Have you received an email from Phi Theta Kappa (PTK)? Have you heard your friends discuss PTK? Have you seen 4-year colleges offering PTK scholarships to transfer students? Are you completely unfamiliar with PTK and want to find out more? Does it all seem too good to be true?
If you want these questions answered you’ve come to the right place.
Phi Theta Kappa states that their mission is to, “Recognize and promote student academic achievement. PTK provides opportunities to cultivate professional and leadership skills, secure scholarships, explore diverse career paths, and build a network of supportive peers and trusted advisors that last a lifetime.”
That’s quite a powerful mission statement, but what does that mean, and what does it look like in action? How has PTK truly impacted students?
Candidly put, PTK is an honors society for college students attending schools that grant associate degrees. It is an organization that brings students together and recognizes their academic achievement.
PTK is well-known throughout the United States, and well-regarded. This means that simply being a member of PTK, and having the ability to note this on a transfer application, may grant you an edge over competing applicants when furthering your education at other institutions.
Even disregarding scholarships and other benefits, simply joining PTK and then taking no additional action with your membership may prove to be useful along your academic journey.
The largest, and most obvious, benefit of joining PTK is the opportunities for scholarships.
PTK has an extensive scholarship network that any member of the society can access, and the process for applying to these opportunities is straightforward. Many schools also independently offer their own scholarships for PTK members from private funds.
There is money available for you, you just have to go and get it!
It must be noted that there are certain requirements students need to meet to take advantage of the benefits provided by Phi Theta Kappa membership.
Completing 12 credits is one, and maintaining a 3.5 GPA is the second. If you finish a semester at Century meeting these standards, you should receive an email to your Century account officially inviting you to join Phi Theta Kappa.
The process of joining is then simple and easy.
Follow the instructions in the email, pay a fee (around $100), and you’re in! Enjoy the full benefits of being part of the world’s largest honors society for community college students!
You may have also noticed that there is a PTK club on campus, which is something separate from general PTK membership.
The PTK club consists of the executive board members of Century’s local PTK chapter, Alpha Alpha Gamma, and any other students interested in PTK. Club meetings are biweekly and oftentimes are fueled by snacks provided to the attendees for free.
If you’ve been accepted to PTK and want to be involved more in shaping our community, want to experience diverse and ample opportunities to enhance your leadership skills, or simply wish to explore what it means to be a member of the board or club, consider emailing the advisors, Corey Culver and Yessica Santana, or the Century’s chapter President Marie Kuhlman.
Considering the benefits of being involved with PTK’s local chapter, it’s worth joining even if you don’t wish to take a role within the executive board.
PTK is a nationally recognized organization that provides a wealth of opportunities to its members. As a PTK member and Vice President of Leadership for the Alpha Alpha Gamma chapter, I can personally say that the advantages of being a member are worth the fee.
