No more pomp and circumstance.

Seven hundred sixty-six students — 398 from Lawrence High School and 368 from Free State High School — graduated Sunday, bracing for the real world. In a couple of months, the graduates will be on their own.

Donnielle Kern, a member of Free State’s graduating class, said she was feeling a range of emotions.

“It’s going to be very stressful,” she said after Sunday’s ceremonies. “Everything’s coming to an end.”

Though she isn’t going far to college — she’ll start this fall at Washburn University in Topeka — she said she’s still losing a support net, since her friends will be scattering to various locations after high school.

“I’ll probably hang out with my friends as much as I can until everybody goes away,” she said.

During the last month of school, Linda Allen, guidance counselor at LHS, said students had several concerns. Most of their worries involved funding college educations.

“Most colleges have contacted students about their financial packages, and students have learned that there are unmet college expenses,” Allen said. “So they are facing the question of, ‘Do I take out a college loan or try to work extra hours to meet these expenses?’ A number of students have indicated that finding summer employment is not going well for them, and they are counting on summer earnings to help meet college costs.”

Classes ended a week ago for most seniors. The group was upbeat about the future, Allen said.

From left, Free State High School seniors Said Mzee, Katherine Naramore and Alex Newman participate in the Class of 2004 graduation ceremony at Kansas University's Memorial Stadium. Commencement ceremonies were Sunday.

“There was also a lot of jubilation on the part of seniors, so it is a bittersweet time for them,” she said. “They’re excited about completing this stage of their lives but with some trepidation about what will happen next.”

Tom Birt, LHS gifted education facilitator, sensed most graduates weren’t too stressed about life after graduation.

“Transitions are hard, but aside from the fear of losing friendships and yearbook promises to ‘stay in touch,’ most students feel that their new freedom will be the greatest thing that ever happened to them,” Birt said. “I always tell those students that ‘being an adult isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.’ These inexperienced students think that adults get to do what they want to do all the time.

“At least for some, the post-graduation blues arise from the slow realization that with freedom comes responsibility. Going to college extends student paradise a few more years.”

Varied readiness

Frank DeSalvo, head of Counseling and Psychological Services at Kansas University, said students’ readiness for life after high school varied.

“Some students are really excited and can’t wait to get to school,” he said. “The anxiety is more of a positive feeling of excitement and anticipation.

“Other students are not quite clear about going to college or a particular career direction and may be a bit more immature. The anxiety is more of a concern about the ability to function in a new environment. They’re concerned about the additional responsibility they will bear and how they will handle the amount of independence.”

Students must develop skills in self-motivation, time management and class discussion, DeSalvo said.

“You have to show up for class on your own, unlike high school where you have the schedule laid out,” he said. “You have large blocks of non-class times during the day. You need to make productive use of that time and learn how to meet deadlines for assignments far in the future.”

College students are urged to be more involved in class, DeSalvo said.

“In high school, students function well as passive listeners,” he said. “They attend class, pay attention, remember what the teacher said and don’t cause trouble.

“More of an active learning process is required in college. Not only do you have to remember the material, but you have to be able to manipulate it in a way to synthesize it and apply that to questions on a test.”

Different values

A college’s size can affect a student’s adjustment to college. KU, for instance, had 26,814 students enrolled last fall, including students from all 50 states and 114 countries.

“They will bump into people who have different approaches to life, different values, different moral and ethical codes,” DeSalvo said. “The values they bring with them will be tested. They will realize there is more than one way to think about issues and will be faced with dealing with those differences.”

Some students Sunday wanted to savor their graduation moment. Kira Barker, an LHS graduate, said she was refusing to let postgraduation stress faze her.

“It’s exciting,” she said. “I’m going to be out of high school and get to go out on my own.”

That may change this fall, when she starts attending Johnson County Community College.

“When the time comes,” she said, “I’m sure it will hit me.”

— Journal-World staff reporter Terry Rombeck contributed to this story.