<p>I am a rising junior at Chicago (GPA 3.7-3.8), and due to the horrendous opacity of grading here, I ask: What is the cutoff for junior induction into Phi Beta Kappa? What is the overall cutoff (read: final cutoff) for induction into Phi Beta Kappa?</p>
<p>I suspect the range for jr PBK is a bit higher than what you have. I know one that got it with a 3.9. And, grades are not the only thing that matters, I’ve heard they look at quality of courses, too.</p>
<p>But, why do you care? Do you know of any special significance to jr PBK?</p>
<p>Well I’ve taken calc 130’s and Natsci, but I took accelerated Latin last year for kicks (I have competency in French) and I’m taking analysis for fun this year and GSB classes, so quality of classes could swing either way for me. Jr. PBK is (of course) harder to get, and I’ve seen it on resumes before, so it probably carries more weight, no?</p>
<p>Also, do extracurricular factor into PBK picks, or is it purely an academic selection?</p>
<p>What analysis class? when you say “for fun” you mean elective, I hope. Auditing or pass/fail will not help. </p>
<p>PBK looks almost exclusively at academic record. Student Marshall looks at ECs as well as grades. As you might guess, more kids get picked as jr year SM than jr yr PBK.</p>
<p>But the truth is that I don’t think having it on your resume is the big factor. A kid who is jr PBK should have impressed a number of faculty to that point, who would write dynamite recs. And your transcript should speak for itself. </p>
<p>Those are what matter.</p>
<p>If you are seriously in the mix for PBK at Chicago, you can easily go to graduate school for some field of interest at Stanford, Harvard, Berkeley, what have you. In turn, it will not really matter that much since the PBK designation is really only a major point with private employers, and presumably, you will either end up in academia or will be judged on the merits of your graduate degree. Besides, you will already have Honors in the College and in your major, with a stellar GPA to write down as well.</p>
<p>uchicagoalum,</p>
<p>So you think any PBK from Chicago is good, or just jr. PBK? I guess you can call jr PBK the best of the best?</p>
<p>newmassdad,</p>
<p>Whenever somebody says “I’m taking analysis” or something along those lines, it means Math 203/204/205. I’m probably going to end up taking it pass/fail, but I will continue in analysis (Math 270, 272) my senior year. For a non-math major to take these classes, even pass/fail is very daunting, as the UChicago math department is ranked either first or second in mathematical analysis worldwide.</p>
<p>uchicagoalum,</p>
<p>I may end up going to law school or business school down the road, but upon graduation I want to work at either a bulge bracket firm (e.g. Goldman Sachs) or a quant hedge fund (e.g. D.E. Shaw or Citadel). As it were, competition for these jobs is fierce, and since students apply for finance jobs in fall quarter of their senior year, junior PBK would be an unholy boost. It would also help if I decide to apply for a Fulbright or any other such scholarship.</p>
<p>Also, I won’t have honors in my major, as I have absolutely no desire to write an independent research paper (in economics), and will instead fill my remaining time taking stats/csmc/math/gsb classes that I believe will both be very interesting and help me get a job when I graduate.</p>
<p>If you have honors in the college it will not matter if you do econ or not. Personally, I would also skip the BA thesis and take a PhD level class or two if you are up for it. Becker’s Human Capital is stellar, and I have heard great things Fama’s fall finance course as well (missed it myself). Anyhow… DE Shaw and the like are of course selective, but with your grades I would not worry. You will get there in the long run if you want it, even if it means by way of JP Morgan or Citigroup. If analysis if workable, you should definitely start looking into the top math finance programs since they are vastly superior to any MBA.</p>
<p>uchicagoalum,
I will probably end up taking Fama’s finance class (through the business school), but I for one am against EMT.</p>
<p>I have definitely had my eye on Math Fin programs (particularly at Berkeley, Princeton & UChicago), but ideally I would like to go direct from analyst to associate without wasting time on an MBA, which I believe to be largely useless.</p>
<p>CB, FWIW, jr PBK won’t matter much for a Fulbright. For those, the proposed project is far more important.</p>
<p>Also, how do you expect to take math 204? You’ve taken 199, too? As I mentioned, course difficulty counts a lot for jr PBK. The one kid I know who made it did well enough on the math placement exam to place out of all math, and I suspect the PBK committee takes these things into consideration. </p>
<p>But I suppose if you totally aced the math sequence, including 199, (i.e. no A-) you might have shown them good ability. Who knows. </p>
<p>Good luck!</p>
<p>nmd,
I’m taking math 199 in the fall, which lets me take math 203 in the winter and so on. Technically, I placed out of all math when I came in (5 on AP BC Calc), but took calc anyways (I was planning on being a Classics major then, so I didn’t think it worth it to take math 150s; bad idea, I know). I’ve gotten a flat A in every math class I’ve taken at Chicago (which is not that much of an accomplishment because I have taken math 131-132-133-195-196; though my math 195-196 teacher set the curve at C- and I was the only A in both classes), but I also got a flat A in Stat 234, which is known to be a class that sets a pretty low curve.</p>
<p>For a Fulbright, when you say the “proposed project is far more important,” do you mean its quality, its relevance to your work, or both? I welcome any advice you have on the subject.</p>
<p>Thanks for your time.</p>
<p>If you got a 5 on BC calc AP and stepped down to the 130 math series, I have no idea how they’ll look at your record. As you know, normally, with a 5 in calc, one would take 153 or the 160 series calc, but I’m sure the grades you received in what you did take, and your grade in 199 will be looked on favorably!</p>
<p>I have limited personal knowledge of Fulbrights, but have a daughter applying this year, so I’m learning from her, and have read on the web. Fulbrights are NOT based on academic merit, although undergrad record certainly counts. From their website:
</p>
<p>Look at their website, as the program offers several different “tracks”, including teaching english, regional as well as national programs. Each country has different preferences, but if you go the national program route, you MUST have a sponsor on the other end if you want to have a successful application. My own D spent the summer in country (on her own, not with a study abroad program) to develop the background contacts necessary for her application.</p>
<p>So to answer your question specifically, the project should match your own academic preparation as well as the stated interests of the country you plan to go to. For example, this is for Columbia:
</p>
<p>Good luck…</p>
<p>CesareBorgia, I know this might seem really random, but your screen name is interesting. we are learning about the corruption and incest under the Borgia pope in AP Euro. Why did you pick that as a screen name? Just curious…</p>
<p>newmassdad,</p>
<p>I didn’t feel comfortable taking 160s (and 150s is entirely useless, just a half measure really), because I had done calculus, but I was heavily dependent on my calculator, and proof-based math (i.e. real math) is completely different.</p>
<p>Thanks for the Fulbright info. The “Restriction Security…” paragraph is hilarious. </p>
<p>koolmaria139,
Perhaps I enjoy Lagerkvist & Machiavelli too much?</p>