Honor societies at Geneseo
Photo courtesy of the Geneseo Website
At Geneseo, many students are unaware of the opportunities that are available to them. One of these is the honor societies at Geneseo, many of which are a part of a national chapter. Multiple opportunities are open to students of all majors, but what can be an even larger opportunity is the major-specific honor societies at Geneseo.
These major-specific honor societies can be helpful for several reasons. The first is a way to meet other students within your major who share your academic goals. Many of the societies on campus will host events for the opportunity to meet others before joining the chapter. Joining one of these societies also provides a unique organization to include on your resume, which can show future employers how dedicated you are to your studies.
Major-specific honor societies are available at Geneseo for the following majors: Biology, Business, Chemistry, Communication, Education, English, French, Geography, Geology, History, International Relations, Languages and Literature, Mathematics, Neuroscience, Philosophy, Physics, Sociology, Spanish, and Theatre.
One of the most active honors societies on campus is the Sigma Tau Delta chapter, an international English honor society with over 900 chapters. This organization aims to provide a sense of community among those passionate about English literature. The Geneseo website provides much information about the organization, including its scholarships, missions, recent trips, and participating faculty and staff.
Another honor society on campus that offers various awards and scholarships is Pi Mu Epsilon, the national mathematics honor society on campus. This organization has been on the Geneseo campus since 1989 and aims to promote scholarly activity within mathematics on campus. Each year, during their induction ceremony, they invite guest speakers and previous alumni to speak and celebrate mathematical achievements.
For STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) students outside of mathematics searching for an honors society, there are plenty of options. One of these is Beta Beta Beta (TriBeta), the biological sciences honor society on campus. Since its origin in 1922, over 650 chapters have been established, providing students with a wide range of members across the United States, with 300,000 lifetime members.
While these major-specific honors societies have their own unique perks, there are still many benefits to joining the other available organizations on campus. One of these is the Order of Omega. This organization is for students who are part of a social Greek organization on campus and have the required GPA to join. This unique organization allows members of Greek life to bond with those outside of their major who may be facing the same difficulties they are.
It has become a common scam online for companies to email students, inviting them to join their honor society after paying a fee. These organizations not associated with Geneseo are more than likely to be scams, do not offer any real resources to students, and will only take the money and run.
Some of the honor societies on campus do require a one-time induction fee, which will cover various costs, such as the graduation cords students wear on the day of graduation. Since these two concepts consist of each other simultaneously, be sure to do research on the organization that has contacted you before sending any money. If you are unsure about the situation after doing your research, reach out to your faculty advisor and ask for their help!