Should I join? Invitation from Honorary Faternity (SIGMA ALPHA PI)??

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MDaddict

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So I got an invitation from this Honorary Faternity called Sigma Alpha Pi which is called The National Society of Leadership and Success which is only by invitation or nomination.

Would it be a good idea to join, AS IN would it help my chances of getting into Medical School??

I really don't have much experience in these kind of things, but I've asked some students and they said it looks really good on your EC's when you apply because only the top people in university usually get into these honorary faternaties?

THANKS!

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I'll be the first to admit that I don't know much about honor societies, but unless it's PBK I would be careful about joining them. Most of the ones I've been "invited" to are nothing more than certificate mills where you pay a ridiculous amount of money for a piece of paper.
 
So I got an invitation from this Honorary Faternity called Sigma Alpha Pi which is called The National Society of Leadership and Success which is only by invitation or nomination.

1) Would it be a good idea to join, AS IN would it help my chances of getting into Medical School??

2) I really don't have much experience in these kind of things, but I've asked some students and they said it looks really good on your EC's when you apply because only the top people in university usually get into these honorary faternaties?
1) No and No. 2) Your GPA, transcript, and activites will speak of your leadership and potential for success. You don't need the fluff of an honor society membership or deans list on a med school application.

What does "top" mean? Top half, top quarter, top 3%, top 1%?
 
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I'll be the first to admit that I don't know much about honor societies, but unless it's PBK I would be careful about joining them. Most of the ones I've been "invited" to are nothing more than certificate mills where you pay a ridiculous amount of money for a piece of paper.
:thumbup:
Most of them cost about 70-100 USD, but aren't worth a penny. And in my experience, membership in PBK doesn't seem to be a big deal for med schools; I think only 1 of my interviewers mentioned my membership. I'd still recommend joining PBK as it is prestigious. It also happens to be the cheapest to join.
 
I mentioned Phi Beta Kappa on my med school application and also on my residency application. It is a worthy honor and respected in academic circles. It is based upon more than gpa, it requires you to excel in a diverse academic subjects from science and math, to the arts and humanities and foreign languages. You are nominated by faculty members and not simply solicited by a certificate mill trying to make a buck.
 
I mentioned Phi Beta Kappa on my med school application and also on my residency application. It is a worthy honor and respected in academic circles. It is based upon more than gpa, it requires you to excel in a diverse academic subjects from science and math, to the arts and humanities and foreign languages. You are nominated by faculty members and not simply solicited by a certificate mill trying to make a buck.

So Phi Beta Kappa is a "real" honor society? I had no idea. Every time I got one of those I read down to the part where they said send money and tossed it in the trash... guess I shoulda hung on to that one... oh well.
 
I'd say if you have cash laying around it can't hurt. Also, if you actually get involved in an honor society (like volunteering and networking), it may be truly beneficial. Other than that they are pointless IMO.
 
There are a ton of "honor societies" out there, and frankly, I don't think med schools care much about them. This is with the exception of PBK, which is a nationally historically recognized body. I have had several interviewers bring up my PBK membership so far.

As for more specific honor groups (i.e., SDP for Spanish, or the engineering societies, etc.), I actually think those are good to join. And they're usually a little bit more legit since faculty members are more heavily involved in them (at least where I'm from).
 
no.

i don't know where you go to school, but my roommate last year was paid to "found" a chapter of that at USC. there was a ton of drama though, because several advisors sent out an email warning students that it was a scam. i don't know if that's true or not, but there's really no need to join any honor society of such dubious legitimacy....
 
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