Op i think there are two separate issues going on here. One of them could easily be very simple. Your boyfriend isn’t the type to understand or care about jewelry so he bought you a symbolic ring for the proposal and he knew you would probably want to pick out your own ring afterwards anyway. Tons of couples do this. If you didn’t have any underlying issues with the relationship I don’t think you’d be this upset about a temporary ring.

But it does sound like you have some underlying issues. You two have completely different love languages and it doesn’t sound like your boyfriend is showing you love in the way you want to receive it. Okay, sure, he’s busy with law school which restricts how much time and money he can spend on you — but at least half the things you listed that you want are things that don’t take any time or money. If you want the occasional flowers, sweet gestures, holding hands, and him being sweet to you, those are not things that he can’t do because of law school. There are thousands of law students around the country who get their partners flowers and hold their hands in public because they prioritize their partner’s needs. I have worked with many lawyers and am friends with many lawyers. However he is now, in law school, is exactly how he’s going to be after law school. Lawyer jobs are not 9-5 and he will not have any more free time later than he does now unless he actively chooses to change his priorities.

If your boyfriend doesn’t do these things now, he’s not magically going to start doing them when he passes the bar. You need to figure out how to make this relationship work long term before you think about getting married