Do you belong to any?

I keep getting letters from the Gold Key(?) society.

I just got another one from another honor society. It's just for graduating seniors and is schoolwide. I think it's Phi Kappa Phi.

I applied for membership in my departmental honor society. This one actually shows up on my transcript.

The others don't. I'm wondering what would be the benefits of joining? I really don't know anything about these things.

I am a member of Phi Theta Kappa.
It looks good on a resume, a lifetime membership was only $55.

Phi Theta Kappa also offers all sorts of member discounts on things...or so I've heard.

I will be inducted to Alpha Kappa Delta, the international sociology honor
society in May. I have been invited to apply to others but I have not chosen to do so. The only one I ever really wanted was the one from my department.

I get a lot of those too. I think they are probably just scams, for the most part. I figure if they really wanted me, I wouldn't have to pay for it.

I have never seen one yet that doesn't have a membership fee. They are all based on GPA's and many have been around for over 100 years. Mine was established in 1920 and there are almost 500 chapters around the world. A charter must be conferred on a school that meets the AKD's standards and then, in turn, the school offers membership to those they select from their departments.

I pay 40.00 once and that provides me the right to wear the honor cord for my major at graduation, and a subscript. for a sociology magazine.

My membership also allows me to enter papers for competition with prizes that include up to 600.00 and the publishing of my work which is HUGE for undergrads. My membership also makes me able to apply for financial assistance, if needed, to attend regional sociological meetings where new research is discussed and presented by the authors. One of my classmates recently went with a prof to the ASA conference and had an amazing experience.

I admit that the main reason I joined is because I wanted the cord and honors at my graduation. It is also one more thing I can list on a resume or grad. school application.

I guess I figure my GPA will have me graduate with honors, and can go on my resume.

I am sure all schools are different but that is not how it happens in state schools in NY. To graduate with honors here you can do the following:

Be invited into the honors program for your major, accept, pay your fee, have the banquet with your department, get your cord and then be qualified to have it transcripts and resume.

Apply to the Uni's official honors program which results in either general or advanced honors that are NOT related to your major but is for overall achievment. Both require that you have an honors advisor and take a 21 (I think) honor credit hours. My dh is in the advanced honors program and he had to complete the 21 honor credits and complete a HUGE project that he developed and had approved by a designated board of faculty. The banquet, and cord, is forth coming and we have to pay to attend. He will then be able to state that he graduated with honors from the Uni AND his two majors while I can only list my major.

Finally, anyone with a GPA over 3.3 can wear a gold cord at graduation but that does not mean they graduated with official honors and they can't list is on a resume or have it on a transcript. It is just a way to recognize a decent GPA. This is me because I did not have time to take the honors credits. It sucks but I am glad they have the cord for basic GPA even though I can't list it anywhere where it looks good.

I am sure all schools have varying rules so it may be the case that your schools runs differently as far as Uni honors go.

I am also in NY josie, and that was a good bit of info. I was invited to ETA GAMMA chapter of ALPHA SIGMA LAMBDA. It is for non-traditional (adult) students. ANy thoughts on that? It has a one time $30 membership fee. It is ONLY 56 yrs old

BTW, where do you attend? If you don't mind me asking.

No- it's different here. I am graduating with honors.

I guess I just can't imagine paying for an honors society making a difference in getting a job or not. You qualify for that based on GPA- and I can tell them my GPA.
Obviously if people want to join them, that's great- but I'm just not paying for that.

Why couldn't you list it on your resume? Who is going to stop someone from adding that?

I was invited to that one as well but I didn't join so I don't know anything about them. I think thr coolest benefit of their honor society would be the interaction with other non-trads. I bet the main org. has a website you could check out and see what they offer to members.

I attend SUNY Potsdam.

Sorry, crappy wording. I meant they can't state that they graduated with honors from the Uni. ITA with you that listing honors on a resume isn't going to make a difference in getting a job in 99% of all cases. It was more important to me for grad. school applications.

To be honest, for me, honors programs are mostly about being recognized by the college and my dept. at graduation for my hard work. I knew the day I returned to college that I didn't want to graduate with a plain robe but one with decorated with cords. I needed to prove to myself that I could accomplish anything I wanted and those cords represent that goal achieved.

I think I'll join. I have a 3.93 GPA, enough to graduate with highest honors and I won't get recognized at graduation. You have to have 60 credits that you've taken from my school in order to get the distinction. I will only have about 50. It sucks! They won't count my transfer GPA.

Wow, it looks like I was drinking when I wrote that post.

My dh and I are both at SUNY Oswego. We are neighbors! He is graduating this semester, but I still have lots of time left. We are both perpetual students. He will go on to his masters in the Fall.

I was actually born in Syracuse and lived in B'ville when I was young. Now we travel to Syracuse just to be able to shop at a decent mall.

I know the story of the perpetual student well. Dh and I are both graduating in May and he will be going on for his masters in the fall in our local area. I wanted to begin work on my masters but none of the area schools have an MSW program so I am on hold for now.

Wow, small world. I am from Liverpool. Graduated in '88 (did I really just write that?)