Phi Beta Kappa honor society worth joining?

[chessknt]

Right, Id understand that from an academic perspective (ie applying for a research itnership), but for residency/jobs after residency?

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[Blesbok]

Oh, please. I think the OP's academic record would speak for itself, with or without PBK. Are you saying he is not worthy of PBK if he doesn't pay the money? It seems to me any sort of honor society that requires an initiation fee is just a money grab.

AOA requires an initiation fee. Would you turn it down because they want $25 to join?

 

[scottyT]

Sorry for thread resurrection, but is PBK worth joining (ie paying them $55) AFTER getting accepted to med school? My initial gut feeling was no, but then I saw early posts saying some residency directors would be mildly impressed and Ill take all the help I can get....

If I dont pay the fee can I still put it on my CV? Haha.

I'd say yes if for nothing else that you can put it on your CV/resume for the rest of your life. Unless you also graduate with honors, there will be nothing else on there to reflect your undergraduate academic prowess.

I would avoid putting it on your CV if you don't pay though. You won't know the secret handshake and that could lead to significant embarrassment or even humiliation some time in the future.

 

[chessknt]

Honors at UCI is ridiculous--summa cum laude requires a GPA >3.96.

And are you serious about the handshake? I probably wont even remember it if I DO learn it.....

 

[scottyT]

Honors at UCI is ridiculous--summa cum laude requires a GPA >3.96.

And are you serious about the handshake? I probably wont even remember it if I DO learn it.....

I am serious about the handshake ... I never learned it though because I didn't go to the induction dinner. Hey, do you get dinner out of the deal? That lowers the cost somewhat.

As far as putting it on your CV/whatever, I believe carries more weight than honors because many schools award honors to a ridiculous percentage of the graduating class or base it purely off GPA. PBK requires you to have taken a breadth of courses outside your major and membership is limited to a small percentage of the eligible people (the exact percentage depends on the chapter).

Here is something funny I just saw on the wikipedia article for phi beta kappa that is particularly germane to your situation:

Refusal of the invitation occurs almost entirely at large state universities. This is especially common in the Western United States, where there are comparatively few old private universities. Reasons given include a lack of knowledge of the society (especially by first-generation and foreign college students), the initiation fee, lack of perceived benefit to the honoree, low prestige for academic achievement at the institution, and earlier invitations by other (often local) academic honor societies which may be better known. At the University of Connecticut, for example, a top student ordinarily receives invitations to three other general academic honor societies which are listed in the student handbook, and often one or more departmental honor societies; each of them requires a fee and makes the invitation earlier in the school year. Many such students in the University of California system initially refuse, but later ask to be reconsidered after they learn of the society's high prestige.

 

[Lukkie]

Here is something funny I just saw on the wikipedia article for phi beta kappa that is particularly germane to your situation:

yeah im looking through my graduation book now that lists all the honors that graduates got... i see lots of alpha lambda delta, phi eta sigma, golden key... not a single phi beta kappa.

 

[copingmethods]

The handshake is real...they taught it at the induction, but I couldn't remember remember it. Apparently it's not secret anymore, and you can find it if you google it.

 

[Excelsius]

PBK (and Tau Beta Pi for engineers) is the only honor society for undergrads worth joining. There are people who will be impressed by it down the road.

I was wondering - none of the other honor societies are worth anything? Such as Omicron Delta Kappa or Sigma Xi?

 

[BJPENNSTATE]

phi beta kappa is da ****niz ya dig?

it will last with u till da grave...

 

[erskine]

this is kind of weird but at my school the standards for phi kappa phi were more stringent than for pbk.

if its just 55 dollars, might as well do it. it's my understanding that a lot of universities have declining student acceptance rates for PBK, and my induction was paid for by the university. Maybe if you whine enough you can get them to cover the cost of induction.

 

[qmcat]

I agree with joining PBK if you have the chance.

The selection standard at my school makes it so much harder to get into PBK. First, we have to get nominated. Then we have to write an essay and do an interview with a faculty before going through a selection process. Even after all of that's done, we still have to pay $75 to get inducted. What a jip. I'd still do it even though I feel kind of used.

 

[BrainBuff]

How about Phi Kappa Phi? It is the OLDEST, largest and most selective of the academic societies for all disciplines. Notable members ? Jimmy Carter and Ruth Ginsberg.

I wonder if Phi Beta Kappa has the Republican Presidents and Supreme Court Justices..

But I agree, PBK is phat

 

[Steeler7588]

How about Phi Kappa Phi? It is the OLDEST, largest and most selective of the academic societies for all disciplines. Notable members ? Jimmy Carter and Ruth Ginsberg. I wonder if Phi Beta Kappa has the Republican Presidents and Supreme Court Justices.

I'm pretty sure Phi Beta Kappa's older (by 100+ years). And to answer your question, according to their pamphlet, their members include 17 Presidents and two-thirds of the current Supreme Court Justices... more importantly, Peyton Manning.

And are you serious about the handshake? I probably wont even remember it if I DO learn it.....

Haha, if the handshake is anything, it's memorable. I laughed when a professor showed it to me.

 

[copingmethods]

How about Phi Kappa Phi? It is the OLDEST, largest and most selective of the academic societies for all disciplines. Notable members ? Jimmy Carter and Ruth Ginsberg.

Their website does say that, but I don't know what they mean by that, since PBK was around more than 100 years before as steeler pointed out.

 

[RapplixGmed]

Phi Kappa Phi is the oldest one that honors all academic disciplines

Phi Beta Kappa honors only liberal arts and sciences but not other academic disciplines.

I'm an engineer so I can't qualify for PBK. I could however qualify for PKP. However, we engineers have Tau Beta Pi.

