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Wearing a class ring

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MikeDip

God bless all my old friends/And god bless me too, why pretend?
Man, my parents forced me to walk across that stage during my HIGH SCHOOL graduation. I don't even want to think about the death threats I'd get if I didn't walk during my college one. If I had a choice, though, they would mail me my degree so I can go home already



Damn that thing is big...

My parents do want me to go, but there's no way I'm spending any more money on school. I have plans for that $35.
 
Why would you spend $1500 on a ring you weren't sure you'd want to wear? Should've just gotten a cheap one with cubic zirconia or whatever.

Also yeah, I've always thought wearing a class ring is tacky as hell, so I never got one. Always thought it screamed "living in the past" like Uncle Rico from Napoleon Dynamite. But, that's me.

Well my parents kinda forced me to get one. My dad really wanted me to get it for some reason. I'm the first in my family to really go to college, so I guess it's a big deal to them, even though I don't particularly care that much
They also told me not to go cheap, and a good half of the ring was paid off with $75 added to my tuition each semester, so there's that. I really liked the tuition billing, because I'm not gonna notice $75 added in with $5k - $8k for the other school stuff.


you were in school for 20 semesters?
It didn't pay it all off, just $600+ down pretty much.

A few examples of ties from dutch universities from a google search.
Basically a nice keepsake to wear at alumni gatherings and such.

Doesn't look bad at all. I'd honestly rather have that...
 

Korosenai

Member
I hated my High School so I didn't get a class ring. Way too much for something i'd throw in a drawer and never look at again. And even if I did like my high school, I don't think i'd wear a ring for it.
 
I'm not American so this concept of wearing rings to show off from what college you graduated seems so foreign. Around here no one even wears those terrible college/university hoodies.

Rings and yearbooks are mostly a high school thing. Not too many people do it in college/university, but it's available.
 
The ones posted in this thread are the most gaudy pieces of metal I have ever seen. I'd feel embarrassed for the people wearing them.

Surely not all of them are this bad?

MIT_brass_rat_class_ring.jpg


Each ring has carved into it like 12 different secrets. They give you a booklet listing all of the puns and secrets and visual jokes on it. So, it's specialized and the design is unique for each year
 

Amory

Member
Eh, fuck it OP. I say wear it. You designed it yourself (I assume) so I'm guessing you like it, and it seems like a big deal to your parents.

Do you.
 

Fivefold

Banned
Jesus Christ those things are the tackiest shit I've ever seen.

Americans always surprising the world with their good taste. Do you guys tip the jewelry store as well?
 

Jay Sosa

Member
only if you've won a respectable championship.

And shouldn't you have considered this BEFORE spending fucking 1500 bucks?
 
Eh, fuck it OP. I say wear it. You designed it yourself (I assume) so I'm guessing you like it, and it seems like a big deal to your parents.

Do you.

There were literally no real choices to choose from. Either 10k, 14k, or 18k gold, White Gold or Yellow Gold, and Diamonds/no Diamonds....

only if you've won a respectable championship.

And shouldn't you have considered this BEFORE spending fucking 1500 bucks?

I didn't pay a dime. Grants/Scholarships and all of that paid for around $600 of it, and my parents paid the rest in some sort of payment plan. Whether to get it or not wasn't really my choice, it was theirs
 

Grinchy

Banned
bwahahahaha $1500 for a class ring? I wouldn't even spend $100 on that worthless shit.

You already spent 10s of thousands of dollars getting your university receipt, why give Jostens a cut too? Insane.
 
Some of those things look like brass knuckles.

I have a hoodie from my university (Bristol, UK). I wear it when I need to get into the students' union building.
 

TommyT

Member
There were literally no real choices to choose from. Either 10k, 14k, or 18k gold, White Gold or Yellow Gold, and Diamonds/no Diamonds....

Yeah, they're pretty limited to what you can choose, and their sizes (not finger size but actual size of the top of the ring and whatnot) didn't appeal to me. Using the payment plan limits your options to whatever the school offers, which is unfortunate :\
 

Amory

Member
There were literally no real choices to choose from. Either 10k, 14k, or 18k gold, White Gold or Yellow Gold, and Diamonds/no Diamonds....

