What's the POINT of Phi Beta Kappa?

[mr.annoying]

Hi everybody,

If anybody can answer this question, that would be great. I was recently invited to become a member of this Phi Beta Kappa thing and be inducted at a ceremony, and I gotta pay a $35 membership fee or something. One sheet said it's just a one-time fee, but another said it's an annual fee. Anyways, my main question is whether or not being a member of this Phi Beta Kappa thingy is beneficial in any way. Do I get something from it? Or do I merely add it to my resume or something... because that would be useless.

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[matthew0126]

mr. annoying, to answer your question
PBK is pretty much useless. ooh.. so supposedly it's the #1 honor society. yea. the #1 honor society scam. basically, you shell out some cash, and you get to add something onto your resume. which is ridiculous because ne1 can see that you already "meet the standards" from your GPA, etc.
anyway, if you wanna add 1 more item to your resume/app, go ahead and waste your money. i did -- and it was $75 here! hehehe

PBK AND PROUD! hah... yea.

 

[Legend]

I shelled out $45.
I asked a dean of admissions about this and she said it was a great achievement.
Hope this helps.

 

[mr.annoying]

I think I'll just write on my resume, "Qualified Phi Beta Kappa" that way I can say I was good enough to get in, but was too cool to pay the money

 

[The Fly]

You pay your $45 or whatever, learn the handshake and have a ceremony. Oh, don't forget the whole resume thing -- but, seriously, it IS a big honor. It's been a year and they haven't hit me up for cash again though. . .

But I have no idea where that money went. At least with Sigma Xi you get a crappy magazine!

 

[ckent]

Phi beta kappa can go on your permanent CV and it's nice because most people know what it is (ie you don't need to put your undergrad GPA on your CVA, which most don't, for them to know that you did well during undergrad). I would join if I were you. I actually wasn't invited to join when I graduated, guess I didn't make their cutoff .

 

[The Fly]

Most people buy the key but I have to say that I passed since my cousin lost his within two years!!

Buying a key is nice (if you have the $$) just don't be one of those people who carries his/her PBK pen around while wearing his PBK tie. . . :wink:

 

[lola]

Mr. Annoying,
I know it's annoying to pay the money, but I would anyway. PBK is one of the (if not the) most prestigious honors societies in the country. You will probably be kicking yourself when you're 40 for not joining. Or maybe not...

 

[Scooby Doo]

PEOPLE!!!! DO IT!!!!

I wasn't going to join it..but I ended up doing it, and GUESS WHAT??!? It qualified me for MORE GRANTS at one school and got me a super good loan that is only for people who are PBK!!!

So taht one time fee of like 60 bucks is going to save me a $HITLOAD later on!

JOIN IT!

 

[matthew0126]

hm... I guess I take that back.

Did you put it on your application? Or do they know automatically.

•••quote:•••Originally posted by Scooby Doo:
•PEOPLE!!!! DO IT!!!!

I wasn't going to join it..but I ended up doing it, and GUESS WHAT??!? It qualified me for MORE GRANTS at one school and got me a super good loan that is only for people who are PBK!!!

So taht one time fee of like 60 bucks is going to save me a $HITLOAD later on!

JOIN IT!•••••

 

[nray]

I always heard this organization was also referred as Phi Betta Crapper because it really doesn't do much for you.

 

[The Fly]

•••quote:•••Originally posted by Scooby Doo:
•PEOPLE!!!! DO IT!!!!

I wasn't going to join it..but I ended up doing it, and GUESS WHAT??!? It qualified me for MORE GRANTS at one school and got me a super good loan that is only for people who are PBK!!!

So taht one time fee of like 60 bucks is going to save me a $HITLOAD later on!

JOIN IT!•••••I gotta go with Scoob -- it is only $60 (which granted it's a one time fee isn't that bad. It may certainly help you out later, who knows. . .

 

[Scooby Doo]

•••quote:•••Originally posted by matthew0126:
•hm... I guess I take that back.

Did you put it on your application? Or do they know automatically.

•••quote:•••Originally posted by Scooby Doo:
•PEOPLE!!!! DO IT!!!!

