Has anyone here ever heard of Phi Sigma Pi National Honor Fraternity?

[Lyric]

I got an e-mail from them, inviting me to their Spring rush event. The e-mail says that they're a co-ed honors fraternity that's existed since 1916, and with lots of chapters at universities across the country. It says that since my GPA is really high, that I was selected to attend their "rush" event, for potential membership. I thought that maybe someone here would know about whether or not this is a legit organization--or that maybe someone here was/is even a member.

There are a lot of scammy-type "honor" societies out there that basically take anyone with a 3.0 or higher who's willing to pay a fee, so I'd like to find out who these people are before I even get my hopes up.

[JVS]

1. Unless it's Phi Beta Kappa, it's probably not worth doing.

Tau Beta Pi is good for engineers who have a very difficult time fulfilling the liberal arts requirements that PBK usually requires. Outside of those, never heard of em

[WildEyedLiberal]

2. Unless it's directly affiliated with your major, I wouldn't bother

I was invited to and joined Phi Alpha Theta, which is a History honors fraternity. If it's a "scammy type honors society" like the kind you describe, though, it's definitely not worth it - those orgs are the college equivalent of the Who's Who High School awards.

[Lyric]

4. I've been doing some research in the past little while.

The verdict seems...mixed. They aren't an honor society--they're more like a Greek organization, save that they are a service organization and membership is more about grades and extracurriculars than about who you know. According to their site, they're the only honor fraternity in existence. There's also a Wiki about them that's pretty informative--unlike some of the other pseudo, scammy "honor" societies that contacted me over the summer, which weren't mentioned on Wiki at all.

So the verdict is still out, but I have to say, it does sound intriguing. It would be nice to meet some new people, if nothing else. I'll keep digging, and we shall see. :hi:

[WildEyedLiberal]

22. Oh, okay, yeah there are several "service" fraternities like that

Those are okay - they're not social fraternities like the stereotypical Greek frat, they don't really have a "house or social activities like that, they tend to focus more on doing community service, and usually do actually require you to be academically successful (something most frats claim to promote but don't give a shit about in reality). So yeah, it'd be worth checking out at least, especially if you're interested in meeting new people.

[ScreamingMeemie]

3. I have only heard of Phi Beta Kappa.

Did you try searching them?

On edit: They look legit...


From Wiki:

Phi Sigma Pi (ΦΣΠ) is a national coeducational honor fraternity based in the United States. The fraternity is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization incorporated in the state of Pennsylvania, with the purpose of fostering the ideals of scholarship, leadership and fellowship. Phi Sigma Pi is organized into approximately one hundred collegiate chapters at four-year collegiate institutions and several regionally established alumni chapters and associations serving a membership of approximately 30,000. Although collegiate chapters may fall under the purview of university student governing bodies, Phi Sigma Pi maintains no affiliation with the North-American Interfraternity Conference.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phi_Sigma_Pi

[Lyric]

5. Yeah--here's the Wiki

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phi_Sigma_Pi

If you have a little while, read it and tell me what you think. Does it sound like a good idea to you?

[ScreamingMeemie]

6. Holy cow... I just edited to include that.

Jinx! ;)

I will read and see. :hi:

[ScreamingMeemie]

13. If I were going into a teaching degree perhaps, because it might

look good on a resume'. I'll ask my next door neighbor (a teacher) and see if she knows anything about it. The Wiki is kind of fuzzy on what exactly they are. It appears all the chapters have different names.

[Lyric]

15. I am indeed going to teach.

that's my "plan," as of now--college, then grad school/MFA, then teaching English and Creative Writing (hopefully at a college) while working on my own poetry.

Let me know what your neighbor says. I just don't want to get my hopes up for something that's not worth bothering with, you know?

[Rabrrrrrr]

7. They appear to be legit, and have some scholarships and philanthropy for Teach for America

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phi_Sigma_Pi

But, they aren't on very many campuses. In terms of honor societies, this appears to be a low brow one.

[Lyric]

14. I agree. What bothers me most is the

3.0 GPA requirement. A "B" average doesn't seem like something worthy of an "honor" society. But this is a fraternity, technically, so I have no idea how that works. I am very wary, but tentatively hopeful. A Phi Beta Kappa invite is still at least two years away (they generally only invite during junior/senior year, and even then, only to people who are "well rounded.")

I've been a bit wistful because there really isn't a sorority/co-ed fraternity for fat girls who love books more than socializing, so I'm worried this might be my only chance to join any kind of Greek society at all.

[Rabrrrrrr]

20. It does say it is unique in that it's an honors fraternity.

Not an honor society (like Phi Beta Kappa) or a social or service fraternity.

I didn't read a lot at their official website, but it seems that, unlike honor societies, they might actually have chapter houses in which the members live together (like a social fraternity does). I'm not sure, though.

I guess the question is, do you know any of the other members on your campus and do you like them; and if you join, is it worth hanging out with those people even if it isn't a honor that a prospective employer would know about?

It could still be worth joining just for the friends and built-in community.

I was in a social fraternity in college, and I would never give that experience up - I have lifelong friends, and a world of amazing experiences and learning because of it.

[datasuspect]

8. who was that guy who said

something to the effect: "i wouldn't join an organization that would want me as a member." loose paraphrase.

[JVS]

9. Lenin

[datasuspect]

11. get your foot off the neck off the collective proletariat

nice post, Czar Nicholas

[JVS]

18. What proletariat? In Lenin's time there was barely a proletariat, the masses were peasants.

Only with Stalin's industrialization did the proletariat become large. Lenin made a revolution on behalf of a class that his successor would create. Then again Kerensky tried to make a bourgeois parliamentary democracy without having a robust bourgeoisie.

[datasuspect]

19. nice post, friedrich

[Rabrrrrrr]

10. Groucho Marx said it.

[datasuspect]

12. thanks

i hate when i can't remember shit.

[Oeditpus Rex]

16. Eh, they prolly just wanna do body shots off ya

Hey, come to think of it... :evilgrin:

[Lyric]

17. ...

x(

You, Sir, Are, A, Brat, Of, The, Highest, Order.!?@

(I hope your inner grammar fiend is horribly offended at that previous sentence. :P )

[Oeditpus Rex]

21. My Inner Grammar Fiend is taking the day off

to celebrate the Dodgers being in first place. :woohoo:



Hey, did you check to see if these bozos have ever been on Double Secret Probation?