At most schools, people don't even know about class rings and if the school has one, a very small percentage of students actually order their ring. For Aggies, it's a totally different story....
From the day they begin their freshman year in college, Aggies start their ring countdown EVERYONE at A&M gets a ring when they have enough hours (when I was there, you had to complete 95 hours before you could even ORDER your ring). Needless to say, people pile on the hours when they get close so they can receive their ring sooner. Students look lustfully at those who already have theirs and begin adding up the number of hours left before they can request an order form and go to their ring fitting. Then... they wait.
There are only three days in the year that Aggies can receive their ring. These days are called Ring Day and there is one in April, September, and November. On Ring Day, there is live music, families and friends come to town, and there are many celebrations. I could go on and on about Ring Day, but I don't want to take up TOO much space. I will, however, discuss a little bit about wearing the Aggie Ring outside of campus.
Aggies tend to wear their rings for life. I work with someone who graduated from A&M over 50 years ago and he still wears his ring every single day. No matter where I go, I see someone with an Aggie Ring and it immediately begins a conversation. Even those who did not go to A&M will begin talking to me when they recognize my ring. Since every ring has the same design, and the rings are gold, they stand out. In interviews, people mention my ring, and I never seem to go somewhere without someone commenting on (and complimenting) my ring.
It's strange how much attention and benefit a single ring can have, but the Aggie Ring means so much more than just a college ring. It's hard to explain it, but I think my life would be different if I didn't have this gold class ring on my finger.
I want to say congratulations to all of the seniors getting their rings at Texas A&M today. I'm especially proud of my little sis, Marissa, who has patiently waited for this day to come!!