 

[searun]

Phi Kappa Phi is the oldest one that honors all academic disciplines

Phi Beta Kappa honors only liberal arts and sciences but not other academic disciplines.

I'm an engineer so I can't qualify for PBK. I could however qualify for PKP. However, we engineers have Tau Beta Pi.

For you history buffs, Phi Beta Kappa was founded in 1776 and the original chapter disbanded and ran for their lives when the British army marched into Williamsburg during the Revolutionary War. Phi Beta Kappa regrouped after the Revolutionary War and Harvard and Yale established chapters. Only about ten percent of US colleges and universities have been awarded PBK chapters. The standards are pretty strict.

PBK is respected. So is Tau Beta Pi, though the general public does not really understand engineers or their honary society. PBK has real respect in academic circles. Definitely worth a mention on your CV.

 

[Maxx4]

Well, I joined and I don't even attend the meetings.

 

[vickpick]

so if my school dont have a chapter of pbk, i won't be invited even if i was top 1% of my class?

 

[vickpick]

I'm pretty sure Phi Beta Kappa's older (by 100+ years). And to answer your question, according to their pamphlet, their members include 17 Presidents and two-thirds of the current Supreme Court Justices... more importantly, Peyton Manning.

Haha, if the handshake is anything, it's memorable. I laughed when a professor showed it to me.

lol.

 

[neil100]

I don't recommend it. It's just an elitist version of those other societies.
Sure it's kind of prestigious. But, guess what! If your USMLE Score is <230, the resident director could care less about that pbk business. The director probably doesn't care about it regardless because it doesn't show that you can be a competent doctor. It just shows that you did very well in college.

And which one of the so-called famous people contributed immensely to science and medicine with innovative thoughts that are in use today??

They just want your money basically.

 

[neil100]

same with AOA, right?

huh..is that sarcasm?

why are you talking about osteopathic institutions?

 

[scarletgirl777]

This is like asking if it's worth it to get summa cum laude. If it's going to be a lot of effort, no, because residency directors don't care. But it is something that literally follows you around for the rest of your life, so if all you had to do was pay 55 dollars to get it, I think it's worth the cash.

 

[neil100]

...

okayyyy!!
you should have said same with AMA, right? if you really are trying to be...you know what.

And people will know if you were a summa cum laude because you can write that on your resume with the college GPA. For proof, you can take ur college transcript copy!!!

Again, not worth the money. I really wonder what do they do with the money. Probably bunch of rich and old folks gobble it all up anyways.

 

[Legacy87]

Darn...I didn't go to the induction dinner to learn the handshake. Oh well...I'll just give a high five to my other fellow PBK. 🙂

 

[Podalarius]

Engineers are, strictly speaking, eligible for Phi Beta Kappa - it's not your major but your overall course selection that determines you eligibility. Tau Beta Pi brings some nice traditions to the profession, and is certainly an honor within engineering - since TBP inducts earlier in the year, it also does a slightly better job of creating a community while on the campus, and I get the impression that at some chapters it's more of commitment than at others (fairly minimal at mine). Phi Beta Kappa's traditions (at least on my campus - we learned the handshake, heard a few speeches, ate some food) were pretty limited, but it was much more selective than Latin honors, and compared to magna, summa, etc., the standard for PBK is relatively uniform.

I'd say they are both worth the money - they are lifetime indicators of your academic performance, and, considering how much you invested in time and money for your education, are a relatively cheap final cost that can open several doors for you.

 

[greg1184]

huh..is that sarcasm?

why are you talking about osteopathic institutions?

Alpha omega alpha is not an osteopathic institution.

 

[confusedchild]

I joined Tau Beta Pi and later became the president of my chapter. I definitely think joining these societies is worth it IF you get involved in it. Of course, there are many that join for the sake of putting it on their app, and in that case I'd say like what most people said on here; other than TBP and PBK, the other ones aren't worth joining. So join PBK either way.

 

[TooMuchResearch]

For you history buffs, Phi Beta Kappa was founded in 1776 and the original chapter disbanded and ran for their lives when the British army marched into Williamsburg during the Revolutionary War. Phi Beta Kappa regrouped after the Revolutionary War and Harvard and Yale established chapters. Only about ten percent of US colleges and universities have been awarded PBK chapters. The standards are pretty strict.

PBK is respected. So is Tau Beta Pi, though the general public does not really understand engineers or their honary society. PBK has real respect in academic circles. Definitely worth a mention on your CV.

 

[TooMuchResearch]

huh..is that sarcasm?

why are you talking about osteopathic institutions?

I think he probably meant this AOA.

 

[mc1988]

PBK is the most coveted undergraduate national honor society you can be elected to. It shows that you are/were the top 5-10% of your whole graduating class. Not every school has PBK, but most prestigious schools such as Harvard and Stanford do. PBK is even mentioned in a Faulkner novel, so it means something.

 

[YamNMangos]

PBK is the most coveted undergraduate national honor society you can be elected to. It shows that you are/were the top 5-10% of your whole graduating class. Not every school has PBK, but most prestigious schools such as Harvard and Stanford do. PBK is even mentioned in a Faulkner novel, so it means something.

Did you create an account just to dig this thread out of its grave? 😵

 

[13132]

I decided to join. I decided it was worth it to have another line on my resume that some people may be impressed be.

My university also paid the fee to join, so it was probably a way easier decision for me.

 

[kyamh]

Did you create an account just to dig this thread out of its grave? 😵

I'm glad @mc1988 did, I didn't know PBK held any value....SDN continues to teach me something new every day 🙂

 

[Time Table]

Yeah, I've read throughout my time at SDN that PBK was the only honor society to join because of it's prestige and merit on a CV.