Every new academic year, millions of students across the country confront the decision of which honor society they should join.
Honor societies are academic communities with long legacies in the United States. Some originated as far back as the eighteenth century, like Phi Beta Kappa.
These academic societies offer enriched academic experiences for students. They also aid in ushering students into the real world after their academic journey concludes.
Choosing the right honor society to join is a difficult and important process. Here’s what you need to know to make the right decision for you.
What Are Honor Societies?
In the United States, honor societies are rank organizations that recognize students who have excelled in various ways.
There are honor societies for colleges and universities. There are also honor societies for high school and middle school students, such as the National Junior Honor Society.
The goal of most honor societies is to create a space for students to develop their leadership skills, advance their careers, and share common interests. Some have the vibe of a networking group, while others feel more fraternal.
In general, an honor society extends membership opportunities to students in the form of an invitation. Different honor societies look for a variety of qualities in students. Some of these are academics, leadership, and service.
Overall, joining an honor society is a prestigious opportunity that can be very beneficial for students’ future careers and scholarly pursuits.
Qualities of an Honor Society Candidate
To get into an honor society, you must be invited. To get an invitation, you must meet certain academic requirements and rankings.
Each honor society has its own requirements to qualify for an invitation to apply.
For example, the National Honor Society expects its members to uphold the “Six Pillars of Character.” These pillars include respect, responsibility, trustworthiness, fairness, caring, and citizenship.
The Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society requires nomination approval by a chapter among other things. Click for Phi Kappa Phi membership requirements.
Students eligible to join the Phi Beta Kappa Society must be bachelor’s degree candidates at a liberal arts college or university.
If you meet the criteria to join an honor society at your school, you will automatically receive an invitation to join that society.
How To Choose An Honor Society
The first thing to do when determining which honor society to join is to find out what honor society chapters your school has. If you meet the qualifications to join, you may get invitations to many honor societies.
Keep in mind, not all honor societies share the same level of prestige. Not all are worth joining, either. It is very important that you take your time in understanding the differences between each honor society.
Here are some things to consider when deciding which honor society to join.
What Are the Member Requirements?
If an honor society has a good reputation, they will have certain requirements their applicants need to meet in order to receive an invitation. These requirements are usually quite easy to find on their website.
If an honor society does not have requirements for membership, it is not a reputable honor society and is not worth your time or engagement.
Check Whether They Charge an Application Fee
You should also avoid honor societies that do not charge a membership and application fee. All college and university honor societies will charge some type of fee. This fee is usually around one hundred dollars.
Honor societies that do not charge membership or application fees are suspect. They often do not provide useful resources and benefits to members. They may also be trying to run a scam.
It is important to make sure you are joining an honor society that is legitimate.
Visit Honor Society Websites
First, make sure the honor society you’re interested in has a website. Then make sure you spend some time using that website to learn about the honor society.
Any reputable organization will have a website that offers information. Websites are a great way to learn about an honor society’s staff, rules, policies, benefits, and membership details.
Check Their Non-Profit Status
Every legitimate honor society is a registered non-profit organization. The honor society you select should be able to prove their non-profit status and will likely have that proof on their website.
The best way to tell if an organization is a legitimate non-profit is to check its tax records.
Do They Have a Mission Statement?
Find out if the honor society you are considering has a mission statement. You can do this by checking their materials. The majority of reputable college honor societies have detailed mission statements available to the public.
Learn About the Membership Terms
A quality honor society will have clear membership terms available on their website. If they don’t have membership terms, consider it a red flag.
Terms of membership differ between organizations. Some require a yearly membership fee. Others charge a single lifetime membership fee.
Neither approach is more legitimate than the other.
Research the Benefits for Students
The benefits you receive as a student member of an honor society are one of the most important things to research and consider.
You want to join an honor society that gives you an environment where you can grow intellectually and academically. Look for an honor society that offers unique opportunities to learn in both independent and social contexts.
The best honor societies offer students many different types of opportunities to learn, grow, and develop their character. An honor society should offer leadership opportunities and opportunities to meet new people.
Honor societies should also offer study groups specific to a variety of fields. Social events where students and alumni can mix and mingle are a bonus.
Most importantly, the benefits offered should have tangible benefits to students.
Research the Benefits for Alumni
Although honor societies were created to help usher students into the professional post-collegiate world, they also offer many benefits for alumni.
