How do you get into Phi Betta Kappa

[1010btf]

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Can someone explain to me how some one can get invited? Can any student with very high grades recieve it? What if your school doesnt have such a frat, can you still get invited from the national one? Do you get invited at a certain year?

Thanks for your time.

 

[URHere]

This works differently from school to school. Some schools invite all students with GPAs above a certain percentile. Other schools extend invitations to students after weighing their grades, extracurriculars, research, or letters of recommendation from faculty - I really can't say how the process would work at your school in particular.

In general, only Junior and Senior students are invited. The most competitive students are generally invited as Juniors, while others are invited and inducted the following year.

Also, it is my understanding that your school needs to have a chapter of PBK for you to be inducted. There may be a way of interacting directly with the governing office, but I highly doubt it.

 

[Mayssy]

http://www.pbk.org/home/index.aspx

From what my advisor tells me, the requirements are specific to each school but generally the person's GPA has to be in the top 10% of his/her class. Additionally, my school requires at least intermediate (three semester) proficiency in a language, at least one math course and there's a few more things that I'm blanking on. I would check with your advisor or stop by Dean of Education's office. The application is definitely not open to students, they are selected by faculty and Deans mostly senior year, while a few 'outstanding' students are inducted as juniors.

**Sorry for repeating info URHere described above

 

[quiltlady]

Your school might have Phi Kappa Phi, which is almost equivalent. You have to be invited to join that also, on the basis of your grades.

 

[Mattabet]

I'm not an expert on this, but I think it also might depend on your major. I don't think everyone is eligible to be in PBK. If you're not, there's probably a different Greek honor that goes with your major (Eta Kappa Nu for Engineers, for example).

 

[Mayssy]

I'm not an expert on this, but I think it also might depend on your major. I don't think everyone is eligible to be in PBK. If you're not, there's probably a different Greek honor that goes with your major (Eta Kappa Nu for Engineers, for example).

An honors society exists for almost every major, but I think PBK is all encompassing.

 

[dmblue]

I was invited every year at my school, but I turned it down all 4 times. I don't see why you would want to join it. It seems like something meaningless to put on your resume. If your grades and EC's are good, then they go on your resume. Why pay some organization to verify this for you?

 

[TooMuchResearch]

An honors society exists for almost every major, but I think PBK is all encompassing.

Phi Beta Kappa invites only students in liberal studies, so engineering and other pre/professional fields are out.

I was invited every year at my school, but I turned it down all 4 times. I don't see why you would want to join it. It seems like something meaningless to put on your resume. If your grades and EC's are good, then they go on your resume. Why pay some organization to verify this for you?

Because Phi Beta Kappa is a well known and respected honors society.

 

[takhara]

Phi Beta Kappa invites only students in liberal studies, so engineering and other pre/professional fields are out.

False, at least at my school. I and plenty of other science majors were invited to phi beta kappa. There were general course requirements like a semester of foreign language and math, but all majors were eligible. Of course, gpa had to be at a certain level. I don't think EC's mattered at all. Also, my school paid for all the induction fees, which was nice.

 

[TooMuchResearch]

False, at least at my school. I and plenty of other science majors were invited to phi beta kappa. There were general course requirements like a semester of foreign language and math, but all majors were eligible. Of course, gpa had to be at a certain level. I don't think EC's mattered at all. Also, my school paid for all the induction fees, which was nice.

Not false. Liberal studies encompasses science as well as non-science. Engineering is not a liberal studies science. Even AMCAS recognizes this; engineering courses typically do not count towards BCPM GPA calculation. Engineering students have their own honors society.

 

[BJPENNSTATE]

basically, i was inducted into phi beta kappa because they told me I was one of the "students who met the rigorous academic standards, while taking a variety of courses in the liberal arts and sciences, especially those taken outside my major and beyond the normal general education requirements of the campus."


basically, if you are the top 5% of your major, and you take some humanities or classics or some liberal arts classes, then you're qualified.



however, if u have a 3.99 gpa and a bio major, but you didnt take those liberal arts classes, then you probably wont get in...some of my friends had 3.95+ gpa and weren't in PBK

 

[flip26]

I was invited every year at my school, but I turned it down all 4 times. I don't see why you would want to join it. It seems like something meaningless to put on your resume. If your grades and EC's are good, then they go on your resume. Why pay some organization to verify this for you?

Umm, total BS.

Only juniors and seniors are eligible.

 

[ar2388]

i was invited this year. apparently you have to be nominated by a phi beta kappa member. i am a chemistry major and apparently they all sat down and discussed the majors together to decide who to nominate.

