When you’re a high school senior or junior looking for your dream college, there are a few things that you take into consideration: campus dining, location and academics. And, of course, nobody goes to a college without considering the iconic secret societies. College secret societies typically consist of gatherings during which select students develop lasting bonds, connection over moral beliefs, ancient traditions and mutual assistance.
You might have heard about the Bavarian Illuminati or the Freemasons, but we’re about to enlighten you about the societies you might encounter during your next four years at college. This guide will prepare you to stay aware of the existence of the mysterious phenomenon that are secret societies — and maybe, by the end, you will be ready to join one.
Below, we’ve gathered a list of some of the most iconic secret societies, so when you are ready for the college research process you can take the most important factor into account. If you choose to attend one of these schools, we will prepare you to get “tapped,” or chosen for membership by one of the societies. If you are applying to Cornell, don’t forget about the mysterious Quill and Dagger Society. When traveling to the University of Virginia for a college visit, keep an eye out for any one of their (at least) 20 societies. And forget about Penn State football, their Parmi Nous Society is much more important.
UVA:
The 13 Society: (1905-)
Level of Secrecy: ★★★
Recruitment: 13 new students tapped each year, mainly from Eli Banana and T.I.L.K.A. societies
Requirements: Academic merit
Notable Alumni: Unknown
T.I.L.K.A. (1903-)
Level of Secrecy: ★★★
Recruitment: Tapped by current members
Requirements: Males only
Notable Alumni: Gilbert J. Sullivan (Director of UVA Alumni Association)
Z Society (1892-)
Level of Secrecy: ★★
Recruitment: Selected its members from the Eli Banana and T.I.L.K.A. societies; tapped by current members
Requirements: Unknown
Notable Alumni: George M. Cochran
Raven Society: (1904-)
Level of Secrecy: ★★★
Recruitment: Nominated by current members
Requirements: Based off of merit
Notable Alumni: Edgar Allen Poe (American writer and poet)
The Seven Society: (1905-)
Level of Secrecy: ★★★★★
Recruitment: Tapped at location off grounds
Requirements: Upperclassmen only
Notable Alumni: Unknown
IMP Society: 1907
Level of Secrecy: ★★★
Recruitment: Invite only
Requirements: Upperclassmen only
Notable Alumni: Joe Harris (American basketball player)
Society of the Purple Shadows: 1913
Level of Secrecy: ★★★★
Recruitment: Leave notecards for freshmen
Requirements: Upperclassmen only
Notable Alumni: Unknown
P.U.M.P.K.I.N.: 1895
Level of Secrecy: ★★★
Recruitment: Formal invitation
Requirements: Upperclassmen only
Notable Alumni: Unknown
The Lantern Society: 1905
Level of Secrecy: ★★★
Recruitment: Unknown
Requirements: Females and upperclassmen only
Notable Alumni: Unknown
The 21 Society: 1905
Level of Secrecy: ★★★★★
Recruitment: 21 letters of invitations distributed on grounds
Requirements: Upperclassmen only
Notable Alumni: Unknown
A.N.G.E.L.S. Society: 1909
Level of Secrecy: ★★
Recruitment: Unknown
Requirements: Upperclassmen only
Notable Alumni: Unknown
Yale
Ancient eight consortium
Skull & Bones (1832-):
Level of Secrecy: ★★
Recruitment: Chooses 15 new members every spring on tap day
Requirements: Seniors only
Notable Alumni: William Howard Taft (27th U.S. President), George H.W. Bush (41st U.S. President)
Scroll and Key (1842-)
Level of Secrecy: ★★
Recruitment: Offered to 15 rising seniors who have “achieved in any field, academic, extracurricular, or personal” on tap day
Requirements: Seniors only
Notable Alumni: Cyrus Vance Sr. (U.S. Secretary of State), Mark Twain honorary (American writer and humorist)
Wolf’s Head (1883-)
Level of Secrecy: ★★★
Recruitment: Chooses 16 new members every spring on tap day
Requirements: Seniors only
Notable Alumni: Leigh Bardugo (Six of Crows Author), Phillip W. Pillsbury (Chairman of Pillsbury Company)
Elihu (1903-)
Level of Secrecy: ★
Recruitment: Allows all juniors to interview for membership, tapped upon acceptance on tap day
Requirements: Seniors only
Notable Alumni: Edward Stevens (Physician and diplomat)
Book and Snake (1863-)
Level of Secrecy: ★★
