Sorry, but I just don’t understand the tradition of class rings

They’re tacky

Before you yell at me, this is just my opinion. But to be frank, I really don’t understand the tradition of class rings. It just makes no sense to me. Why spend $500 plus dollars on something that big and tacky?

Most colleges have some version of this tradition. At NC State you must be of junior status and/or have completed 60 credit hours. But is it really that big of a deal?

They’re all the same

Other than your school’s mascot or sentimental image being on the side, they’re exactly the same at every university. Class rings are always chunky and ugly, regardless if your graduation year is carved in the side or not. The colors and words are interchangeable but everything else is just part of a mold.

It’s nice to have a trinket to remember your time at NCSU, but why not just get a brick from campus since they are now giving them out to graduates? Build it into your future home or something cheesy like that.

Excessive costs

Personally, I am not a fan of gold. But upgrading to a silver metal means I would have to pay even more. After just spending all of my money and becoming a slave to student loans, it’s not like I have $500-$600 just sitting around for no good reason.

Sentimentality

Each semester there is a ceremony where students put their class rings in the Memorial Bell Tower overnight to christen them in tradition. This is so cool and respectable, but once again, spending oodles of money in order to participate is ridiculous. Let’s take it back to the brick scenario. How about we stack up our bricks instead?

Not feminine at all

Usually I don’t give a crap if something is overly feminine or not, but this is just painful. All the ring options are manly and large. Girls typically prefer something more dainty and less branding iron. The dinner ring is nice, but not something one would want to wear on a daily basis. We need more options, people.

Think back to the letter jackets from high school. Does anyone actually wear those things anymore? No. They’re just collecting dust in the back of a closet back home. The same thing applies to class rings.

You feel obligated to buy one because you want to seem like a good college kid and because AASAP if full of salespeople, but at the end of the day it’s just not a wise investment. What happens if you go to a different grad school? Do you get another ring there? This is too much pressure.

College and graduation is just a bad time to be spending any extra money. We’re all broke and getting ready to pay off loans so unless mom and dad are feeling generous, this isn’t a high-priority purchase.

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North Carolina State University