I wasn't going to join it..but I ended up doing it, and GUESS WHAT??!? It qualified me for MORE GRANTS at one school and got me a super good loan that is only for people who are PBK!!!

So taht one time fee of like 60 bucks is going to save me a $HITLOAD later on!

JOIN IT!••••••••••Yes..I put it on my application. And the financial aid lady noticed that when going over my application and said "Oh, you are PBK!?!? You qualify for this really good loan and some other things"

 

[mr.annoying]

Wow, now that I see there are actual benefits for being PBK (loans/scholarships/etc) then maybe I'll think about it a little more. Can I just pay the money and NOT go to the ceremony? I don't really care about being in a "prestigious" honor society, but maybe if it can benefit me in some way OTHER than merely stating that I'm in it.

reena-
I got invited for the Golden Key membership thingy too... but I was like "60 bucks?!? Bite me!" Seriously, I guess I'm not into this whole "honor society" stuff I guess. Maybe I should've joined all the honor things I could've gotten though, because now I gotta be shipped out of Cali for med school!

 

[gmendese]

Scholarships in honor societies are only available to people who ACTUALLY participate in them. So don't join one and just sit there, to later think about getting a scholarship from them.

 

[Scooby Doo]

•••quote:•••Originally posted by gmendese:
•Scholarships in honor societies are only available to people who ACTUALLY participate in them. So don't join one and just sit there, to later think about getting a scholarship from them.•••••True probably,

But I got a special Loan b/c of it and I just sat doing nothing

 

[Future_Doc]

I didn't get Phi Beta Kappa <img border="0" title="" alt="[Frown]" src="frown.gif" />

 

[matthew0126]

yah, go ahead and fork over the dough. you don't need to go to the ceremony. i sat home and watched "friends" instead.

•••quote:•••Originally posted by mr.annoying:
•Wow, now that I see there are actual benefits for being PBK (loans/scholarships/etc) then maybe I'll think about it a little more. Can I just pay the money and NOT go to the ceremony? I don't really care about being in a "prestigious" honor society, but maybe if it can benefit me in some way OTHER than merely stating that I'm in it.

reena-
I got invited for the Golden Key membership thingy too... but I was like "60 bucks?!? Bite me!" Seriously, I guess I'm not into this whole "honor society" stuff I guess. Maybe I should've joined all the honor things I could've gotten though, because now I gotta be shipped out of Cali for med school!•••••

 

[lola]

it is something to be really proud of, seriously. i went to the ceremony, and it was like the only time in my life i felt like all my hard work was being rewarded. my school was really small, so the ceremony was especially nice b/c i knew or recognized almost everyone there. i'm not all into prestige, but it is really nice to be recognized for your hard work. plus you can learn the secret pbk handshake :wink:

 

[Assassin]

•••quote:•••Originally posted by lola:
•it is something to be really proud of, seriously. i went to the ceremony, and it was like the only time in my life i felt like all my hard work was being rewarded. my school was really small, so the ceremony was especially nice b/c i knew or recognized almost everyone there. i'm not all into prestige, but it is really nice to be recognized for your hard work. plus you can learn the secret pbk handshake :wink: •••••is your self-esteem so low you need a whole ceremony to recognize your achievements? no offense to anyone joining honor societies (i made such mistake once myself ), but it's only a way for some to take your $$ and hand you a worthless certificate (and maybe a pin <img border="0" alt="[Laughy]" title="" src="graemlins/laughy.gif" /> ). it's just solely my opinion of course, but i despise all stupid ceremonies/shows, including those of honor societies, graduations, and med school white coat ceremonies, and would do anything to weasel myself out of them <img border="0" alt="[Laughy]" title="" src="graemlins/laughy.gif" />

 

[lola]

bahhh!!! of course my self-esteem is not so low i need an honor society to recognize my achievements. it's just that after 4 years of working hard and nobody having a clue i did so well, it was kind of nice to have a pat on the back. geesh... you must not be a member (too stupid eh? ) to not know the meaning of pbk.