 

[funkymunkytoes]

My school's chapter only invites those receiving a B.A. degree. I think they do so strictly on the basis of GPA, and this year they invited 72 out of about 1000 graduates. Not any school can have a PBK chapter. The school has to prove to PBK that their institution is worthy of the recognition (via various academic standards, research contributions, faculty, etc.). Here's a hint:


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[searun]

You cannot be selected for Phi Beta Kappa unless your college or university has been awarded a chapter. Only about 10 percent of the nation's colleges and universities have been awarded a Phi Beta Kappa chapter. There are strict requirements for awarding a chapter and the national organization will send a team to evaluate any college or university that seeks to be awarded a Phi Beta Kappa chapter. It is almost like an accreditation committee.

Science majors can be invited to join Phi Beta Kappa. I was a biochemistry major, for example, but I took alot of literature and writing courses, as well as music courses. There is an emphasis on a broad liberal arts background, which includes substantial coursework in the humanities, science, math, and the arts.

Only juniors and seniors are eligible to be elected to Phi Beta Kappa - so the guy who says he got invited each year for 4 years of college is smoking too much green stuff.

It also is my understanding that only faculty who are members of Phi Beta Kappa themselves are eligible to vote for the election of student candidates. At my school, you are nominated by a faculty member. You do not apply for membership.

 

[Maxx4]

Only juniors and seniors are eligible to be elected to Phi Beta Kappa - so the guy who says he got invited each year for 4 years of college is smoking too much green stuff.

He's probably including Phi Theta Kappa.

 

[Aldock59]

It is Phi Beta Kappa, not Betta. You are only eligible if your college or university has a chapter and there are strict standards that the school must meet before they are granted a chapter.

 

[1010btf]

Thanks for the responses!

I did a search at the PBK site, and it appears that there is one at my school(I was really surprised, because I searched for it all over my schools website and i got nothing!)

I am going to contact the guy in charge at my University, and see the requirments!

 

[dmblue]

Umm, total BS.

Only juniors and seniors are eligible.

um...i was a junior in my second semester because I took many AP exams and scored very high on them

I don't smoke pot.

I might be mixing this up with something with a similar name, but I was invited to something like this 4 years in a row.

EDIT: It was Phi Kappa Phi. Sorry, my mistake

 

[searun]

um...i was a junior in my second semester because I took many AP exams and scored very high on them

I don't smoke pot.

I might be mixing this up with something with a similar name, but I was invited to something like this 4 years in a row.

EDIT: It was Phi Kappa Phi. Sorry, my mistake

Nice try, kid, but no cigar. You only get one invite, either your junior or senior year. Once, not 4 times. Do your homework and don't lie. It makes you look stupid. Good job on not smoking pot. Now graduate from high school.

 

[Pinkertinkle]

I can tell you how I didn't get into PBK: by slacking my ass off for a semester and a half after getting into medical school.

 

[searun]

I can tell you how I didn't get into PBK: by slacking my ass off for a semester and a half after getting into medical school.

Most people who get into med school are not PBK. But it does not hurt - that is for sure. And if you are really a stud, you get admitted junior year, before you apply for med school. Much tougher junior year. Basically, PBK senior year is for p****ies. Apparently you were not invited junior year.

 

[hanjg]

Each school can set their own standards higher than the national organization, some of which are exceptionally high. At my school only juniors who have a 4.0/4.0 are eligible. This year there were....3.

 

[dmblue]

Nice try, kid, but no cigar. You only get one invite, either your junior or senior year. Once, not 4 times. Do your homework and don't lie. It makes you look stupid. Good job on not smoking pot. Now graduate from high school.

okay...

I just said it was a different honors society, meaning it has different rules than Phi Beta Kappa. I was invited every year, which is possible because I was an upperclassman in my first year. It may not have even been Phi Kappa Phi. I don't remember, because it didn't matter to me. I threw the letter out each time. I assumed it was PKP because i have an email from them in my trash folder from each of the last two years. (I cleaned my trash folder out after sophomore year)

No need to be an ass.

 

[Pinkertinkle]

Most people who get into med school are not PBK. But it does not hurt - that is for sure. And if you are really a stud, you get admitted junior year, before you apply for med school. Much tougher junior year. Basically, PBK senior year is for p****ies. Apparently you were not invited junior year.

Apparently you're kind of a jerk.

 

[dmblue]

Apparently you're kind of a jerk.

Yes