Jump to: Benefits      Membership Requirements      Projects

Benefits:

Chapter activities:
Chapter activities are a great way to develop your professional skills, prepare for grad school, give back to the community, and meet professors and other members. By joining Golden Key, you will gain access to a network of students with diverse backgrounds and interests who can learn from each other and enrich their collegiate experience. There are also opportunities to develop further by holding leadership positions and joining committees.

For more on our events and the benefits of taking full advantage of your membership, please visit our about page.

Scholarships:
Two scholarships are awarded annually by each chapter to the outstanding junior and senior undergraduate initiates. In addition, the prestigious Golden Key Scholar Awards and graduate scholarships available to active memebers are supported by an international endowment to the Society. Over $400,000 in scholarship awards has been presented to Golden Key members internationally through these programs.

Career Assistance:
Corporations recognize that Golden Key members are distinguished internationally for their academic excellence and seek to recruit them. Golden Key has several corporate partners that offer internships and full time positions, including Bank of America, Boeing, Ford Motor Company, and many more. In addition, with the Vault career library, Golden Key members can access over 80 Vault Career Library Guidebooks, over 1,100 career advice articles, and over 1 million message postings about a wide range of career topics. At the Job Board, members can post their resumes and portfolios for employers to search.

Academic Recognition:
You've earned the top grades in classes here at Cal, and you deserve to be recognized for that amazing achievement. Each year, we hold an induction ceremony and reception for new members, and provide a personalized membership certificate and press release announcement. We also have graduation honor cords, stoles, pins, and pendants so everyone will know of your academic excellence.
A complete listing of Golden Key membership benefits can be find on the official Golden Key website.

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Membership Requirements:
Membership is by invitation only, based on the following criteria:

Invitations are sent out over winter break on an annual basis. Students who are eligible should automatically receive an invitation by mail, as well as notification by email. The invitation to join is valid for one year from the postmark date on the letter, so you may always join at a later date. Membership in Golden Key lasts for a lifetime. This means that even if your status changes after you join (i.e. your GPA drops below the cutoff or you transfer to a different school), you are still a member.

If you feel that you are eligible based on the above criteria and have not received an invitation, please contact the local chapter and send us an unofficial transcript. (A transcript printed off BearFacts is fine.) We will get the invitation to you as soon as possible.


Lifetime Membership Fee

The $70 membership fee is the only monetary requirement of members. This is a one-time fee and is paid when you first join the organization.

Headquarters uses the fees to pay for certificates and postage and to fund the conferences and various scholarships. Chapters receive a small portion of the fees to provide benefits (i.e. free dinners, socials, workshops) and required annual events (i.e. Sophomore Recognition, Induction, subsidies to the regional and international conferences) to members.

There are a few options to students who cannot afford the membership fee. Please contact us for more information.

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Projects:
Join various committees and get involved in long-term projects to earn more points.

Committees:
Public Relations Committee: Help publicize Golden Key across campus by joining our public relations committee. Responsibilities include helping post fliers for upcoming GK events, tabling at least 2 hours a month on Sproul Tuesday from 10-2PM, brainstorming new ways to publicize our club. For those who cannot make the 2 hour tabling requirement each month, other projects will be assigned to you. Earn 20 points for joining (long-term commitment) in addition to 5 points for every hour of tabling/flyering and every hour of committee minutes. For more information, email our PR chair.

Social Committee: Help plan exciting social events for Golden Key and earn points while exercising your creativity! Responsibilities include attending bimonthly meetings, brainstorming, setting up and cleaning up after social events if necessary. Earn 20 points for joining (long-term commitment) in addition to 5 points for every meeting you attend. To get involved, email our SoCom chair!

Fundraising Committee: Interested in raising money directed towards future Golden Key events and other community service projects? Join the fundraising committee. Responsibilities include bimonthly meetings, brainstorming, planning, and executing fundraising events. Earn 20 points for joining (long-term commitment) in addition to 5 points for every meeting you attend. To find out more, email our Fundraising Committee chair!

Long-Term Projects:
Outreach Program

High School Mentorship Program: To continue UC Berkeley's Golden Key International Honour Society's mission to give back to the community, we have launched a new Outreach Program to provide mentorship for high school juniors and seniors. Our goal with this program is to help high school students transition smoothly into the college setting. Each student, based on his/her major will be placed accordingly with a high school student. (30 points)

What will be expected of you:
- attend the Meet & Greet (held on a Saturday or weekday evening TBA). This will consist of a short workshop that will allow mentees to voice what they would like to achieve with their mentor through this program
- one-day shadowing session (held sometime during the mentee's spring break). Your high school student will hang out with YOU for a day to better understand and get a glimpse into college life.
- be available via e-mail or phone to answer any questions and provide any advice the student might have
- submit a feedback form due at the end of the semester

Short-Term Projects:
Literacy Development Project

Better World Books Drive
Donation Box located in Student Learning Center in front of 139 Chavez
Donate any used textbooks, prep books, and novels to benefit literacy programs in Africa

About Books for Africa:
Books For Africa (BFA) is the largest shipper of donated textbooks to the African continent.  Founded in 1988, the St. Paul-based organization has delivered more than 15 million books to 28 African countries. According to Patrick Plonski, executive director of Books For Africa, the need for books on the African continent is great: "In many African villages, seven children share one book. Some village schools own no books whatsoever."

Learn more by watching BFA's 10-minute video: www.booksforafrica.org/video.html.

About Better World Books:
Better World Books capitalizes on the value of the book to fund and support literacy initiatives locally, nationally, and around the world.  Organized as a for-profit social venture, Better World Books measures its success in terms of social, environmental, and economic impact. Since its founding in 2003, Better World Books has raised more than $2.3 million in funding for its non-profit literacy partners, provided more than 570,000 books for direct use and diverted in excess of 5,250 tons of books from landfills. Learn more at www.betterworldbooks.com.

Outreach Program

High School Mentorship Program: To continue UC Berkeley's Golden Key International Honour Society's mission to give back to the community, we have launched a new Outreach Program to provide mentorship for high school juniors and seniors. Our goal with this program is to help high school students transition smoothly into the college setting.

- one-day shadowing session (held sometime during the mentee's spring break). A high school student will hang out with YOU for an entire day to better understand and get a glimpse into college life. (10 points)
- student panelist. Each GK panelist will talk about life at UC Berkeley and how they came to be where they are today. You will be expected to answer any appropriate questions from the audience. Only 6 GK members will be selected. (20 points)

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