<p>I hadn't seen any discussions on this subject and I'm soliciting info and opinions.
Is there any substantive added value if a school is a member of the approximate 280 in the US?
Would you be more prone to select a school that is a member if all else appears to be equal vs one that isn't?
Does a degree from a member school enhance acceptance to grad or professional school?</p>
<p>DS did apply primarily to schools that are Phi Beta Kappa. It was a way to distinguish between small LACs. It may not matter in the long run, but the schools had to meet a set criteria for rigor.</p>
<p>Thanks.
Given the response, I guess that’s why I couldn’t find any prior discussions</p>
<p>I also think the presence of a Phi Beta Kappa chapter is a useful signal. All other things being equal, I’d definitely choose the college with PBK over the one without it.</p>
<p>A foreign language requirement and a Phi Beta Kappa chapter are two signals of institutional quality. I’d be leery of a school that had neither.</p>
<p>Remember that Phi Beta Kappa is for liberal arts only – whether it’s a freestanding liberal arts college or the College of Arts and Sciences (or whatever it’s called) within a university.</p>
<p>If your student’s aspirations lie outside the liberal arts, he or she will not be eligible for PBK membership and perhaps, the presence or absence of PBK on the campus might be less relevant than other criteria.</p>
<p>The presence of a foreign language requirement is also less relevant (and less common) outside of liberal arts.</p>
<p>My own degree some thirty five years ago at a LAC was a Bachelor of Arts in Biology with Honors. I was elected to Phi Beta Kappa and have always cherished that honor.</p>
<p>My daughter attends a university which awards Phi Beta Kappa and has investigated the requirements for chapter nomination. I think it’s great to see her set such a goal. Regarding foreign language, her university chapter mentions they like to see continuation in study of foreign language past the general requirements to demonstrate deeper cultural knowledge and further language aptitude. Regardless, she’s finding the better she gets in advanced Spanish the more she looks forward to its study. </p>
<p>Good luck to any student striving for Phi Beta Kappa.</p>
<p>I suspect that students who are elected to Phi Beta Kappa get some extra notice when it comes to graduate schools or certain employers; I’m not sure that the school itself having or not having a Phi Beta Kappa chapter is that influential for grad school for students who were not elected. (Also: different schools have substantially different requirements, most of which aren’t clearly advertised. Some, for example, require a full year of calculus for consideration which might leave an Art History or English major out in the cold; others seem to require a foreign language proficiency level that is higher than what the college itself might require,…)</p>