About Golden Key
What makes Golden Key the best honour society on campus?
We are the only international academic honor society on the U.C. Berkeley campus. There are 335 Golden Key chapters at colleges and universities around the world in countries such as Australia, Canada, Malaysia, South Africa, and the United States. Every year, members have the opportunity to attend the international conference and network with other chapters from across the globe.
In addition, our membership is not limited to one or several majors. Members come from a diverse array of majors, so you will find an interesting mix of people and many opportunities to interact and learn from people with varied interested. We are focused on helping members become more well-rounded people and develop skills that will be applicable in almost any profession. Thus, our chapter sponsors many different types of events.
What, specifically, does the chapter do?
We hold events that promote academic and career development, service, and networking. These include:
- Honorary Member dinners: Members have an opportunity to meet and eat with professors.
- Honorary Member lectures: Professors provide small, intimate lectures on topics of interest.
- Academic and Professional Development Workshops/Panels: Events range from graduate school preparation workshops and panels for law and medical school to workshops for developing stellar resumes and giving great interviews.
- Community Service: We give back to the Berkeley and world community through events like Make a Difference Day, collaborating with other service groups, and donating books to Room to Read, a non-profit helping educate children in Asia.
- Social Events: Broomball, bowling, movies - you name it, and we're there to have a good time! These are a great opportunity to socialize with other members in a more comfortable setting.
We offer opportunites for leadership and scholarships.
- Committees: Help with chapter activites and gain valuable experience planning events and working with others. We have both long-term committees that span the semester and short-term committees to put together larger events.
- Officer positions: Officers are selected at the end of the Spring semester, and have one year terms. They guide the direction of our chapter and further develop their own leadership skills through heading committees and networking opportunities.
- Scholarships: Last year we gave out six $125 scholarships recognizing some of the best members in our chapter. This is a tradition we would like to continue in the future.
Why should I get involved and become an active member?
We reward our active members in a variety of ways:
- Most local scholarhship recipients have been active in the chapter, and we will write recommendations for active members applying to other Golden Key scholarships. (Internationally, over $400,000 is given in scholarships annually. Learn more at the international website.)
- Active members are more likely to be selected for officer positions the following year.
- Part of your membership fee comes back to our chapter to sponsor activities for you, so coming out to events means you are "getting your money's worth."
- Through a point system, you can earn cords and stoles, worn at graduation to recognize members for their academic achievement and involvement in Golden Key.
Why is it called a "Honour" society?
Golden Key is a truly international organization, and to pay tribute to that, the name reflects the internationally accepted orthography for honor. Our sister chapter in Australia--Monash University, and all other Golden Key chapters--do the same!
Check out the international Golden Key website for more information about the name and the organization's history.
