"The hair loss started for me after the 16th week and continued for about six months," the graduate said.

"They're not the prettiest, you know," a recent graduate said of the girls who got the guys in trouble.

"I want us all to congratulate ourselves," said one graduate in a toast.

Looking back on it, Columbia's successful young graduates say that getting through the school was very much like making an independent film.

Some older graduates said their decision to start a new career had been a way to avoid loneliness after their children left home.

Only about half the graduates say they will become church pastors, she said.

They and many other "graduates" said they expected to stay involved in the school to enhance the experience.

She and the 1993 graduate said they did not come forward sooner because they feared no one would believe them.

Most new graduates say they want to continue studies for their bachelor's degrees.

Another graduate who has published two rather good novels said: 'You could see it in his face.