# Chapter of the Golden Key - fight my ignorance please
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chapter-of-the-golden-key-fight-my-ignorance-please/461259
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
**Created:** [August 25, 2008, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chapter-of-the-golden-key-fight-my-ignorance-please/461259 "2008-08-25T23:16:56Z")
**Posts on this page:** 6
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Bravo\_Romeo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bravo_Romeo)
#### Post date: [August 25, 2008, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chapter-of-the-golden-key-fight-my-ignorance-please/461259/1 "2008-08-25T23:16:56Z")
So I got an invitation to join, endorsed by my university in the mail yesterday.
I a) don’t know the benefits of an ‘honour society’ (being in Australia, I don’t think honour societies are as recognised than in the U.S.) and b) get a bit of a scam vibe from the promotional material, and joining fee of AU$ 95.00.
I admit I’m totally clueless though, so could anyone tell me about their experiences with this organisation? It appears to be involved with many tertiary education institutions in the U.S. Should I follow up on it or just throw out the letter and buy the Deadwood box set? (And of course continue to study hard 🙂 )
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### Author:  [@Tenar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tenar)
#### Post date: [August 26, 2008, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chapter-of-the-golden-key-fight-my-ignorance-please/461259/2 "2008-08-26T02:06:20Z")
For what it’s worth, [Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_Key_International_Honour_Society) suggests that you aren’t the only one with doubts about Golden Key. The whole thing sounds like a shabby knockoff of Phi Beta Kappa (founded 1776), which, as you may be aware, is known for its members’ habit of wearing gold Phi Beta Kappa keys.
BTW – shouldn’t this be in IMHO?
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### Author:  [@Cunctator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cunctator)
#### Post date: [August 26, 2008, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chapter-of-the-golden-key-fight-my-ignorance-please/461259/3 "2008-08-26T02:29:48Z")
I got those offers a few times while doing my last degree. I threw them all in the bin.
I asked some of our graduates here once what the attraction was in being a member. Basically the answer seemed to be that “it looked good on your resumé”.
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### Author:  [@ok11](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ok11)
#### Post date: [August 26, 2008, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chapter-of-the-golden-key-fight-my-ignorance-please/461259/4 "2008-08-26T03:34:03Z")
I’m a US member, and while Golden Key is not a scam, it’s not very beneficial either. When I was an undergrad, I had a scholarship that among other things paid for honor society fees. So for me, the price wasn’t a factor.
Golden Key had a fairly strong presence on my college campus. It brought in speakers, held fund raisers, and sponsored several volunteer programs. You didn’t have to be a member to participate in most of those things, though. I volunteered a lot for one of their programs, but didn’t really attend any meetings. (Unlike some other honor societies, Golden Key doesn’t require you to attend a minimum number of meetings or volunteer a specific amount of time to remain a member.)
As a member, you get access to Golden Key Rewards, which is a shopping program. There are some pretty good discounts, but I’ve never taken advantage of them. You can also access CareerLink, which is a job message board. There are a bunch of scholarships too, but the likelihood of getting one is pretty small. Some other things include international conferences and study abroad programs (really fancy, but expensive).
Like **Cunctator** said, the major reason why people join honor societies is just to put something on the resume. It’s also good for networking, especially if you attend a lot of meetings or take on a leadership position. Otherwise, at least in my school, being a member did not make much of a difference.
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### Author:  [@Bravo\_Romeo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bravo_Romeo)
#### Post date: [August 26, 2008, 6:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chapter-of-the-golden-key-fight-my-ignorance-please/461259/5 "2008-08-26T06:26:31Z")
Sorry if this belongs in IMHO.
I found some other articles online as well as other discussions that basically come to the same conclusions. I don’t think I’ll join up in any case. Thanks for your replies.
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### Author:  [@Quasimodal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quasimodal)
#### Post date: [August 26, 2008, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chapter-of-the-golden-key-fight-my-ignorance-please/461259/6 "2008-08-26T13:57:54Z")
I joined. I got an invitation despite not being anywhere near the top of my class.
Never received any benefit…I’d like my money back please.