly (or wizard-like) I got a chance to meet up with friends and classmates, some of whom had traveled all the way from the U.S. for the ceremony.

I won’t go too heavy into the details of the ceremony itself; there were some inspiring words from a guest speaker and the traditional address from the president of the college (a section of which is delivered in Latin). Then we were called up individually to receive our certificates. My name was eventually called and I was handed the parchment I had spent the last year working towards. It is an experience you don’t really pause to consider until afterwards as you’re so caught up in the activities of the day but you feel like its all finally official. I knew I had earned my MA when I received my results just before Christmas but now, with both parchments framed and hanging on the wall in my mother’s sitting room (ties the room together so nicely) I really feel like I am telling the truth when I write my title on official documents as Darragh McGrath BA, MA.

So what is next? Will I be wearing one of the red graduation robes for a PhD soon? Possibly, but for now I feel proud of what I have achieved so far and thank all those who helped me along the way. This blog was started to chronicle my experience of writing an MA thesis, something I saw at the time as just the next step in my academic career, but now that it is all officially over and the fruits of the labor have been reaped I realize how significant a period in my life the last year has been, I have these letters of higher education after my name because of it and I always will. I have written quite frequently in recent blog posts about moving forward and the next steps I will take, but now I truly feel I am ready to take them.