 

[Assassin]

lola don't get so defensive i have no intention of launching an attack on you or anyone else; but after your first comment, i couldn't help my own just my opinion, you don't have to agree with it or even like it :wink:

 

[lola]

ok, ok, so i got a bit defensive. it's hard not to when someone quotes you, says you have low self-esteem, implies you are silly/stupid to have joined and has loads of funny faces looking like they're laughing at you! you can have your opinion, but i think it's best not to quote someone and laugh at them!

 

[ecm2]

Its amazing to me how many of us have no idea how good Phi Betta Kappa is... I (along with everyone else that I know that got in) was ready to throw out the invatation until I learned that this is very difficult to get into. It DEFINITELY recognizes all of the hard work that you've done. There are a lot of useless honor societies out there (hence, the reason for not caring about it at first), but this one is the real thing. It is definitely an honor to be accepted.

 

[Assassin]

okok i'm sorry, but i was really not laughing at you...i only laughed at 1-the fact that honor societies give you a pin for a $60-100 fee, and 2-at myself for missing out on all the fun associated with ceremonies of sorts, but hey, that's just me...to each his/her own :wink:

 

[lola]

ok.. sorry to get so defensive. it's really easy to misunderstand things when they are typed out. i usually think awards ceremonies/fees are silly too except i honestly felt like going to the pbk was worthwhile.

 

[matthew0126]

Hi Libs219,

I was under the impression that they take the top10%? (Read that on the PBK website.) I dunno, that does not sound so impressive to me. That is why I am not particularly excited or care too much about the fact that I got PBK. I'd think it's much more of an achievement to get in a top med school or something... &lt;shrug&gt;

•••quote:•••Originally posted by Libs219:
•Its amazing to me how many of us have no idea how good Phi Betta Kappa is... I (along with everyone else that I know that got in) was ready to throw out the invatation until I learned that this is very difficult to get into. It DEFINITELY recognizes all of the hard work that you've done. There are a lot of useless honor societies out there (hence, the reason for not caring about it at first), but this one is the real thing. It is definitely an honor to be accepted.•••••

 

[Diogenes]

I think it is very unfortunate that honors societies have gotten bad reputations. I guess that is because there are some scams out there.

But PBK is a big honor, and similarly to graduating magna cum laude or summa cum laude, it is something that can function as an instant "oh, you did really well in college" kind of thing when people hear about it.

I dislike pretention as much as the next person, but PBK is legit, it is an honor, and it is not pretentious.

 

[Diogenes]

•••quote:•••Originally posted by matthew0126:
•Hi Libs219,

I was under the impression that they take the top10%? (Read that on the PBK website.) I dunno, that does not sound so impressive to me. That is why I am not particularly excited or care too much about the fact that I got PBK. I'd think it's much more of an achievement to get in a top med school or something... &lt;shrug&gt;
•••••Not true. But I can only tell you how they do it at my school. I believe that only the top 10% are eligible, but then a panel of faculty and students look at your transcript to see what kind of classes you took and so forth. They are looking for a certain breadth and difficulty in your courses. Then they select some of those students to write an essay and then they interview you. After all that they select students to induct. At my school it came to between 3 and 4 percent of the graduating class. But most of the people are humanities majors. I was the only natural science (bio, chem, physics) major my senior year to be inducted.

 

[deva]

•••quote:•••Originally posted by Diogenes:
• •••quote:•••Originally posted by matthew0126:
•Hi Libs219,

I was under the impression that they take the top10%?
•••••Not true. But I can only tell you how they do it at my school. I believe that only the top 10% are eligible, but then a panel of faculty and students look at your transcript to see what kind of classes you took and so forth. They are looking for a certain breadth and difficulty in your courses. Then they select some of those students to write an essay and then they interview you. After all that they select students to induct. At my school it came to between 3 and 4 percent of the graduating class. But most of the people are humanities majors. I was the only natural science (bio, chem, physics) major my senior year to be inducted.•••••At my school it is based solely on GPA. No essay, interview, anything. It's not hard to get into at all.

 

[edmadison]

I've noted this before when the issue was brought up in prior discussions. PBK was mentioned by more of my interviewers (both for jobs, graduate school, and other stuff) than any other thing on my resume. It makes a difference, don't be silly. Spend the money and join.

