Is Phi Beta Kappa worth it?

[OoEeOoAhAh]

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Members don't see this ad.

Is PBK worthless?

I mean, you'll probably never use your membership to any real advantage, but it's not purely some money-making scheme like other societies out there. Its members are not a group of post-1970 college students whose parents shelled out $100 to add another line on Junior's resume and buy some book of 2,000 senior photos-- they're real heavyweights like John Marshall, Mark Twain, Jonas Salk, and Helen Keller. I'll pay $55 or whatever it is to join that list any day.

 

[Beta Cell]

Pay the fee, put it on your CV. It looks pretty good since it is relatively selective, but it will never actually come up in conversation/interview/etc.

Really? Have you actually been through the medical interview process? Early-election PBK came up for me.

 

[searun]

Really? Have you actually been through the medical interview process? Early-election PBK came up for me.

Agree. I had a few interviewers make favorable comments about PBK when I interviewed for med school in the 2006-2007 application cycle. I also mentioned my PBK membership on my recent application for residency. I am quite happy with my residency match in a surgical subspecialty. And, no, I do not attribute my match to PBK, but it is respected in academic circles. So why would anyone turn down an invitation to join PBK? To save 50 bucks or whatever. Silly.