Howdy! Congratulations on beating-the-hell-outta 90 hours and earning your Aggie Ring! If you’re anything like me (…and most other Aggies) after I ordered my Aggie Ring, I was ecstatic and obsessively excited up until the moment I received my ring and thereafter. I’m sure you have been counting your credit hours religiously and planning out each semester to predict a timeline for eligibility since your first official day as a Fightin’ Texas Aggie. Now, a remarkable amount of time has passed and a very exquisite piece of gold is being personalized for you, calendar days are being marked off, and the anticipation is becoming increasingly powerful. You’re stressed because there are multiple decisions and plans to be made for the weekend. In addition, some of you may be dunking your FTA ring, so the thought of consuming 48oz of very warm and hopefully very flat beer is overwhelming to say the least. Not to mention the most trying moments of them all: Ring Pull and along with the thousands of other ring recipients, you’re hoping with every fiber of your being that your internet browser doesn’t crash and you’re able to obtain the most perfect time-slot for the most perfect day. With that said, for those of you receiving your Aggie Rings this year or next, or even in 10 years...I wanted to share a few words of advice to systematically ensure a flawless Aggie Ring Day.

I Ordered My Aggie Ring, Now What?

1. It’s ordered and officially official. So, now start shopping/planning what you’re going to wear. Ring day is a once in a lifetime experience and there are going to be tons of pictures, so it’s only appropriate that you look your best!
   
   1. Girls: I started searching for my ring day dress and shoes probably two to three months in advance, and had my dress in hand about one and a half months before my ring day.
      1. Pick a color (or a few) and type of outfit to narrow your search and start looking early so that you aren’t so overwhelmed and dress-less the week of ring day. And yes, it’s okay if you don’t wear maroon! More than likely, you have a significant amount of maroon clothing in your closet already and it’ll be nice to get something new!
      2. For shoes, go for cute and comfortable and if they’re new, be sure to break them in!!! There’s nothing worse than being in such discomfort on a day like ring day.
      3. Nails, nails, nails! Your right hand is going to be featured all weekend and who ever regrets a manicure? So, in the attempt of avoiding traffic, schedule your mani/pedi in advance at a salon that you trust and maybe at a random time of day.
   2. Guys: Most of you aren’t going to worry about what you’re going to wear until the very last minute, either because someone else is going to choose for you, or you’re just being you. Nevertheless, I still have a few things to say.
      1. Stay classic or don’t, but you will never go wrong with a maroon dress shirt and khaki dress pants with an optional tie/bow tie or blazer.
      2. IMPORTANT: Don’t defer ironing/steaming your clothes and be sure that your waist belt and your shoes are the same color.
2. Let your family and friends know when ring day is in advance (especially those who live out of town) and if they need hotels, MAKE RESERVATIONS ASAP.
   1. This also includes any lunch or dinner reservations/plans!
3. Assign/book your photographer (professional or not) in a timely manner and be sure you can trust them. It’s an important day and definitely one to be documented appropriately.
   
   

It’s Ring Day!

1. First and foremost, remember to have your Aggie Ring Day Ticket and two forms of identification (which may be a combination of your ring receipt, driver’s license or TAMU student ID).
   
2. If you aren’t usually punctual, plan to be punctual.
   1. If your friends/family are traveling separate from you and have a tendency to be late, tell them your scheduled ring time is at least 30 minutes before it actually is so that they’re on time (I had to do this, and it worked, hehe).
   2. Be sure to arrive at ring plaza (with your entire party or at least most of it) at least five minutes before your scheduled time and locate the banner that coincides with your last name.
   3. If you happen to miss your scheduled ring time, remember an all call for Aggies who missed their time will be at the top of each hour until 7:00pm.
   
3. Traffic in Aggieland is going to be insane. Be aware of traffic conditions, plan ahead and leave early, take an alternate route, etc
4. Buy the official Ring Day t-shirt. I think that we can all agree that t-shirts are one of our favorite things as college students, so just buy one.
5. If weather conditions are questionable, visit tx.ag/ringdayupdates for real-time weather and event updates (because you don’t want find out from Yik Yak that all ring times after 5:00pm were canceled due to inclement weather less than an hour before your ring time).
6. STAY HYDRATED!!!
7. ***Last but not least, do NOT leave your apartment without....***
   1. GIRLS: makeup setting spray, deodorant, and perfume!
   2. GUYS: deodorant and cologne!
   
   It’s about damn time, huh?! Now, you’re distracted in class because there’s a very shiny piece of gold on your right hand. Don’t worry, it’s okay and totally normal. You have paid the price of blood, sweat and tears for this ring, so enjoy it because you deserve it! Not for too long though because you still have to graduate, but at least now you are carrying a window of opportunity, a key to the Aggie Network and confidence to conquer the world.
   
   

   
   
   Thanks and Gig ‘Em!

   ---

   Photos by Kaley Gross Photography
   >>www.kaleygrossphotography.com<<