It was free at my school, though.

Ed

 

[styphon]

Well..It seems divided..Some thing Honor societies are a scam, others swear by them..

I personally think it lies inbetween like any other college organization..Sure you can join it, but whats the use if you do not participate? Whats the use of paying money for something you take no interest/activity in? But then again, it is worth the measly 35$ or whatever if you help contribute to fund raisings, donations, charity..

For example, I was in PTK and helped organize blood drives. We also had drives for 9/11, Books for kids, and the local food kitchens.

 

[leorl]

I would join it. So it might be pointless, but it IS the premier honor society, the most prestigious out there. It can help you in the future for connections and all, and it's a wonderful thing to put on your resume. Here, they make a big deal out of having PBK speakers come to talk, although the chapter here is so hush hush, it's nearly secret. I don't know who they induct (I haven't been invited, hehe) or what their qualifying procedures are. I won a research award from them once, but something tells me I was the only one that heard about it .

 

[brickmanli]

I don't think PBK is as prestigious as people say it is (it's pretty easy to qualify for us pre-meds), but I paid the fee anyway. Think of all the stupid things you pay for all your life. Buy ten less beers next time you go to a bar and join Phi Beta Kappa!

However, this is the only honor society I'd pay money for. I wouldn't join Phi Eta Sigma and Golden Key and Mortar Board and Sigma Xi and AED, they are a waste of money.

 

[lola]

where are you people going to school that it's easy to get into pbk? i think my school only has like 30 or so inducted each year... that's not too many!

 

[The Fly]

•••quote:•••Originally posted by edmadison:
•I've noted this before when the issue was brought up in prior discussions. PBK was mentioned by more of my interviewers (both for jobs, graduate school, and other stuff) than any other thing on my resume. It makes a difference, don't be silly. Spend the money and join.

It was free at my school, though.
Ed•••••I went on more than ten interviews and not ONCE was PBK mentioned. . .

 

[lola]

maybe you are so amazing that not even pbk can overshadow all that you've done

 

[TommyGunn04]

Here at Brown I think there are around 150 students inducted to PBK in each class. A small number (30-40?) get in as juniors, and they in turn elect about 120 or so of their classmates the next spring, before graduation. So I guess that's around 12-14% of our class that gets in. Of course, these are basically only humanities majors, or at least NON B.S. science majors. I guess if you add in Sigma Xi and Tau Beta Pi around 20-25% of our graduating class gets into an honor society! But like others have said, PBK is well known, and can come in handy on a resume or an application, just like being able to say you graduated "with honors" or something like that.

 

[Diogenes]

I want to add one more thing. Someone suggested just putting on your resume that you were invited to join PBK. I think that is a big mistake. Anyone that notices that and cares about PBK is going to ask you what it means that you were invited to join. Then you are going to have to explain that you did not join PBK, and they will ask you why. Saying you didn't want to pay the membership fee or any other lame reason you come up with is going to make you look like you are immature, foolish, or short-sighted in their eyes. If you think it isn't that important, and you don't want to pay the paltry membership fee, don't put it on your resume. You'll get burned.

 

[Legend]

•••quote:•••Originally posted by Diogenes:
•I want to add one more thing. Someone suggested just putting on your resume that you were invited to join PBK. I think that is a big mistake. Anyone that notices that and cares about PBK is going to ask you what it means that you were invited to join. Then you are going to have to explain that you did not join PBK, and they will ask you why. Saying you didn't want to pay the membership fee or any other lame reason you come up with is going to make you look like you are immature, foolish, or short-sighted in their eyes. If you think it isn't that important, and you don't want to pay the paltry membership fee, don't put it on your resume. You'll get burned.•••••That's a great point !

 

[mr.annoying]

Hey all-

Everybody had great points, especially about NOT putting it on your resume if you don't join. I've already decided to throw my measly 35 dollars into their pockets, but I'm still not gonna go to the ceremony. I might not even walk at graduation, let alone go to a PBK ceremony! I guess I always think of how miniscule (sp) undergraduate education is in the GRAND scheme of things, and I definitely don't need honor societies or ceremonies etc to boost my self esteem.