Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I received the ABK when I graduated with my B.S. My school awarded ABK to those who graduated SummaCumLaude. They didn't have to pay for anything as the school covered all cost. I wouldn't have gotten it if I didn't put in the work and it wasn't awarded to someone who didn't achieve what myself and the other 4 Summa's worked hard for. Out of the 500+ students that I graduated with there were only 5 of us who received it and wore a special cord during our commencement. So to me, yes, it has some worth and validity. I wouldn't put it on my resume and but I have no problem putting it on my LinkedIn profile along with my other honors and distinctions. There is nothing negative about it.
These fee-paid honor societies that are solely based on grades and that charge $50 to $200 fees are basically scams. They are selling you a sheet of paper, the right to claim some sort of prestige that no one really cares about, and the right to scholarships based on a fraction of what they take in.
Any decent student gets about a dozen of these in the mail by the time they graduate and they throw them in the trash.
Your school will offer its own honors and they are free (i.e. Dean's list). Employers know of the honor society scams and they don't care about them.
The honors that are important: 1) don't charge fees; 2) are based on very stringent criteria (i.e. to 1% or 3% of class); 3) have an application or nomination process that depends on high grades, leadership, philanthropy, character, etc. and reject the majority of the applicants or nominees; and/or 4) relate to your major and that has a local chapter that is active in projects related to your major and faculty sponsorship.
When I see a resume with Phi Eta Sigma (Freshman Honor Society); Lamba Sigma (Sophomore Honor Society); Golden Key (Junior Honor Society); Mortar Board (Senior Honor Society), and I just think they probably also bought the leather bound copy of Who's Who in College to put next to their leather bound copy of Who's Who in High School.
If you are not a member of ABK then you do not need to bad mouth ABK. You have to be approved by the institution's official to join.
I received abk award at Bradley academy for visual arts. They gave me the award and two others in our class. I graduated with 3.5 gpa and also received the who's who award among junior American colleges. I was grateful for the honors because I worked my butt off and it was nice to put on my resume. I landed a job right out of school in my field and I think those honors helped. It gave me a little extra confidence.
Congratulations fellow ABK member!
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
