List of senior societies

Senior societies are a type of collegiate student organization that recruits juniors and seniors.{{Cite web |last=Glatsky |first=Genevieve |date=September 22, 2016 |title=Inside Senior Societies |url=https://www.34st.com/article/2016/09/senior-societies |access-date=2025-03-18 |website=34th Street |language=en-US}} Senior societies are associated with Dartmouth College, the University of Pennsylvania, and Yale University.{{Cite web |last=Wuu |first=Sydney |date=January 12, 2021 |title=Senior societies navigate challenges as winter tapping proceeds virtually |url=https://www.thedartmouth.com/article/2021/01/senior-societies-navigate-challenges-as-winter-tapping-proceeds-virtually |access-date=2025-03-23 |website=The Dartmouth |language=en-US}} These societies can be activity-based, identity-based, school-based (departmental or academic field), or traditional. Senior societies may be "landed", owning a building or tomb, or "non-landed".{{Cite web |last=Gittler |first=Gittler |last2=Hart |first2=Chrissy |date=2017-02-24 |title=The choice is yours |url=https://features.yaledailynews.com/blog/2017/02/24/the-choice-is-yours/ |access-date=2025-03-24 |website=Yale Daily News |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |last=Pohly |first=Kaitlyn |date=2024-02-28 |title=Behind tomb doors: Yale’s society tap process |url=https://yaledailynews.com/blog/2024/02/28/behind-tomb-doors-yales-society-tap-process/ |access-date=2025-03-24 |website=Yale Daily News |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=Branch |first=Mark Alden |date=July 2014 |title=Open secrets |url=https://yalealumnimagazine.org/articles/3909-open-secrets |access-date=2025-03-24 |website=Yale Alumni Magazine |language=en}}

Baird's Manual of American College Fraternities (1883), notes that Phi Beta Kappa, founded at the College of William & Mary in 1776, was the first senior society.Baird, William Raimond, ed. [https://hdl.handle.net/2027/hvd.hxq52u?urlappend=%3Bseq=297%3Bownerid=115648044-309 American College Fraternities, 3rd edition]. New York: Frank Williams, 1883. pp. 195-196. via Hathi Trust. {{Efn|Phi Beta Kappa is now considered to be an honor society.}} At Dartmouth University, senior societies date back to 1783 with the founding of an organization called the Society of Social Friends.{{Cite web |last=Bauman |first=Gretchen |date=February 9, 2024 |title=Tapping, Tunnels and the Tomb: The Development of Dartmouth’s Senior Societies |url=https://www.thedartmouth.com/article/2024/02/tapping-tunnels-and-the-tomb-the-development-of-dartmouths-senior-societies |access-date=2025-03-24 |website=The Dartmouth |language=en-US}} Dartmouth currently had fourteen active senior societies. Yale has more than forty active senior societies. The oldest senior society at Yale is Skull and Bones, established in 1831, followed by Scroll and Key in 1841. Other colleges have similar organizations but use different terminology. For example, there are Princeton University eating clubs and Harvard University final clubs.{{Cite web |last=Courtney |first=Nadine Jolie |date=2016-08-09 |title=The Most Exclusive Student Clubs of the Ivy League |url=https://www.townandcountrymag.com/society/money-and-power/news/g2223/ivy-league-clubs/ |access-date=2025-03-24 |website=Town & Country |language=en-US}}

Senior societies tend to be exclusive, and members pay dues to belong.{{Cite web |last=Orrson |first=Emily |date=April 20, 2011 |title=The Half of It: Senior societies shouldn’t have to tap that |url=https://www.thedp.com/article/2011/04/the_half_of_it_senior_societies_shouldnrsquot_have_to_tap_that |access-date=2025-03-24 |website=The Daily Pennsylvanian |language=en-us}} Members are most often recruited by a process called "tapping". Membership in each senior society tends to be small, averaging around fifteen active members. Some senior societies are also secret societies, where the names of members are kept secret, while others are open and share their membership rolls. Other senior societies are semi-secret, keeping member's names a secret until graduation. Some senior societies also are considered honor societies.

Following is an incomplete list of collegiate senior societies.

class="wikitable sortable"

!Society

!Charter date and range

!Institution

!Type

!References

Abaris

|1996

|Dartmouth College

|Activity-based

|{{Cite web |date=2016-11-22 |title=Senior Societies {{!}} Greek Life and Societies |url=https://students.dartmouth.edu/greek-life/organizations/senior-societies |access-date=2025-03-23 |website=Dartmouth College |language=en}}

Agaia

List of senior societies

See also

Notes

References