Recruitment: Recruits 8 men and 8 women every tap day, first Yale secret society to admit minorities and women
Requirements: Seniors only
Notable Alumni: Bill Nelson (Attorney and former U.S. State Senator), Henry Ford II (Former CEO of Ford)
Berzelius (1848-)
Level of Secrecy: ★★★
Recruitment: Recruits rising seniors on tap day
Requirements: Seniors only
Notable Alumni: Bradford Dillman (American actor and author), William W. Scranton (Lawyer and former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations)
St. Elmo (1889-)
Level of Secrecy: ★
Recruitment: Selects 12 members, likely on tap day
Requirements: Seniors only
Notable Alumni: Ron DeSantis (Governor of Florida), J.P. Morgan (American financier and investment banker)
Mace and Chain
Level of Secrecy: ★★★
Recruitment: Offers 15 rising seniors a place on tap day
Requirements: Seniors only
Notable Alumni: Unknown
Cornell – Anna
Quill and Dagger Society (1883-)
Level of Secrecy: ★★★★
Recruitment: Recruits students who have shown leadership, character, and dedication to service in the spring of their junior year or fall of the senior year
Requirements: Upperclassmen only
Notable Alumni: E.B. White (Charlotte’s Web Author), Ruth Bader Ginsberg honorary (Supreme Court Justice)
Sphinx Head (1890-)
Level of Secrecy: ★★★
Recruitment: Recognizes Cornell senior men and women who have demonstrated respectable strength of character on top of dedication to leadership and service at Cornell University, fewer than 40 each year
Requirements: Seniors only
Notable Alumni: Richmond H. Shreve (Architect, led construction of Empire State Building), Dick Schaap (American sportswriter and broadcaster)
Washington and Lee University
Cadaver Society (1957-)
Level of secrecy: ★★★★
Recruitment: No public information available
Requirements: Believed to consist of upperclassmen, pre-med students, or athletic team and fraternity leaders
Notable Alumni: Unknown
College of William and Mary
Flat Hat Club (1750-)
Level of Secrecy: ★★
Recruitment: New members are selected and invited by current members
Requirements: Men only
Notable Alumni: Thomas Jefferson (3rd U.S. President)
NYU
Eucleian Society (1832-1940, 2017-)
Level of Secrecy: ★★★
Recruitment: A questionnaire emailed to recruits
Requirements: Not publicly available, but members are typically interested in literature and humanities
Notable Alumni: Unknown
The Red Dragon Society (1898-)
Level of Secrecy: ★★★
Recruitment: Selection process is kept secret, but students are inducted through a tapping ceremony
Requirements: Upperclassmen only
Notable Alumni: Henry Noble MacCracken (American academic), William Henry Draper Jr. (Army officer and former U.S. Under Secretary of the Army)
University of North Carolina
Order of Gimghoul (1889-)
Level of Secrecy: ★★★
Recruitment: Formal invitation
Requirements: Male upperclassmen and faculty only
Notable Alumni: George Watts Hill (American philanthropist)
Rutgers
Cap and Skull (1900-)
Level of Secrecy: ★★
Recruitment: Tapping ceremony; students were tapped on the shoulder and told they were selected
Requirements: Seniors only
Notable Alumni: Charles Molnar (Inventor of the personal computer), Stanley Normal Cohen (Pioneer of gene splicing)
Dartmouth
The Sphinx (1885-)
Level of secrecy: ★★★
Recruitment: Tap 24 members of the junior class during Winter Carnival Weekend
Requirements: Men only
Notable Alumni: Unknown
Penn State
Parmi Nous (1908-)
Level of secrecy: ★★★★
Recruitment: Tapping system, selected by current members
Requirements: Students with at least 2.2 GPA
Notable Alumni: Wally Richardson (American football player)
Lions Paw (1908-)
Level of secrecy: ★★
Recruitment: Unanimous vote by previous members
Requirements: Student leaders only
Notable Alumni: Unknown
Skull and Bones (1912-)
Level of secrecy: ★★★
Recruitment: Selected by current members in the spring and fall of each year
Requirements: Seniors and second semester juniors
Notable Alumni: Raymond Shafer honorary (Former Pennsylvania Governor)
UC Berkeley
Order of the Golden Bear (1900-)
★
Recruitment: Must be nominated by a current member
Requirements: Must have at least a sophomore standing
Notable Alumni: Robert McNamara (Former U.S. Secretary of Defense), John A. McCone (Former U.S. Director of Central Intelligence)