I’m qualified to apply for two this upcoming fall semester.
Does anyone have experience with them?
What two do you want information about?!
Depends. Some are worthless and exist only to empty wallets of the gullible. Others are real and worthwhile.
If it is a honor society for your major and has an active chapter on your campus then it might be worth joining. For these, you would probably be notified by your department that you qualify. If you participate, it could be a way to network. If it is a one that you are invited to join by a mass mailing then do a google search to see if it’s a scam.
My daughter has gotten a few invites to honor societies. For many it seems that the only qualification is that you have $50-100. Some of the mailings are very slick and professionally done.
I doubt that most will carry much weight on a resume unless you had some sort of leadership role. One exception might Phi Beta Kappa which is well known and respected.
Many of them are “scams,” so I encourage you to read up on individual societies before joining.
Some are good, some aren’t. Post the ones and we can advise.
Thank you, everyone!
The ones I’m looking into are Pi Gamma Mu and Pi Sigma Alpha.
A very quick google search seems to indicate they are legit.
If they have active chapters on campus and you plan to be an active member then I would look into it. If you are just joining to list it on your resume, it’s probably not worth it.
Pi Sigma Alpha I know is legit. I’ve never heard of Pi Gamma Mu. Website looks a little sketchy, but it looks relatively harmless.
Other than Phi Beta Kappa, most legitimate honor societies seem to confer a neutral benefit on one’s resume/CV. There are some big ones that might actually confer a little bit of benefit - for example, Psi Chi, the psychology one, has conferences at which graduate schools sometimes appear and has an undergraduate journal you can publish in. Some chapters are also more active than others, so they might invite interesting speakers you can leverage into a graduate program or something. I would imagine that Pi Sigma Alpha is the same.
However, I wasn’t in Psi Chi in undergrad and no one seemed to care for graduate school; they certainly don’t care now that I’m looking for jobs. I was in Alpha Lambda Delta (the first year honor society) and National Society for Collegiate Scholars, and both of those have had zero impact on my career. Many of these societies claim that people have networked their way into jobs through them, but I would imagine that happens infrequently and is mostly for students who are involved in governance on the national level. I certainly don’t know anyone who did. Most people don’t put that kind of thing on their resume. Phi Beta Kappa you absolutely can, because it indicates a level of achievement at your college - it’s a very prestigious award that employers are mostly aware of. (Ironically, most people don’t get involved on PBK at the college level, because they receive the designation quite close to graduation.) Other honor societies? Meh.
Basically, if you want to do it and get involved on the campus level, go ahead. $50 isn’t very much and confers lifetime membership. But don’t expect it to pay huge dividends for your career or grad school prospects.