Phi Beta Kappa

[Scarletbegonias]

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Has anyone been selected for Phi Beta Kappa this year? Is anyone a member? How great is this distinction? I'm under the impression that it is pretty honorable, esp. compared to a lot of other "honor societies." Should I mention this distinction in my letter of intent?

 

[14022]

Has anyone been selected for Phi Beta Kappa this year? Is anyone a member? How great is this distinction? I'm under the impression that it is pretty honorable, esp. compared to a lot of other "honor societies." Should I mention this distinction in my letter of intent?

It is the most prestigious honor in liberal arts schools. If you are Phi Beta Kappa, you must have shown excellent scholastic acheivment. I am curious, and I truely mean no offense, but if you are Phi Beta Kappa, why are you pre-osteopathic and not pre-allopathic? Personally, I do not think that pre-osteopathic offers any difference in the quality of education (although there are distinct philosophical differences) but from my experience there seems to be an unwarranted and unfortunate prejudice against osteopaths among the allopathic world. Also, and please correct me if I am incorrect, it seems more difficult for osteopaths to obtain the more numerous allopathic residencies because of their requirment to take both the COMLEX and USMLE. It requires more time and money to take both exams.

And to reiterate, I mean no offense at what I say. I do not condone the apparent prejudices against the osteopaths, I am merely making an observation that the prejudice exists.

 

[Scarletbegonias]

Well, I can't tell you anything about the COMLEX and USMLE scores, or residencies. If you search, you should be able to find some discussions about that.

As for me, I applied to all allopathic at first. Spring of 2004 I intended to apply to OSU-COM, as I'm a resident of OK, and whether a school was allopathic or osteopathic didn't really matter to me. But, when it came down to actually submitting AACOMAs, I was out of cash, and I thought I would have a pretty good chance at OU, the other state school. I only applied to 3 allopathic schools total. Unfortunately, OU got back to me in December that I would not be considered for interview. Later I found out that it was probably because my most mcat score, the one they look at, was one point below the cut off (which if you ask me, there's a big difference between 1 point on the mcat scale, and .3 or .4 on the gpa scale, as people with much lower gpas than me got interviews with a point or two higher on the mcat). So within this time, I got some stuff in the mail from OSU-COM, got to reading about osteopathic medicine. The philosophy of osteopathic medicine turned out to be quite similar to the one I developed about how medicine should practiced over the past couple of years and experiences I had. I decided to apply to OSU-COM late, got an interview, and was REALLY IMPRESSED. Compared to OU, I was treated a lot better through the whole application process, and I liked the way they viewed applicants as more than just a couple of scores, even initially. The school is awesome. They were so professional and friendly when I visited. I'm leaning towards family medicine or primary practice, so the U.S. News rankings impressed me more. I'm from Tulsa and want to move back there, at least for med school. So, OSU-COM is perfect for me. I'm on the waitlist right now. It has all worked out pretty well. If I don't get in this year, I will reapply to OSU, and probably to no other school. I don't want to go anywhere else.

I really have a problem with how highly regarded the mcat is at some med schools as part of the admissions process, and also other standardized tests, ACT, SAT, at undergrad institutions. I have felt that they have put me at a disadvantage when applying to undergrad and med school. The ACT didn't predict my success at undergrad to the extent that some claim it does. I scored lower (not bad, though) than most of my friends who went to my undergrad, and I have been a lot more successful than them. Well, that's my story and I'm stickin' to it.

 

[DrB]

I am a member of Phi Theta Kappa, the same honor society but given to students in community colleges. It is always a good thing to be part of an honor society. Will it help your application... yes... it looks good. It should have been mentioned in your application. If you forgot to put that in, then tell them in your letter of intent. Your intent letter will be added to your file, so I would try not to repeat yourself.

