Top College Secret Societies

Many of the most well known universities and colleges in the United States are home to the nation’s most “secret societies." These societies are independent from the universities at which they are founded, and members make a great effort to keep all aspects of the society under wraps. Here are round-up of the most popular secret societies at colleges today:

1. The College of William and Mary: William and Mary is home to the nations oldest secret societies. The F.H.C., which stands for Fraternitas, Humanitas, et Cognitio was founded in 1750. One of the most famous members was U.S. President Thomas Jefferson, who enrolled in the college in 1760. Other notable societies at William and Mary include The 7 Society and the Wren Society.

2. University of Georgia: UGA has a number of female-only secret sororities. Palladia Secret Society and The Trust of the Pearl Society are two examples. Each secret society is noted as being the “highest honors a woman at UGA can achieve”. The selection process is very exclusive. In the fall, twelve women are invited to join Palladia and in the spring just five women are invited to join The Trust of the Pearl. It has been said that members of the Pearl often wear black and a single strand of pearls when gather in public.

3. Dickinson College: Dickinson has an all female society called Wheel and Chain where members are selected based upon their involvement in campus activities, character, and service to the college. New members are selected in the spring of their junior year. Membership is limited to ten senior women each year.

4. Which college has the most famous secret societies of all? Yale University wins hands-down. The term is used more loosely at Yale than at other schools, so that may account for the larger number of organizations on campus. To date, Yale has about 19 known secret societies most of which are made up of seniors only. Some of the societies include St. Elmo, Wolf’s Head, Iron Cross, and perhaps the most famous, Skull and Bones (which has been written about extensively, had a movie based on it, and reportedly can claim President George W. Bush and Senator John Kerry as former members).
 

- By Stephanie Vacchio, Union College