Honor societies

[normajean]

I've been invited to join Kappa Tau Alpha, a national honor society for journalism and communications students. There doesn't seem to be any hurt in joining -- the membership fee is a small, one-time payment of $30 -- at the same time, I don't really know if there are any benefits -- especially because although my undergraduate degree is in journalism, I'll be attending graduate school for public policy. Any ideas?

Also, are there graduate honor societies? Does membership in a college honor society preclude one from joining another one?

[luvalicious]

I can only speak for my experiences with the history honor society - Phi Alpha Theta - there are advantages like fellowships and scholarship and opportunities for networking. I can't say that I've actually USED those opportunities yet, though. From what I know, having these things on your C.V. looks nice but probably wouldn't be the difference between you getting a job and not. I guess if you plan to maintain any sort of interest in the Journalism field, then you should join.

[futureprof]

It really isn't a bad idea to join honor societies in your major field... especially if that's what you're doing graduate work in. Who knows when that extra resume/CV line will come in handy. & if an acadmeic career is what you're after, it may be handy to be part of it down the line so you have an easier time publishing in major journals & can get involved in chapter activites (though the rules are different for different societies). For $30- why not?

[fsmn36]

Go for it. And I can't think of any where you can only be in one. It's an honor society, not a frat/sorority. I'm in three, for example.

[UKbound]

I accepted invitations to both Phi Beta Kappa and Golden Key. The initiation fee for PBK was actually paid for by my department, Philosophy.

[lauras]

When I was an undergrad. Gold key had some scholarships/stipends that were only available to members. They were small, as in a couple hundred dollars, but it's better than a sharp stick in the eye.

[timuralp]

Heh I only joined Alpha Beta Kappa, because I was a silly freshman and then passed on Phi Beta Kappa, Golden Key, and whatever else. The thing is, no one cares about any of these for gradschool and I honestly don't see a point. I think that paying money to have my "excellence" recognized is ridiculous. I can recognize it myself and the academic community can judge me for my research work. After all, the only thing the award recognizes is a GPA, which is a questionable metric, at best, for pretty much any quality.

Having said that, do as you please. Either way it won't affect your chances that much one way or another