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[OSUdoc08]

It is the most prestigious honor in liberal arts schools. If you are Phi Beta Kappa, you must have shown excellent scholastic acheivment. I am curious, and I truely mean no offense, but if you are Phi Beta Kappa, why are you pre-osteopathic and not pre-allopathic? Personally, I do not think that pre-osteopathic offers any difference in the quality of education (although there are distinct philosophical differences) but from my experience there seems to be an unwarranted and unfortunate prejudice against osteopaths among the allopathic world. Also, and please correct me if I am incorrect, it seems more difficult for osteopaths to obtain the more numerous allopathic residencies because of their requirment to take both the COMLEX and USMLE. It requires more time and money to take both exams.

And to reiterate, I mean no offense at what I say. I do not condone the apparent prejudices against the osteopaths, I am merely making an observation that the prejudice exists.

1. Several osteopathic schools can outcompete most allopathic schools in any category.

2. The predjudice is minimal outside of a few old doctors, pre-meds, the uninformed public, and SDN.

3. There is no requirement to take the USMLE to get into allopathic residencies. Several of the top osteopathic schools match at the top residencies in the nation---you can even demonstrate that some have better match lists than many of the allopathic schools.

4. The reasoning for applying to an osteopathic school is not always because of the difference in admissions policies, contrary to popular SDN pre-med belief.

 

[jkhamlin]

I am a member of Phi Theta Kappa, the same honor society but given to students in community colleges. It is always a good thing to be part of an honor society. Will it help your application... yes... it looks good. It should have been mentioned in your application. If you forgot to put that in, then tell them in your letter of intent. Your intent letter will be added to your file, so I would try not to repeat yourself.

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Phi Theta Kappa here, too. Unfortunately my university doesn't have Phi Beta. 🙁 I am sure it helped me in getting the interviews that I got.

 

[DrCara]

PTK here, too! 🙂

Unfortunately, my 4-year really sticks it to transfer students - transfers are not eligible for any of the big honor societies (like PBK and Golden Key), nor are they able to graduate cum laude. 🙁

 

[sunnyjohn]

Phi Theta Kappa too!!!

 

[heech]

Phi Beta Kappa is typically reserved for top students in the liberal sciences, as someone above mentioned. If I remember the statistics correctly, it's something ~top 5% of liberal science students in their junior year, and ~top 10% in their senior year. You're explicitly invited to apply if you meet the GPA requirements. And yes, it's considered the most prestigious nation-wide honor society.

Although the emphasis is on liberal sciences, the door can be left a little open... 🙂 For example, as a electrical engineering/computer science major, half of my classes still qualified.

 

[Scarletbegonias]

I think the emphasis is on more than just liberal sciences. From the stuff they sent me, they want well-rounded students, that is those who have excelled academically in sciences and humanities. I was really close to not becoming a member. I just thought it was one of those other honor societies, like golden key and school chapter honor societies, that don't really mean much and require a hefty lifetime membership fee. Then I looked at the stuff they sent me, which included a letter from the president of my university who is also a member, and decided to join. I have to say that I like the idea of Phi Beta Kappa better than any of the Greek social fraternities or sororities on campus.

 

[14022]

I think the emphasis is on more than just liberal sciences. From the stuff they sent me, they want well-rounded students, that is those who have excelled academically in sciences and humanities.

Well that is the entire philosophy of the liberal arts education. Well-rounded students who have broad academic exposure to basic sciences as well as the humanities.

 

[jkhamlin]

I think the emphasis is on more than just liberal sciences. From the stuff they sent me, they want well-rounded students, that is those who have excelled academically in sciences and humanities. I was really close to not becoming a member. I just thought it was one of those other honor societies, like golden key and school chapter honor societies, that don't really mean much and require a hefty lifetime membership fee. Then I looked at the stuff they sent me, which included a letter from the president of my university who is also a member, and decided to join. I have to say that I like the idea of Phi Beta Kappa better than any of the Greek social fraternities or sororities on campus.

I actually had Harvard Med try to recruit me because of my Phi Theta Kappa membership. I have absolutely no interest in Harvard, but it is still kind of cool.

The thing is that you have to earn a membership in these honor societies. Social organizations just require you to buy your way in. I never saw the point.

