Former student questions benefits of Golden Key
The Golden Key International Honour Society has urged students to work hard in their respective academic fields so that they will be able to join the society.
The society recognises members for their achievements, gives them scholarship opportunities, connects them with like-minded high performers around the world, and helps them to grow as leaders.
“A Golden Key membership is so much more than a well-earned mark of distinction on your resume. Your membership is an opportunity to learn, grow, travel, and meet incredible people – for a lifetime,” said Nadia Ayob, the society’s committee chairperson, on the North-West University’s Potchefstroom campus.
According to Ayob, Golden Key is based on leadership and academic success. It is the largest international collegiate society and functions on three pillars: academics, leadership and community service.
The essence of being a member of the Golden Key Honour Society is the recognition of academic excellence.
The only way to join the society is by invite, Ayob said. “How it works is that the top 15% of students per course, are invited to join the society and they are given the recognition they deserve for their academic success.”
She explained that membership comes with a lot of benefits. “The most prevalent benefit of being a society member is that once one’s membership fee is paid, one will then proceed to have a lifelong membership with Golden Key.
Other benefits include development and leadership seminars, bursaries, scholarships, international academic travel grants, international study opportunities, career opportunities within Golden key and a certificate to include in one’s CV,” Ayob said.
Some members of the society, however, disagree with Ayob about the benefits. “I benefited nothing from the society. There have been multiple travel grant opportunities emailed to us to attend international conferences, but that’s all they are – unguaranteed opportunities. I applied for most of them but to this day, I haven’t received any of the travel grants,” said Lwando Mqokweni, an alumnus of the North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, who is a lifelong member of the society.
Mqokweni said that being a member of the society means nothing in the corporate world either.
“It doesn’t really make any difference, because, yes, you are a Golden Key member – so what? Job recruiters look for adequate and proven job experience. The only advantage I’d say it has on a CV is that you at least have something to add under achievements,” he said.
In response, Ayob said, “It is hard to believe that some people claim that Golden Key has not been beneficial to them. As far as I am aware, Golden Key members are constantly alerted about seminars taking place in South Africa, international study opportunities, scholarship programs, and travel grants.”
She said, “brilliant opportunities regarding leadership and development” are constantly given to Golden Key members. “All communication regarding these fantastic opportunities as stated before are done through verified text messages or emails,” she added.
Keivan Zolfaghari, Golden Key Chapter Leader, at the University of Florida, agrees that Golden Key is beneficial. “Golden Key became more than just a name on my transcript or a means to a good student insurance discount. It gave me the real-world experience employers demand, lifelong friends, and self-reflection,” Zolfaghari said.