Hated my HS, didn’t get a ring, but they were a huge deal for most of the athletic people.
Loved (and still love) my university. Got a custom signet-style ring made up for me (men’s style rather than women’s dinky shit rings) and sized for my thumb.
I wear it at least once a week now. Until I got married a few years back, I wore it every day.
I almost wish that I wasn’t as attached to it, because it’s worth a truly obscene amount of money now, and we’re pretty damn broke. I’ve already sold the jewelery I wasn’t attached to, and I told my husband we’d have to be a lot worse off before I sold that ring.
ETA - in grad school now, and pretty happy that I’m not attached to the school, due to before-mentioned brokitude, so not likely to get a ring for that.
I don’t know if I’ll get a ring when I graduate. If I do, it will be the smallest and least offensive style and silver. I didn’t get a high school ring. Even if I had wanted one (which I didn’t) there was no money for it.
I did splurge and spend $250 on my silver Phi Theta Kappa ring. My mother was a member of the same chapter of the honor society so joining was more special to me than it would have been otherwise. I wear it ever day. It’s very simple though with just the initial of my first name and the PTK greek symbols - no stone, very low profile.
I bought a high school ring, it seemed important at the time. I wore it for a few years. By the time I was graduating college, it didn’t seem important, so I didn’t bother, but I did wear my high school one for a bit longer.
Eventually I decided I didn’t care to wear the ring. First was the “high school” juvenile thing. Seemed to harken back to youth too much or something. Second, I kinda banged it up a bit, and wore the corners off the stone. I’m not easy on jewelry*. Plus, being big and gold, it started making my finger sore.
The only people I seem to see that wear theirs for long are Texas A&M grads. Aggies have a huge legacy thing invested in their rings.
Is it worth it? If your school has a big tradition for it (like A&M or MIT), then maybe so. Or if you think it would mean something to you to have that symbol of your college alma mater with you. Or you like jewelry, especially big gaudy rings. Otherwise, skip it. If you want a reminder, try a tattoo. It’s cheaper and you can’t lose it.
Fellow Aggie here, and I also have one I wear pretty much every day. It can be a good ice breaker when meeting people. As an engineer, it’s especially good when I’m meeting people in engineering related stuff, since a large number of engineers in the Houston area went to A&M, or went to another school but are familiar with it and we can do the friendly trash talking regarding each other’s schools.