These benefits are not always as significant as those for students. Even so, they can still have a large impact. One benefit honor societies offer alumni is help with life after college.
This might be in the form of internships and networking opportunities with other alumni. Applying for jobs at companies where other members of your honor society work can offer you a significant advantage.
The best benefit of joining an honor society is being able to put it on your resume. It is a testament to future employers that you exemplify a commitment to scholastic success.
That’s why it is so important to pick the honor society that best aligns with your professional goals.
Meet With Members of a Local Chapter
Once you have decided on a few different honor societies to choose from, make an effort to meet with members of their local chapters. This may not always be possible. But, it is a great way to get a feel for the organization.
It is important to understand the culture of an honor society to really understand what they are all about. It helps to find out whether you have things in common with other members and get along with them.
You may not be planning on being a very involved honor society member. That’s okay!
Being a member of one whether you are involved or not will be great for your resume.
Maybe you prefer to be part of an honor society that does not have a presence on campus. In that situation, you’ll still want to have access to a chapter through it’s online presence.
What Are the Best Honor Societies?
There are many different and varied honor societies to choose from in the United States. Not all of them are legitimate. Even among the legitimate ones, there is a lot of variation when it comes to quality and prestige.
Here are some of the most reputable honor societies to consider.
Phi Beta Kappa
Phi Beta Kappa was founded in 1776. It is the oldest academic honor society in the country. It is also one of the most prestigious.
Its membership includes 17 United States presidents and 38 Supreme Court Justices. There are also over 130 Nobel Laureate members of Phi Beta Kappa.
Phi Beta Kappa welcomes anywhere from 30 to 70 members into their distinguished society each year. It offers many opportunities to meet and socialize with other members.
Phi Kappa Phi
Phi Kappa Phi was founded at the University of Maine in 1897. It is the most selective honor society when it comes to academics. It only accepts students in the top 7.5 percent of their second semester.
Phi Kappa Phi offers many opportunities including a wide variety of grants, awards, and honors in literacy and the arts.
Gamma Beta Phi Society
Gamma Beta Phi is another excellent honor society. Their mission centers around education as well as friendship and life.
Gamma Beta Phi chooses its members based on academics, motivation, good intentions, and Christian faith. A large part of membership involves service projects and leadership opportunities.
Golden Key
The Golden Key Honor Society was founded at Georgia State University in 1977. The Golden Key is an international honor society. It is also the largest honor society in the world with a membership of over 2 million.
The Golden Key is also the only international honor society whose membership requirements are based on excellence in academics, leadership, and service.
This honor society offers its members support in achieving their goals through many opportunities to earn awards and scholarships. It proudly boasts distinguished members including Elie Weisel and Desmond Tutu.
Honorsociety.org
Honorsociety.org is a top honor society that focuses on the future of the internet. Members benefit from many great resources including test prep tools, opportunities to receive scholarships, and career advice.
Members also have the benefit of being in constant connection through the organization’s social media and web presence. Members can even make a name for themselves by blogging directly on the honor society website.
Joining this organization is a great way to build your web presence and prepare yourself for a successful career after college or university.
National Society of Collegiate Scholars
The National Society of Collegiate Scholars is an honors society for students who have achieved academic success in their first and second years of college or university.
This honor society provides excellent opportunities for its members to develop connections in their career fields. They also provide many leadership and service opportunities.
In addition, the National Society of Collegiate Scholars hands out a million dollars in scholarships to members every year. The dedication to leadership and service of its members makes this society so successful.
Alpha Lambda Delta
Alpha Lambda Delta is a national honor society. It was founded at the University of Illinois in 1924. These days, Alpha Lambda Delta celebrates over 270 chapters and more than 900,000 members across the U.S.
The Alpha Lambda Delta honor society specifically recognizes students’ academic excellence during their freshman year of college.
Omicron Delta Kappa
The Omicron Delta Kappa honor society was the first national collegiate honor society to offer its members recognition for their leadership skills.
Since its founding, Omicron Delta Kappa has welcomed over 300,000 students from more than 300 different colleges across the country.
It continues to recognize the merits of leadership and service in all areas of academia.
Choosing the Right Honor Society
Joining the honor society that is the right fit for you is an important step to take for your academic and post-academic career.
Choose an organization that is both legitimate and offers you excellent benefits like opportunities for leadership and networking. Make sure you take the time to research a variety of honor societies before committing.
If you learned something from this article, check out the rest of our Career Advice section.