How to Graduate Phi Beta Kappa

Graduating Phi Beta Kappa is a huge honor, and can open doors for you later in life. Here's how to do it.

Difficulty: Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Electronic Personal Organizers
• Personal Organizers
• Classes On Improving Memory
• Classes On Improving Study Habits

1. Study hard. Chances are your grade-point average will need to be at least in the top 10 percent of your graduating class.

2. Learn a foreign language and a fair amount of math, as these are important selection criteria regardless of chapter.

3. Find out the contact information for the Phi Beta Kappa chapter at your college.

4. Contact the chapter office to find out selection criteria, but don't bother applying - the initiative for nominations rests with local chapters.

5. Do at least 3/4 of your college work in the liberal arts or sciences, as these are the only fields covered by Phi Beta Kappa.

Tips & Warnings

• Visit the Phi Beta Kappa Web site (see Related Sites) for information on local chapters.
• In general, Phi Beta Kappa membership is bestowed upon graduating college seniors, though on rare occasions graduate students are invited to join.
• Contact your campus chapter early in your college career to get yourself on the right academic track.

Who Can Help Sponsored

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on 11/22/2005 Become a fixture in your major's department -- visit your professors office hours often and you will become well known among them for being a good student (especially ones that are PBK members). This will really help when they are prompted for nomination.

on 11/22/2005 Of course getting good grades is the most important, but I know it helped my being on the Division I swim team, being a judiciary member and other clubs, and doing independent research projects with a professor. It had to have helped, since I was doing way too many unhealthy extracurricular activities (killing brain cells).

on 11/22/2005 Although making good grades (above 3.7) is important to get elected, it is equally important to have a diverse educational background. Take classes in different disciplines with different professors. For example, at my school the majority of initiates were double majors (i.e. computer science and economics). Finally, it is important to have a good relationship with your professors; get to know them outside of a classroom setting. You do not have to ?brown nose?, but it is important to show your professors that you care about your education.

on 11/22/2005 The Phi Beta Kappa selection process is pretty cut-and-dry. You don't apply - PBK approaches you. And it's not based on extracurricular activities or how much certain professors like you. It's based solely on your academic performance and course selection.

- First and foremost, not all schools even have a PBK chapter, so choose wisely.
- You'll need a high GPA (obviously). Only about the top 10% of college seniors are invited. Keep up with your studies all through your college career.
- Most of your courses need to be from the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at your school, so it helps to major in one of the liberal arts.
- You must have credits in a foreign language and higher math (which means calculus and beyond). I believe you require around six credit hours in each.

on 11/22/2005 Perhaps the above "brown-nosing" tips will give you an edge, but the only real way to become a Phi Beta Kappa is to rack up a high GPA (at least a 3.75) and lots of credit units. The key to getting A's in most liberal arts courses is to write well. So, pore over books on grammar, logic, rhetoric, and argumentation before you even start college, and practice your essay-writing skills.