I’m currently filling out applications to graduate school. The application I’m working on asks me to list any professional organizations I might belong to. I don’t belong to any. If I were to say that I was, could the person reviewing my application find out that I’m not actually a member? I mean, if he happened to be the a member of the same organization I claim to be a part of, could he find some master lists of members somewhere and find out that I don’t actually belong?
For the record, I don’t think I would actually do this because all the organizations I would be likely to claim membership in are likely to be ones the department chair is a member of. I’m just curious. Really.
Most professional organizations do provide membership lists once a year or so. Since that information is public, I imagine that one member could query the organization as to whether someone else was a member or not. I doubt if they would release more than a “yes” or “no”: I can’t imagine they’d release date joined or date lapsed, for example.
Depends on the organization. IEEE only publishes a list of volunteers each year, not all members, but you get a membership card and a number. I think the greater danger is that of someone asking about things published in society publications that you would get as a member but might not be familiar with as a non-member.
When I was an undergrad most undergrads didn’t join professional societies. That’s something we did in grad school, where the journals and connections were more important.
Yes, the associations I’ve been a member of have published membership lists. Also, if the association is relevant to your field, I’ve had interviewers (job, not grad school) ask about my membership. I’d be surprised if anyone reviewing student apps has time to check membership lists, but I could easily seeing them asking about your involvement in an interview.
You mentioned the the most likely gotcha… that the reviewer is also a member of that organization. Assuming that the professional organization is related to the degree you’re seeking, it might even be likely. The professional organizations I’m part of all publish membership directories, and I’d probably check if I was interviewing someone.
The American Math Soc maintains a membershop list open to members as well as anyone who can sign on from an institutional member (usually university). I cannot imagine that membership in a professional organization would make the slightest difference in an application, while falsely claiming membership (if actually discovered, not terribly likely) would be a strong negative. I, at least, feel that basic honesty is an important trait. We spend much of our professional careers trusting each other. I stongly recommend you not do this.
One caveat: Most academic professional organizations are really just pay for membership sorts of things. You give them your dues, get on the listserv, get the organization’s journal, and maybe go to their annual conference. There is no status advantage per se. Lying about being a member of one of these would be both wrong and silly; I can’t imagine anyone would have a positive impression because you shelled out X dollars for a membership (though a grad school might be impressed if you went to the annual conference, shows interest). Selective societies (trade guilds etc) probably do have a status advantage…but your membership is far more likely to be both questioned and verifiable in those cases.
It’s becoming more likely than it used to be, at least in the biomedical field. A few highly publicized lies have got people combing through CVs with fine-toothed combs these days.