 

[OSUdoc08]

I actually had Harvard Med try to recruit me because of my Phi Theta Kappa membership. I have absolutely no interest in Harvard, but it is still kind of cool.

The thing is that you have to earn a membership in these honor societies. Social organizations just require you to buy your way in. I never saw the point.

You turned down Harvard?

Are you kidding me?

 

[jkhamlin]

You turned down Harvard?

Are you kidding me?

It wasn't an acceptance, just recruiting. I never applied, not interested in going to Harvard.

 

[OSUdoc08]

It wasn't an acceptance, just recruiting. I never applied, not interested in going to Harvard.

Don't kid yourself. If you got into Harvard, you'd go to it over any school in Oklahoma or Missouri.

 

[bgreet]

Just curious what about golden key? Is it worth the $65 to get in? I'm top 15% of my class apparently (wish i was top 5%) and I got the goldenkey deal in the mail.

 

[espbeliever]

1. Several osteopathic schools can outcompete most allopathic schools in any category.

2. The predjudice is minimal outside of a few old doctors, pre-meds, the uninformed public, and SDN.

3. There is no requirement to take the USMLE to get into allopathic residencies. Several of the top osteopathic schools match at the top residencies in the nation---you can even demonstrate that some have better match lists than many of the allopathic schools.

4. The reasoning for applying to an osteopathic school is not always because of the difference in admissions policies, contrary to popular SDN pre-med belief.

👍

 

[espbeliever]

Just curious what about golden key? Is it worth the $65 to get in? I'm top 15% of my class apparently (wish i was top 5%) and I got the goldenkey deal in the mail.

i was in several honor societies. i would wager that it does not really look that amazing to be in many of them, as it would to be an officer in one. food for thought.

 

[sketches]

Just curious what about golden key? Is it worth the $65 to get in? I'm top 15% of my class apparently (wish i was top 5%) and I got the goldenkey deal in the mail.

I am a little biased, but I believe it is worth the $65. If you do decide to join, I highly recommend running for an office as ESP mentioned. I was an officer in Golden Key and I think it really added to my application.

That being said, each school looks at honor societies differently. I was in both Phi Beta Kappa and Golden Key and was not accepted to the med school associated with my undergrad institution. Go figure... 🙄

 

[DD214_DOC]

It wasn't an acceptance, just recruiting. I never applied, not interested in going to Harvard.

Why do you have all of that crap in your sig? Psi Chi counts for basically nothing (I'm in it too) and PTK is for 2-year college students, according to the website, so why would Harvard give a damn about it?

I honestly don't think any of that junk matters. I was recruited by the university (back before I became slack) to apply for the Rhodes stuff but never did.

 

[MrDreamWeaver]

I was going to join Phi Theta Kappa (PTK) but the President/Officers seemed extremely pushy. It felt like I was being suckered in to join a cult..."WHERE WHERE YOU YESTERDAY? WE WERE ____" ... "WHY WEREN'T YOU ____" ...

Hopefully there are new officers this coming Fall.

On a side note, does it look worse on an application to be a member of 3949329432 clubs? Pre-med, science, honors society, etc... seems kinda over-done?

 

[dr.z]

I never made it to one of those big honor societies.

 

[MrDreamWeaver]

I didn't join PTK (Phi Theta Kappa) simply because the President/Officers seemed extremely authoritarian. I was a prospective member and every time I missed something as simple as a "pizza night" they would say "WHY WEREN'T YOU THERE?" "WhERE WHERE YOU?" "WHY?" etc etc etc...

Anyway I got sick of it and declined the recruitment (+ it was like $100 to join!) I may join next year if the officers/pres change.

On a side note, it seems kinda over-done to join 3949343 clubs, doesn't it? Yeah I'm sure being in a few clubs is great...but if you're in like 4+ clubs, would that be counter-productive?

 

[Hotbodmatt]

Phi Beta Kappa isn't the strongest metric of academic accomplishment, however, because it is meaningless to talk about the top 5% of a tough institution and that of a state university. I attended Duke and struggled to come in the top third of my engineering class! I know that I would have most likely been able to be in the top 10% of NC State's class. Just some thoughts.

