‘I don’t understand how they let you walk’: Woman walks at graduation, receives her diploma. Then she opens it up
Graduation is a day that is supposed to be filled with joy and pride. For Mik’s (@mikkyelliot), it was instead overshadowed by a simple mistake that could have been prevented. The TikToker shared her shock and disappointment at walking across the stage, only to find her diploma folder empty.
In a viral video with over 10 million views, Mik shares a clip of her walking down the aisle donning her academic regalia robes. She smiles and shows the folder to the camera. She was unaware, however, that there was no actual diploma inside.
Using a TikTok trend, Mik writes in the text overlay. “She doesn’t know it yet, but instead of her diploma inside that folder is a letter saying she hasn’t completed her degree requirements yet,” it reads.
Mik’s video amassed thousands of comments in just a day, with many viewers flabbergasted that they even let her walk. Mik said he graduated in Houston. Given her field and green regalia, it appears she graduated from the McGovern Medical School.
“Letting someone walk on time even though they have a couple things left to do is very nice,” one user wrote. “Letting someone walk who has no idea they aren’t graduating on time is diabolical.”
One top comment with 344,000 likes read, “I don’t understand how they let you walk if you haven’t finished, this has happened to so many people.”
While Mik understands that walking before graduating is not uncommon, her issue was that she wasn’t told.
“Guys this is not rage bait,” she commented. “Yes people get to walk before finishing sometimes but they know ahead of time. Nobody told me! And everyone else had their diplomas… just felt awful.”
So what really happened?
In a follow-up video, Mik explains what was the reason behind her diploma-less folder. As a dual degree student, Mik was supposed to graduate with both her medical degree and Ph.D. As a combined program, both are contingent on each other, Mik says. In other words, she cannot complete one without the other.
“I did complete all degree requirements for both,” Mik clarifies. “The issue was all due to a miscommunication between the medical and graduate schools.”
Mik reveals that this is a “classic” thing that happens–she just didn’t expect it to happen at the tail end of her program. What caused the holdup was that the authorization for her Ph.D was not completed in time for the medical school graduation. Mik assures that it has now been completed, and that her diploma is ready for pickup.
In short, Mik assures that “it’s not that serious” and all she missed out on was a photo op with her diploma.
Can a school withhold your diploma?
Universities can withhold a student’s diploma for various reasons. The most common is if the student has an outstanding balance due. This can be as large as tuition fees to smaller bills like a library book. Your diploma can also be withheld if you did not complete all your courses.
Several viewers shared similar experiences in Mik’s comments section.
“This happened to my mom,” one user wrote. “Let her walk and everything but told her to pick up her diploma on Monday. She forgot to return a library book so she had to pay the fee to be able to get her diploma.”
Another shared how the same thing happened to her friend: “They let her walk and everything then a week after graduation they said she was 3 credits short.”
@mikkyelliott Thx for the heads up guys ? #medicalschool #medschool #medicalstudent #medstudent #graduation #graduate #medicalschoolgraduation #md ♬ scott street – ☆
“Mine contained a letter saying I couldn’t get my degree until I went and paid unpaid parking tickets on campus lmao,” a user said.
The Mary Sue reached out to Mik via TikTok direct message and comment.
Have a tip we should know? [email protected]
