Benefits of Membership
You've worked hard in school. Now, how do you stand out from the crowd?
Finding a way to stand out has never been more important than now, when graduates face a difficult job market.
Prospective employers have trouble judging your academic performance from your transcript and GPA. Due to grade inflation, plenty of graduates have high GPAs.
But the "seal of approval" offered by a prestigious honor society can mark you as a top performer, because membership is offered to only a small percentage of students. This is especially helpful at schools like GMU, where class rank is not published.
Some other points to consider (for more information, see www.betagammasigma.org):
- The Washington, DC, alumni chapter of Beta Gamma Sigma (or other alumni chapters) can help you to expand your professional network.
- Membership comes with a variety of offers for free or discounted goods and services (see Member Benefits page on the headquarters website for more information):
- Free one-year subscriptions for Business Week and Fortune
- Substantial discounts on prep courses for graduate admission exams, including the CPA, GMAT, LSAT, and GRE
- Discounts on car rental, hotels, magazines, car insurance, and a wide variety of other products.
- The international organization maintains a Career Central job board for members on its website.
- You pay dues only once, and then you are a member of Beta Gamma Sigma for the rest of your life.
- The families and other loved ones who have supported you during your educations love to see you recognized for your achievements. You are encouraged to bring guests to the induction ceremony. Is that enough to justify joining on its own? No ... but it's one more thing to consider.
Two more notes for undergraduates:
- If you are planning to work for the Federal government, you may be able to qualify for a higher entry-level GS rating (and a higher salary) as a result of belonging to a recognized national honor society.
- If you will not graduate until at least the December following your induction into BGS, you are eligible for the SOM Beta Gamma Sigma scholarship. To be considered for this scholarship, submit a general scholarship application. More information is available at http://som.gmu.edu/DegreePrograms/Undergrad/Scholarships.