Comments on: Brass Rat

By: Lily Winston

Lily Winston — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 05:54:07 +0000

Any advice on what to do if a student takes more than 4 years to graduate? Can he choose which ring he prefers? Should he choose the ring for the 4th year or the actual year he graduated? I hear the average student takes 5 years to complete MIT so other students must havae this question.

By: Charles Finn

Charles Finn — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 20:08:51 +0000

My brass rat has been recognized as far afield from 77 Mass Ave as Tokyo (on the subway!), Johannesburg (down a gold mine) and Sydney. It is the one true indicator of an MIT grad.

By: Justin Stamen

Justin Stamen — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 00:56:50 +0000

Due to its distinctiveness, the Brass Rat also serves as a recongnition symbol to find other MIT folk in the field. People spot it and know, and the one’s who spot it and don’t know find the details facinating.

By: Allen Krieger

Allen Krieger — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 19:47:35 +0000

There used to be a tradition that after receipt of your Brass Rat, but before graduation, the ring was worn with the beaver’s tail and feet toward the owner, but that after graduation, you reversed the ring so that the feet and tail faced outward. I believe that all MIT graduates know why.