 

[Scarletbegonias]

Yeah, it seems like students who go to a "prestigious university" think that it would be more difficult, but I really don't think it makes a huge difference in how competitive it is to make good grades. A lot of other factors involved play a greater role, such as the difficulty of the classes you take, and that is something the Phi Beta Kappa looks at. No one said it is the strongest metric of academic accomplishment, but attending a "prestigious university" is not either.

 

[Chachie2682]

Phi Beta Kappa here and going to CCOM in the fall.

 

[Scarletbegonias]

Congrats

 

[Hotbodmatt]

I've taken a lot of premed courses at a smaller school that isn't as prestigious and not struggled to maintain a 4.0. When you attend a school where the average student is a valedictorian, it is much much harder to obtain an A. At this other school, I've been right at the top and not struggled to perform way above average.

I'm sorry if I came across arrogant earlier. I would disagree with you, however, about attending a prestigious university not being that significant academically. One of the ultimate accomplishments academically is going to a high caliber institution.

 

[Scarletbegonias]

I've taken a lot of premed courses at a smaller school that isn't as prestigious and not struggled to maintain a 4.0. When you attend a school where the average student is a valedictorian, it is much much harder to obtain an A. At this other school, I've been right at the top and not struggled to perform way above average.

I'm sorry if I came across arrogant earlier. I would disagree with you, however, about attending a prestigious university not being that significant academically. One of the ultimate accomplishments academically is going to a high caliber institution.

I didn't think you were being arrogant. I'm just saying that I think that your perception is a common misperception. A lot of really good students go to state schools too (like National Merit Scholars). Attending a private "prestigious university" also depends on money you have to spend, legacy, and luck. You can't just chalk it up to "academic accomplishment." Even at state university, if you're a top student you compete with all the other top students in your major/program/classes.

 

[nabeel76]

I think the OP is referring to Phi THETA Kappa not Phi Betta Kappa. I am a member of PTK, which is the equivilant of PBK - at a 2 year school.

I am not sure, but I don't believe there is a cap on the amount of students that are eligible to join PTK at the 2 year schools. If you have above a certain GPA (I believe that's somewhere around a 3.7) than you are automatically nominated, and if you pay the fee you will be accepted. In 4 year schools, for PBK, I believe only the top 5 - 10 percent of the class is nominated - rather than everyone over a certain GPA cutoff.

 

[heech]

Being at the cream of the crop is hard, no matter what school you're at. I tend to think of the "quality" of a school as just a measure of the mean of a normal distribution... the great schools have a better mean, the party schools have a worse mean. But if you can get 2 standard-deviations above the mean (~5%), even at a party school, that still puts you above the great majority of students even at "great" schools.

Note that residency directors put a lot of weight into AOA membership, which is made available to the top ~x% of medical students at *any* (allopathic?) med school. Why? Because they recognize that type of achievement is very impressive in and of itself.

Just $0.02 from someone who's PBK engineering at a great state school (UC Berkeley).

 

[Scarletbegonias]

Are you talking about hotbodmatt when you are referring to the op or me? I started this thread. I was talking about Phi Beta Kappa not Phi Theta Kappa, not that there's anything wrong with talking about PTK or anything else for that matter.

 

[Hotbodmatt]

dude, UC berkeley is not your average state school...it's freaking intense and way up there. i'm not denying that there is competition at state schools, but at a state school, the average kid is not a national merit scholar. at harvard, duke, uc berkley, et cetera kids are much harder to compete with. also, to be eligible to apply/have a shot at induction for phi beta kappa as a senior, you just need to be top 10%. i'd say it's fair to say that coming in the top 15% of a state-school (like an average one, NOT BERKELEY) is no more impressive than being average at harvard. this is my opinion though. perhaps the admissions folk think differently. regardless, scarlet, it is impressive that you're in PBK and of course this is not something you need to worry about. rather, i'm just hoping that when they see my 3.5 in a double major (electrical and biomedical engineering) from duke, the admissions people won't right me off. hope your summers are going well! 🙂