Phi Beta Kappa

[Twiigg]

Okay... so I have heard about Phi Beta Kappa about thrice now, and I was wondering how one is invited to join! I looked it up on wikipedia and went to their website, but I was just wondering if anyone knew how to get into the society? I know adcoms don't really care, and I don't know if I would really even want to pursue it; I'm just curious because I have a friend who's in it. So, opinions, ramblings, and the like? Tell me all ya know...

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[LikeClockWork]

At my undergrad it was the top 1% of the junior class and the top 5% (I think) of the senior class. It was invite only, so there wasn't any application or anything.

BTW, I do think it's something adcoms would care about if this is how it's determined at every school.

 

[taponthecloud]

I know adcoms don't really care, and I don't know if I would really even want to pursue it; I'm just curious because I have a friend who's in it.

I think you have to wait for an invitation first before you can decide whether or not you should "pursue it."

 

[Doublecortin]

Okay... so I have heard about Phi Beta Kappa about thrice now, and I was wondering how one is invited to join! I looked it up on wikipedia and went to their website, but I was just wondering if anyone knew how to get into the society? I know adcoms don't really care, and I don't know if I would really even want to pursue it; I'm just curious because I have a friend who's in it. So, opinions, ramblings, and the like? Tell me all ya know...

you don't have to do jack siht, you get if you are invited by a faculty committee who are PBK members

 

[beachblonde]

At my undergrad it was the top 5% of the junior class and the top 10% (I think) of the senior class. It was invite only, so there wasn't any application or anything.

BTW, I do think it's something adcoms would care about if this is how it's determined at every school.

10%? Seriously? At my undergrad it was set at about the top 1% of the class, per semester, for a grand total of 2% for any given academic year.

And it's by faculty invite only. So find out the faculty in your major department who are in PBK and start sucking up, lol.

(and no, it doesn't really work that way...it's mostly on grades.)

 

[Concordia]

Hmmm, I could be totally wrong about this (and I apologize before somebody out there decides to ream me out for my lack of knowledge) but I thought that you had to meet a certain GPA requirement and then you got an invite. I don't think it's something you apply for--it's just something "granted" onto you. Or maybe it involves a certain GPA requirement and a (fluent) proficiency in another language? I should know more since I put it on my AMCAS, but I honestly didn't pay attention to it since I didn't apply for it.

 

[LikeClockWork]

10%? Seriously? At my undergrad it was set at about the top 1% of the class, per semester, for a grand total of 2% for any given academic year.

And it's by faculty invite only. So find out the faculty in your major department who are in PBK and start sucking up, lol.

(and no, it doesn't really work that way...it's mostly on grades.)

My college was 1100 people total, so 1% would only have been ~4 people.

 

[Abilene85]

I have no idea what my school's formula was. It's not like Golden Key, where everyone in the top 15% is invited. I had the same GPA and same major as my roommate, but only one of us got an invitation. It didn't require anything but a high GPA and overall greatness - no application or active sucking up.

 

[xogh]

every school has different gpa requirements but its always a lower gpa cutoff for seniors than juniors. proficiency in a foreign language, as stated by someone else earlier, is required, which means you need to have taken classes to show it. at some point during the year, every student who meets the requirements receives an invite. i've never heard of a faculty member having to be involved, but i could be wrong.

 

[searun]

Phi Beta Kappa is the most presigious undergraduate honor society, founded in 1776 at William and Mary. At my school, the top 1 percent of juniors and the top 5 percent of juniors were invited to join. It looks good on your med school application. The Ad Coms know what it is.

 

[Abilene85]

You get to learn a secret handshake. 😉

 

[taponthecloud]

You get to learn a secret handshake. 😉

Yeah, the one whereupon you simultaneously hand over a $60 membership check to the Chapter President.

 

[GZA]

Last year i was invited to join by a simple email. I hadn't actually heard of it at the time. The induction ceremony was very nice and i was one of maybe 5 or 6 third years that were inducted (it is mainly a fourth year honor). It's kind of a big deal i guess...

 

[Aynsl156]

Junior PBK at my school's a big deal, they only choose two people a year. I know a girl who made class marshal (highest GPA in the class) but not PBK because she was an education major who didn't take any hard sciences. The other junior PBK was a biochem/music double major with a 4.0. Craziness.

 

[searun]

Phi Beta Kappa is a respectable honor. It won't get you into med school if the rest of your application is crap. But Ad Coms know what it is and respect it. It means that the faculty at your college or university consider you one of the top one percent or five percent of the student body, academically. It helps. It sure does not hurt. It definitely helped me last year.

 

[URHere]

At my school, whether or not an invitation was extended depended on letters written by faculty members. Each year, professors would write letters to the PBK committee and they would then read them, look at GPA, etc to see which students were qualified.

Students did not know when letters were written on their behalf and I really doubt anyone approached a professor requesting them. In the end, we had a nice mix of majors, and some range in GPA, but nearly everyone had done something notable (e.g. president of student group, research publications, etc).

Hope that helps!

 

[Abilene85]

It means that the faculty at your college or university consider you one of the top one percent or five percent of the student body, academically.

