I understand honour societies have been around for years and it is a tradition more prevalent in the western world to recognise outstanding academic talent.
The largest honour society is perhaps the Golden Key which operates worldwide and has over 2 million members. It provides a range of services to members, including leadership training, networking and the opportunity to do good. Membership is by invitation only and only those who are in the top 15% of their class or high performing graduate students are eligible. The eligibility is based solely on academic performance.
I presume being invited to join a honour society is an 'honour' in itself, as the mere mention of this affiliation on the CV would indicate that you are a top achiever.
Question 1: Does membership of honour society carry any professional weight?
(i.e. does it give any additional advantages?)
Note: Honour society is not the same as professional society. The latter, as I understand it, is open to all persons in a particular field (irrespective of their academic achievement but as long as certain criteria are met, e.g. successful registration as a teacher to join a teacher's union).
Question 2: Are there other honour societies in addition to the Golden Key (which seems to be the most dominant one)?
PS: I am unsure of the tag, so putting CV. Please update!
Disclaimer: I am not associated with Golden Key.
Answer
Does membership of honour society carry any professional weight?
No, not in general. At a very early stage in your career, for example when applying to graduate school, it may be useful as a quick indication that you have received high grades. However, the grades themselves are more meaningful than the honor society membership, and in any case grades only matter so much. It's worth mentioning the honor society on your CV, but it won't make a big difference.
Once you are more than a few years past undergraduate studies, neither grades nor honor societies matter.
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