Business Fraternities- Yes, No, Maybe?

<p>Hi, I started this thread to learn more about business frats, and whether they are really worth it. At my school we have Delta Phi Sigma and Alpha Kappa Psi as the two main frats (we have a few more specialized ones as well).
So are business frats significantly helpful for progressing in your career? Are they worth the time and effort you have to put in to be a member? Have any of you joined a business frat, if so how was your experience? Lastly which do you think is the best, in terms of large network, helpful alumni, general mission etc.? And for anyone who was in Independent then joined a business frat or joined a social frat then a business frat, what which experience was more rewarding?</p>

<p>Thanks for posting!</p>

<p>No idea about those “general business” ones, but if I had to guess, they’re probably like anything else related to “general business” in school: worthless, useless, expensive to get nothing out of it. </p>

<p>As an accounting student, I can say Beta Alpha Psi is incredible for networking and a resume padder. By the time recruiting came around, I had already met and socialized with many professionals who decided whether or not I would get interviews. Not to mention the networking with your peers who can become good friends or business contacts. I got my current PT job through someone I met in BAP.</p>

<p>Thanks domrom1, at my school the DSP is one of the best frats on campus and some people have said it was a great experience, good for networking. There are no specialized frats for my majors at my school so I was wondering if joining a general business frat was worth it. (I think they are both co-ed and AKP is the oldest business frat in the U.S)</p>

<p>Some schools differ in what is the primary way to interact with major firms. In my experience, if there is no specialized fraternity for your particular field of interest, the best way is to join the club in that field. In the case with Beta Alpha Psi, there is no chapter at my school, so the accounting club serves as the primary way to interact with firms and network. Hope this helps.</p>

<p>“In the case with Beta Alpha Psi, there is no chapter at my school, so the accounting club serves as the primary way to interact with firms and network.”</p>

<p>At my school, BAP and the student accounting society do almost every event together. Separate officers/members/requirements, but we do almost everything together. The difference being anyone can join SAS whereas BAP has more stringent requirements, and is therefore a little more impressive on one’s resume.</p>

<p>Domrom1: From my experience in talking with different schools and clubs during my school decision process, if there is a BAP chapter present, they will usually have dibs on the best positions come hiring season. This was the primary reason why I chose my particular school, because of the lack of BAP, and I could just join the club and receive the benefits. Again this was just in my experience and this was in California as well.</p>

<p>Hey guys thanks for the responses.
My school does have an International Business organization but it isn’t to active. My to majors (International Business and GSCOM) don’t have large/active clubs, so in this case would joining a professional frat like the ones above be a good idea?</p>

<p>Also do you get a significant advantage for being in a frat? EVILteddie said that BAP at their school got ‘dibs’ so is it more difficult to network/find job opportunities w/o being in a professional frat?</p>

<p>It would really depend on the culture of your school. You would probably need to ask around. Accounting is “recruiting heavy,” the firms come out looking for YOU just as much as you look for THEM. If you’re not doing Accounting, idk how it works. It’s more just applying after you graduate. </p>

<p>But anyway, like I said it will depend. At my school, the serious Accounting candidates are in BAP. Those students also tend to get the Lion’s share of the offers. Now, correlation does not equal causation. It is likely a combo that the BAP students happen to have better grades, work experience, ECs, better at playing the game, etc., but I’m pretty sure the firms also value seeing BAP on your resume. At my school, I can say pretty confidently the other business fraternities are pretty much jokes. It’s all business admin or general business majors that think they’re not going to be qualified to be a manager when they graduate. That’s all I can say.</p>