Ya, it was a nice ego boost. Then I took my first med school exam and found out I am no longer in the top 5% of my class.

 

[Twiigg]

Well that is interesting, but I don't think my school has a chapter... I'm guessing it doesn't as my school is owned by the Mormon church (one of the three BYUs). Anyway, It doesn't seem like something the faculty would be very into... 🙄

 

[taponthecloud]

Well that is interesting, but I don't think my school has a chapter...

Why didn't you include this bit of info in your intro post? 👎cool:

 

[searun]

Many colleges and universities apply for a PBK chapter and are turned down after an evaluation. Your school is OWNED by the Mormon Church. That is a weird concept for my brain.

 

[Phoenix.]

For what it's worth, I went to UofM undergrad and got PBK with a 3.86 gpa. I believe the invitations are strictly based on gpa. I certainly didn't have any relationships with faculty members there.

 

[Twiigg]

Why didn't you include this bit of info in your intro post? 👎cool:

As I said, I am more curious about it that anything else.

 

[Ashers]

For what it's worth, I went to UofM undergrad and got PBK with a 3.86 gpa. I believe the invitations are strictly based on gpa. I certainly didn't have any relationships with faculty members there.

From PBK's website:

Members in course are elected on the basis of their academic records as college seniors, juniors, or — rarely — Ph.D. candidates. To be eligible for election, students must have pursued a broad program of study in the liberal arts and sciences and met other academic criteria as required by the electing chapter. Typically, no more than 10 percent of the candidates for degrees in liberal arts and sciences are elected. Each year, about one college senior in a hundred, nationwide, is invited to join Phi Beta Kappa.

I know my school also had requirement for 2 years of a foreign language.

And here's the link to the Chapter Directory.

 

[ecca58]

Knowing the secret handshake...definitely. j/k.

I'm sorry if I'm wrong. From what I was told, it is based off of your academic performance (gpa) and that you had to be nominated by a current member in the school's chapter. I was given this big packet with information concerning the honor society and was told by this professor that I was nominated by someone in my undergrad's chapter...I wonder who he/she was?

 

[Ella Shepherd]

This isn't really an answer. I was just wondering, is PBK is only in the US? 🙂

 

[Textuality]

Hehe, I got my invitation as a thin envelope in the mail, and totally thought it was spam (since they were asking for $) until my room mate saw it and started congratulating me....yup..I can be clueless like that, lol.

 

[searun]

This isn't really an answer. I was just wondering, is PBK is only in the US? 🙂

It is my understanding that only US colleges and universities are awarded Phi Beta Kappa chapters. And I think only about 10 percent of US colleges and universities have been awarded a Phi Beta Kappa chapter. The school has to demonstrate that it has a strong liberal arts program. Students who are elected to Phi Beta Kappa have to take a broad range of courses, in the natural sciences, social sciences, mathematics, fine arts, and humanities. If you are just a science nerd who avoids literature like the plague, you won't get admitted.

The founding chapter, at William and Mary, was disbanded during the Revolutionary War when British troops marched on Williamsburg. After the Revolutionary War, I think Harvard established the second chapter and Yale had the third chapter, and then the organization began to grow. Interesting history.

I believe that there is only one current NFL player who is a member of Phi Beta Kappa.......PEYTON MANNING. Take that Tom Brady. Apparently, no Phi Beta Kappas in the NBA. But Phi Beta Kappa is well represented in medical schools across the USA.

 

[lex]

You also have to be able to speak in a foreign language (this is part of the requirements). If you take 2 years of foreign languages, you are qualified... assuming, of course, you have the kick-ass GPA. It is by invitation only but it does not hurt if you remind the Chair of PBK (usually a faculty member) of your qualifications. Cold calls sometimes pay off.

 

[chemphd]

Where I went for undergrad you had to have:
GPA of at least 3.5
advanced level proficiency in a foreign language (and to have taken at least one class)
2 semesters of math (CS also counted)
Senior standing (credits-wise)

It was a pretty competitive thing, and they made a big deal out of it. It's a nice honor, since many people have heard of it. You couldn't invite yourself in, though, at my school. You had to be invited.

 

[Thewrongstuff]

I've joined phi eta sigma so far (freshman gpa 3.5+). Hmmm I wonder what crazy requirements my school has for getting into PBK

 

[beachblonde]

The qualifications must vary by chapter, because some of the things people are posting I know were not the case with my own school. Some schools are strictly GPA based, others take into account other factors.

But if you're going to be in an honor society, it's the one to join for sure. I didn't get it (sadly, I didn't have above a 3.9, which was pretty much the req this past year), but I sure wish I had! It speaks to your academic credentials.

 

[pagemmapants]

One in a hundred?

Huh. I didn't know it was that few.

Sweet. 🙂

 

[pagemmapants]

You also have to be able to speak in a foreign language (this is part of the requirements). If you take 2 years of foreign languages, you are qualified... assuming, of course, you have the kick-ass GPA. It is by invitation only but it does not hurt if you remind the Chair of PBK (usually a faculty member) of your qualifications. Cold calls sometimes pay off.

The language thing must be a requirement for your chapter only; I took a mere 3 quarters of Italian and I didn't retain more than maybe 2 words.