Your school didn't go through Jostens or whatever? I thought they were the only ones in the class ring game at this point. When they did our high school rings we could choose everything from the type/size/shape of the stone, to what color/metal the ring was, to the design of the ring itself.

My high school ring was actually pretty understated/cool looking and cheap as hell but it didn't look it. Think it cost like $200. Still didn't wear it after the "ring dance" though haha.

Edit: These dudes
 

TheExodu5

Banned
On the topic of rings from college, how many engineers would actually wear the iron ring? It's pretty low key so I'd probably get one.

I wear mine every day.

By the way, there's a reason why it's worn on the pinky finger of your working hand, and you figure this one out pretty quickly as you wear it. The reason is that as you're writing with your working hand, the ring drags on whatever surface you're writing on, so it's a constant reminder about your commitments as an engineer.
 
Your school didn't go through Jostens or whatever? I thought they were the only ones in the class ring game at this point. When they did our high school rings we could choose everything from the type/size/shape of the stone, to what color/metal the ring was, to the design of the ring itself.

My high school ring was actually pretty understated/cool looking and cheap as hell but it didn't look it. Think it cost like $200. Still didn't wear it after the "ring dance" though haha.

Nah, Balfour. I think that was the same company that did the class rings for my high school too. Never even heard of Jostens. Their website doesn't have rings for my school anyways (although they have diploma frames and all of that).

That reminds me... Still have to pay $150+ for a diploma frame...

couldn't you have just said no?

Nope. Also can't say no to walking. I actually don't know one person who actually WANTS to walk, but parents take that seriously too. My friend told her mom she wouldn't walk, and her mom was literally crying over the phone...
 
High school class rings were too expensive for someone who didn't have a job. No school spirit either, saw it as a form of arrogance
 

Zoe

Member
The bf wears his + this every day:

The iron ring (ring for graduated engineers) only costs $20.

It's not particularly striking:
iron-rings.jpg


But everybody assumes he's an Aggie cause only Aggies around here wear their big gaudy rings :(
 

Man that looked depressing lol. That pic is the exact same ring I have, though

I wear mine every day.

By the way, there's a reason why it's worn on the pinky finger of your working hand, and you figure this one out pretty quickly as you wear it. The reason is that as you're writing with your working hand, the ring drags on whatever surface you're writing on, so it's a constant reminder about your commitments as an engineer.
Is this only a Canadian thing, or do most US engineers wear it too?
 

TommyT

Member
Is this only a Canadian thing, or do most US engineers wear it too?

US engineers wear them as well, but it was adopted recently (70's). When I was still in Engineering at TTU I saw a few and asked what they were about. Since then I notice more and more.
 

The Lamp

Member
I don't know what it's like for other schools, but A&M does NOT mess around with their class ring stuff. It's not just a ring or an accessory, it's an ingrained part of student life. It's part of your identity as a student. I don't know a single person to have graduated without their ring and all the people I know who have one wear it even after graduation to their jobs. It signifies you're a part of the Aggie Network. If you get caught cheating at this school, one of the consequences is being ineligible to get an Aggie Ring and it's considered very shameful. It is a deeply-rooted part of the Aggie culture here at A&M. There are traditions associated with your ring (people who get their rings do a "ring dunk"), the ring stands for the highest code of ethics and honor, etc. It's something every senior does pretty much. Thousands of families come into town on ring weekend to celebrate their relative reaching their final year at A&M and earning their ring. People usually take their picture by the giant ring when they pick it up:
7964669554_7d28d0de3e.jpg

Aggie%20Ring%20Day.jpg


There are even scholarships you can get to afford your ring if you don't have the money. It's that big of a deal to A&M students.

Aggies taking pictures on Ring Day with the traditional "Gig 'Em" thumbs up pose and their new rings:
50576eadeffaa.image.jpg

screen-shot-2011-08-18-at-10-43-58-am.png

IMG_0378.jpg

1_thumb.jpg


Aggie Ring Dunk:
ring-dunk-3.jpg


I don't even have my ring yet although I'm a senior (getting it next semester hopefully since I couldn't afford it this semester and didn't try to get a scholarship) but whether I like it or not I'm basically required to be a part of this ritual lol.
 
I don't know what it's like for other schools, but A&M does NOT mess around with their class ring stuff. It's an ingrained part of student life. I don't know a single person to have graduated without their ring and all the people I know who have one wear it even after graduation to their jobs. It signifies you're a part of the Aggie Network. It is a deeply-rooted part of the Aggie culture here at A&M. There are traditions associated with your ring (people who get their rings do a "ring dunk"), the ring stands for the highest code of ethics and honor, etc. It's something every senior does pretty much. Thousands of families come into town on ring weekend to celebrate their relative reaching their final year at A&M and earning their ring. People usually take their picture by the giant ring when they pick it up:
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8305/7964669554_7d28d0de3e.jpg
http://gogigem.com/Photos/Aggieland/Aggie Ring Day.jpg

There are even scholarships you can get to afford your ring if you don't have the money. It's that big of a deal to A&M students.

Aggies taking pictures on Ring Day with the traditional "Gig 'Em" thumbs up pose and their new rings:
http://bloximages.chicago2.vip.town...1e2-9cc8-001a4bcf887a/50576eadeffaa.image.jpg
http://bus12realtor.files.wordpress.com/2011/09/screen-shot-2011-08-18-at-10-43-58-am.png
http://www.makemydayphoto.com/storage/IMG_0378.jpg?__SQUARESPACE_CACHEVERSION=1336013418069
http://www.aggienetwork.com/Uploads/PostMedia/126425/1_thumb.jpg

Aggie Ring Dunk:
http://blog.southernjewlz.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/ring-dunk-3.jpg

I don't even have my ring yet although I'm a senior (getting it next semester hopefully since I couldn't afford it this semester and didn't try to get a scholarship) but whether I like it or not I'm basically required to be a part of this ritual lol.

Holy fucking shit....

US engineers wear them as well, but it was adopted recently (70's). When I was still in Engineering at TTU I saw a few and asked what they were about. Since then I notice more and more.

Sweet. I'm going to look into buying an iron ring then. Just wanted to make sure it was semi-normal to do in the states
 

ghst

thanks for the laugh
I don't know what it's like for other schools, but A&M does NOT mess around with their class ring stuff. It's not just a ring or an accessory, it's an ingrained part of student life. It's part of your identity as a student. I don't know a single person to have graduated without their ring and all the people I know who have one wear it even after graduation to their jobs. It signifies you're a part of the Aggie Network. If you get caught cheating at this school, one of the consequences is being ineligible to get an Aggie Ring and it's considered very shameful. It is a deeply-rooted part of the Aggie culture here at A&M. There are traditions associated with your ring (people who get their rings do a "ring dunk"), the ring stands for the highest code of ethics and honor, etc. It's something every senior does pretty much. Thousands of families come into town on ring weekend to celebrate their relative reaching their final year at A&M and earning their ring. People usually take their picture by the giant ring when they pick it up:
7964669554_7d28d0de3e.jpg

Aggie%20Ring%20Day.jpg


There are even scholarships you can get to afford your ring if you don't have the money. It's that big of a deal to A&M students.

Aggies taking pictures on Ring Day with the traditional "Gig 'Em" thumbs up pose and their new rings:
50576eadeffaa.image.jpg

screen-shot-2011-08-18-at-10-43-58-am.png

IMG_0378.jpg

1_thumb.jpg


Aggie Ring Dunk:
ring-dunk-3.jpg


I don't even have my ring yet although I'm a senior (getting it next semester hopefully since I couldn't afford it this semester and didn't try to get a scholarship) but whether I like it or not I'm basically required to be a part of this ritual lol.

you can get college degrees from cults now?
 

2San

Member
I find it pretty fascinating that I have never heard of this. I knew about the championship rings and such, but I thought it was limited to sports. Wondering where this tradition stems from.
 

The Lamp

Member
you can get college degrees from cults now?

Hahaha yeah we get that joke a lot. I even called it that as a freshman. The Spirit of Aggieland is often described as "From the outside looking in, you can't understand it. And from the inside looking out, you can't explain it." Sounds pretty cultish huh? lol

On the brightside we're a great school with prestige so at least the pride and weirdness isn't for nothing.
 

Meier

Member
Shit, they don't wear rings like that everywhere else? Moving to Cali in a few months, and I don't want to make it THAT obvious that I'm from Tx
I think it's fairly rare to wear them in most other states. At most, I'd imagine someone would buy it as a keepsake.

