Monday, May 18, 2009

Walking Out on Graduation...

Graduating from anything is quite an accomplishment, so why is it that the "official" way to celebrate is to wear some ridiculously silly robes, stand/sit for hours and hours, listen to some idiot spout off anecdotes and lessons that you don't care about, and then grab your diploma and throw your cap?

As crazy as all of that is by itself, when you graduate from Case Western Reserve University School of Law you have to pay $200+ to do it.  That's right, you pay over $100,000 to "learn how to think like a lawyer" and then they jab you with a $200+ bill for renting your robes on the way out.  Not to mention that all of the commencement activities take up about 8 hours of one's life - 8 hours spent with annoying law students who you have been forced to put up with for 3 years.  Here's how I tally it:

Robes = $200
Commencement Day = $400 (8 hours x $50/hr - the cost of my time)
Dealing with Annoying law students for 8 hours more = $40
Total = $640

I got to thinking, what could I do with that money instead?  I found that the possibilities are seemingly  endless.  Since I can't do some of the following activities and work at the same time, I will limit the budget to $240 on those activities.  Here are a few items I came up with:

1. Play 18 holes of golf at one of the best courses in the country
2. Play 180 holes of golf at a few municipal courses
3. Buy some new piece of electronic equipment (ipod, phone, TV, etc.)
4. Buy all new camping equipment
5. Buy all new fly-fishing equipment
6. Take a helicopter trip over the grand canyon
7. Buy great seats to a Cavs playoff game
8. Order anything I want from the best steakhouse in the US
9. Take the whole family on a little vacation
10. Pay back a tiny portion of my ridiculously large student loans

I'm just getting started.  There are plenty more and I will add them to the comments as I think of them.  I would welcome any suggestions you have.  

The only downside to taking my approach is that you don't have any pictures for posterity.  However, thanks to photoshop you can have the pictures and you never have to wear the horrendously archaic and non-flattering robes of the unholy priesthood.  Check this out: