Foo - College Class Ring

Did you buy one? Do you ever actually wear it?

I kinda like one of the designs of ours, but it's $305 for CEL karat, whatever that is. The 10K gold one is $675, on up to about $1200 for 18k.

http://ww2.balfour.com/blcimages/rings/s/NC90390-4902AL_th.jpg

I feel like it's something I should do, but it's a lot of money.

yes, i have one from NCSU. wear it all the time. i ahd one from UNCC, but lost it while out on Lake Norman one summer...

i don't recall how much my NCSU ring cost...

They got those for college? I personally wouldn't waste the $$, but a new laptop on the other hand...

Meh! There are so many other things to spend your money on after college and while you are starting out. You'll appreciate having that $$$ more when you have to buy a mop and broom and toilet brush and utensils and about a zillion other things that you don't think about until you need it.

Don't do it FB!

Spend it on biking gear. Unless you really loved your time at NCSU, your Diploma will be sufficient for memories and proof of attending our "prestigious" institution.

well, coming from a person that was married at both times and not cycling at that time - both rings were gifts and represented a great accomplishment...

the one at NCSU has the most value...i quit my very good job at NCDOT to go back to school at the age of 31 with a 7yo and 3yo. you guys have no idea how difficult that 4yr period was and i wouldn't trade my NCSU class ring for another bike or anything such as that...to each their own...

Yeah, in that case, I would probably get one.

But since it's just college, and pretty much everyone goes to college these days... meh. I think I read on the website that you can get one a few years down the road if you want, once you have a job, and money, and all that stuff.

I never wear jewelry though. I don't even wear a watch.

oh, i totally agree with you fb...i wouldn't have gotten one had it not been for the circumstances surrounding my attendance at NCSU.

if you're like me, any jewelry will feel like it's restricting you. (which is why I assume you don't wear jewelry in the first place).

even if you buy it, you'll never wear it, except on special occasions.

I wore mine "Class of 1980" for about 5 years until I fattened up. Twice since then did I skinny up enough it wear it again, but both times were related to health failures. Soon as I got well and started eating again, it went back onto my ring stand.

Fail on the college ring ...

Did you buy one?

No. Come to think of it, I don't think my undergraduate school even sold rings. :lol:

that's fugly.

No,
Take the money and put it toward advancing your career. If you want to show some school spirit, get a licence plate bracket or something!

In high school I thought about it, not so much because I wanted one but because I assumed it was one of those things people did, sort of like letter jackets. After thinking it through and realizing that both a letter jacket and a class ring would be near useless as soon as I got to college (And yes I did have an athletic letter in HS) I opted to pay for neither. When the time came in college to get a class ring I looked at it and went "They're charging WHAT for that?!" On the other hand, I'm an engineer, so unless my ring is going to stir my coffee for me (which I don't drink) or has some other useful gadget, I'm not paying for it.
Before anyone makes some comment about socially inept engineers, I'm not single.

You say it "feels like something you should do". Is there an actual reason you can tie that to or is it just an impulse because you thought everyone does it? If you can tie it to an actual reason, get one. On the other hand, if you think it will be nothing but a ring stand decoration or don't have that much money just laying about, pass.

Don't waste your money. If you want to show your pride in your alma mater, just get their cycling team's kit and be done with it...

No and no. I graduated in 1989 and have never missed my school ring. Didn't get a HS ring either. I graduated from UC Berkeley, an accomplishment I'm very proud of (I payed my way through school), and thought about it a bit before deciding to pass. Some years later I graduated from Michigan with high distinction and didn't even think about a ring.

There's an element of showing off to having a class ring. About the only one I would consider wearing if I had earned it is a brass rat (MIT).

Sounds like you should pass if you're thinking this is something you SHOULD DO rather than something YOU WANT to do.

Why don't you wait and see - I think there is normally a window to buy one, though they might have a "discount" to pressure you to BIN.

I'm not the jewelry type (I wear a wedding band, a watch, and on occasion, cufflinks) so that clearly was a factor. I don't like things on my hands and fingers (I work with my hands a lot)

What I really wish they had was "break up" rings. I am more proud of the lessons learned there, and sometimes the accomplishment than I am from any other thing I might get a ring for.

I would be styling like Mr. T, btw.

j

What I really wish they had was "break up" rings.Now there's a thought. I own a small jewelry store and this just might fly!!

I'm with several of the others. I wouldn't spend the money on a class ring of any kind. If you want to show your accomplishments, get yourself a diamond ring that's understated and looks good with whatever you wear. (unless you're a flashy type of person!)

BTW the CEL Karat thing is just a fancy name for their version of stainless steel so the ring would always have to be sent back to the manufacturer for even simple sizings.

I did for high school....then lost it about 1 month after graduation.

Didn't bother for college and don't know a single person who did. I wouldn't waste the $$.

Honestly, the affinity for alma mater's borders on the ridiculous.

Obviously, you never went to Ohio State!

http://cdn.cloudfiles.mosso.com/c33292/42890da9-b9d8-4c9c-a3a2-b0b05ec2cc1a.jpg (not my kid, just a random foundling from a google seach)

Did you buy one? Do you ever actually wear it?




Nope. Didn't buy my HS ring either...much better things to spend that kind of money on. And I'd bet that most people who do buy one stop wearing it within a couple of years.




College class rings are juvenile.
You paid a business (a college or university) for a service, an education, and they gave it to you (supposedly). End of business transaction.

What's next, "class rings" for your plumber? cable tv service?

Honestly, the affinity for alma mater's borders on the ridiculous.

+1

Maybe it's because I was a commuter for both of my degrees, but I have never felt any kind of connection to my school beyond it being a service that I bought and (am still) paying for.

no; spend the money on a beer.

I don't even see younger service academy grads (West Point, Annapolis) wearing their class rings anymore and they used to be notorious ring knockers.

no; spend the money on a beer.

I don't even see younger service academy grads (West Point, Annapolis) wearing their class rings anymore and they used to be notorious ring knockers.

Agreed.

However, I would grant the Military Academy grads an exception - they really earned the right to wear whatever they want :thumb:

College class rings are juvenile.
You paid a business (a college or university) for a service, an education, and they gave it to you (supposedly). End of business transaction.

What's next, "class rings" for your plumber? cable tv service?

Honestly, the affinity for alma mater's borders on the ridiculous.

I am with MGtrack on this one. Besides I didn't go to any fancy shmancy private school, not sure if mine had rings. :roflmao2:

UD

This is all exactly what I was hoping for.

I felt like I should get one, just because I assumed it was what people did. Now that I know it's not the norm, I definitely won't bother spending the money.

Thanks for the help.

This is all exactly what I was hoping for.

I felt like I should get one, just because I assumed it was what people did. Now that I know it's not the norm, I definitely won't bother spending the money.

Thanks for the help.

Well, if that is the decision procedure, then I can add this data: of all the many (tens of thousands?) people I have met in my life, exactly one of them proudly wore his school ring. He was quite enamored of it, as I recall. Everyone acted very impressed with it when he showed it to them.

jim

Among others, my high school biology teacher wore his (Ohio State). I always thought it looked a bit odd as class rings are large, and he was pretty short with small hands.

...and he was pretty short with small hands.

Thread over.

You should only get a vanity ring if you graduated from a vanity school.

I'm proud of the college I graduated from, so once I get the cash, I'll have one made. No ring until then.

Did you buy one? Do you ever actually wear it?


No and no. They pretty much all look the same to me, also. Anycollege, Anyhighschool, same old same old. I used to work in a factory making the wax they're cast from though.

I sat on a plane w/ a coach who'd just won the rose bowl, now he had a big freaking ring. That and the MIT beaver that's about all I've ever seen stand out.

That and the MIT beaver that's about all I've ever seen stand out.

You kiss your momma with that mouth?

Agreed.

However, I would grant the Military Academy grads an exception - they really earned the right to wear whatever they want :thumb:

true dat.

I have to say, that as someone who now hires people - I'm lovin the ex-Academy laddies and ladies.

Did you buy one?

Nah. I bought an engagement ring instead. I think I got more use out of that. ;)

I don't have any. But around here IMO they only make sense if you are an Aggie. And if you are, you wouldn't be asking the question.

no; spend the money on a beer.

I don't even see younger service academy grads (West Point, Annapolis) wearing their class rings anymore and they used to be notorious ring knockers.

All service academy students wear their rings during their SR yr. There is a huge ceremony when they get them. They deserve those rings and are the ONLY people I have ever seen wearing a college ring! :thumb:

Here's the thing about rings. They're great for inspection during high profile handshakes. If you already don't wear rings a lot, you probably won't wear it. If you truly want a ring, don't buy it from Balfour. Balfour has been the only on campus peddler of graduation materials and rakes in cash, but you can buy officially licensed rings from other jewelry stores or even walmart.
I wear my class ring at interviews, and other situations like that. I'm a horseman and cyclist so I don't get the opportunity to wear it much because it's bulky and I work with my hands.
And here is what no ring maker wants you to know. If you change your mind and pass on the ring for now and 10 years later when you're wishing you had purchased your ring and you're rolling in bathtubs of cash because you no longer a punk student trying to get by off their parents and a part time $7/hr job, you can always go back and buy one so don't feel any pressure to buy before the campus reps leave.
Hope that helps.

No and no. They pretty much all look the same to me, also. Anycollege, Anyhighschool, same old same old. I used to work in a factory making the wax they're cast from though.

I sat on a plane w/ a coach who'd just won the rose bowl, now he had a big freaking ring. That and the MIT beaver that's about all I've ever seen stand out.

yeah, the Brass Rat, the superbowl rings and the west point ring are said to be the three most recognizable class rings.


I didn't buy a class ring because there were other things that I wanted to spend my money on. Although I'm proud of where I went to school and how hard I worked while I was there, I didn't want that to be one of the first things that people learned about me (ie where I went). I figure if it was important enough for them to know, as in a job interview, it would be discussed directly. Otherwise I don't want people making a set of assumptions based on the ring before they get to know me as a person.

This is all exactly what I was hoping for.

I felt like I should get one, just because I assumed it was what people did. Now that I know it's not the norm, I definitely won't bother spending the money.

Thanks for the help.

I don't think I'm getting one either. I like what someone said, just put some that money toward another team kit, which is cooler looking and means more to you personally anyway.

Well, if that is the decision procedure, then I can add this data: of all the many (tens of thousands?) people I have met in my life, exactly one of them proudly wore his school ring. He was quite enamored of it, as I recall. Everyone acted very impressed with it when he showed it to them.

jim

Congrats on your school ring. :lol:

http://s7d4.scene7.com/is/image/Jostens/col_ring_p_b925100136

i wouldn't get one (I don't wear rings either), but I actually like this one!

Agreed.

However, I would grant the Military Academy grads an exception - they really earned the right to wear whatever they want :thumb:

I wonder if my best friend from HS wears his Air Force Academy ring now that he's a Lt. Colonel in the Army.

I don't think I'm getting one either. I like what someone said, just put some that money toward another team kit, which is cooler looking and means more to you personally anyway.

Agreed. I didn't buy a ring, since I don't wear any jewelery at all. (I consider my watch to be more functional than ornamental.) However, my team jersey means more to me than any school ring ever would.