Getting your Aggie Ring here at Texas A&M is practically a coming of age ritual. People are obsessed with it. Lol.

http://aggiesatweb.tamu.edu/images/uploads/Aggie_ring.jpg[img]

[img]http://gogigem.com/Photos/Ring%20Day%202012/aggie%20ring%20over%20time%20(11)-001.jpg[img][/QUOTE]

Yeah, I was at Sam's recently and some dude was trying to sell me some knives. I got a free one for listening to his spiel but he couldn't help but show his Aggie ring (even though I'm in Austin) and talk about how his son was engaged to a girl whose dad was a Yell leader (I think that's the term) and how he was so proud of that. Aggies have serious pride, I'll give them that. He also mentioned how he was watching Fox News a few days before and that they were the best source of info.. I had to stifle a laugh at that.
 

rSpooky

Member
My son got his class ring for high school this year in his junior year(not sure why they do that here) . Designed it himself etc. I don't understand it as I know it will just go in a box somewhere.

But it seemed a big deal and I figured it is just me being a dumb European not understanding it all...And I still don't , but hey if it makes him happy then I am happy.
 

Alucrid

Banned
I don't know what it's like for other schools, but A&M does NOT mess around with their class ring stuff. It's not just a ring or an accessory, it's an ingrained part of student life. It's part of your identity as a student. I don't know a single person to have graduated without their ring and all the people I know who have one wear it even after graduation to their jobs. It signifies you're a part of the Aggie Network. If you get caught cheating at this school, one of the consequences is being ineligible to get an Aggie Ring and it's considered very shameful. It is a deeply-rooted part of the Aggie culture here at A&M. There are traditions associated with your ring (people who get their rings do a "ring dunk"), the ring stands for the highest code of ethics and honor, etc. It's something every senior does pretty much. Thousands of families come into town on ring weekend to celebrate their relative reaching their final year at A&M and earning their ring. People usually take their picture by the giant ring when they pick it up:

There are even scholarships you can get to afford your ring if you don't have the money. It's that big of a deal to A&M students.

I don't even have my ring yet although I'm a senior (getting it next semester hopefully since I couldn't afford it this semester and didn't try to get a scholarship) but whether I like it or not I'm basically required to be a part of this ritual lol.

Cheaters at my school get expelled.
My son got his class ring for high school this year in his junior year(not sure why they do that here) . Designed it himself etc. I don't understand it as I know it will just go in a box somewhere.

But it seemed a big deal and I figured it is just me being a dumb European not understanding it all...And I still don't , but hey if it makes him happy then I am happy.

I got one from HS. Never wore it. Don't know where it is. Sorry mom and dad.
 

Nether!

Member
I liked my university, but I already have a thousand dollar trinket from it that no one cares about - my diploma.
 

snacknuts

we all knew her
I don't know what it's like for other schools, but A&M does NOT mess around with their class ring stuff. It's not just a ring or an accessory, it's an ingrained part of student life. It's part of your identity as a student. I don't know a single person to have graduated without their ring and all the people I know who have one wear it even after graduation to their jobs. It signifies you're a part of the Aggie Network. If you get caught cheating at this school, one of the consequences is being ineligible to get an Aggie Ring and it's considered very shameful. It is a deeply-rooted part of the Aggie culture here at A&M. There are traditions associated with your ring (people who get their rings do a "ring dunk"), the ring stands for the highest code of ethics and honor, etc. It's something every senior does pretty much. Thousands of families come into town on ring weekend to celebrate their relative reaching their final year at A&M and earning their ring. People usually take their picture by the giant ring when they pick it up:

There are even scholarships you can get to afford your ring if you don't have the money. It's that big of a deal to A&M students.

Aggies taking pictures on Ring Day with the traditional "Gig 'Em" thumbs up pose and their new rings:


I don't even have my ring yet although I'm a senior (getting it next semester hopefully since I couldn't afford it this semester and didn't try to get a scholarship) but whether I like it or not I'm basically required to be a part of this ritual lol.

This is one of the most bizarre things I've ever read.

OP, I personally don't care for class rings, but to each their own.
 
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