There are hundreds of colleges and universities across the U.S., and twice as many societies and clubs open for students to join. Each year they will consistently see high enrolments as it’s all part of the college experience, and no one wants to miss out on the fun. With so many students now in the know, what with the rise of social media and the speed at which we can get the word out there, it seems a truly secret society ought to be a thing of the past. But rest assured that they’re still out there, clinging to their mystery and traditions, inviting speculation from all sides.
Below, we take a look at five of the most exclusive college secret societies of today.
1. Skull and Bones – Yale University
Founded in 1832, Yale’s infamous Skull and Bones society is one the oldest and arguably the most well-known among all Ivy League secret societies. They shoulder-tap fifteen new members each year, who are then called Bonesmen and Boneswomen. Members will meet twice a week in the Tomb, their windowless headquarters on campus. Due to their secrecy, certain things can only be guessed at. Such as the tale behind the building’s name – originating in a rumor that dates back to 1918. A group of Bonesmen allegedly dug up the skull of the Apache leader Geronimo. They then took it back as a trophy. Former U.S. President George H. W. Bush’s father, Prescott Bush, was said to have been among this group of Bonesmen.
Many of the members have gone on to become incredibly wealthy, well-known business leaders, such as:
- Former President George H.W. Bush
- Former President George W. Bush
- Former President William Howard Taft
- Paul Giamatti
- John Kerry
- William F. Buckley
2. The Sphinx Society – Dartmouth College
The all-male Sphinx Society, recruits only twenty-four Dartmouth juniors each year to be a part of “the Krewe”. The secret society was founded in 1885, and they have always convened in the Egyptian Tomb. Rumor has it that their historical meeting place has access to underground tunnels all throughout campus, as well as an indoor pool they call ‘Cleopatra’s Swimming Pool’. The members are only known come graduation, when Krewe members will walk around campus with canes bearing the symbol of the sphinx.
An incident many Dartmouth alumni who know anything about the Sphinx Society will recall, is that of the 1989 scavenger hunt. $12,000 worth of campus paintings and photographs were stolen, and then traced back to sixteen members of the club. Ultimately, they were suspended by the college.
3. Seven Society – University of Virginia
Founded in 1905, UVA’s Seven Society is one of the most mysterious societies to date. Very little is known about them. This likely has a lot to do with how members are only revealed after their deaths – when there’s no getting any more details out of them. A giant “7”-shaped black magnolia wreath will appear on the deceased’s gravesite.
It is unknown whether the society has turned co-ed yet, or if it always has been. It’s a total mystery how members are recruited at all. However, there is much to indicate that it definitely exists. Evidence ranges from the many “7” markings around campus and the college’s chapel bell tower ringing at 7-second intervals at the 7th dissonant chord when it’s seven-past; to the very obvious financial aid it has provided the university over the years. The donations and scholarship endowments have always been signed by the club, and will come in amounts that include the number 7 (e.g. $777 or $2,777).
Notable members are:
- Frank Wisner, one of the CIA’s founders
- Edward Stettinius Jr., a former U.S. ambassador to the UN
- John Lloyd Newcomb
- Joseph W. Twinam
4. Porcellian Club – Harvard University
As it was established in 1791, this is one of the U.S.’ first societies. Not as shrouded in mystery as some of the other clubs on our list, members of Harvard’s Porcellian Club wear the symbol of their pig mascot. Keeping in theme, their headquarters is a three-story mansion called the ‘Old Barn’. Their motto ‘dum vivimus vivamus’, means ‘while we live, let us live’. There is a very strict invite-only membership to the club, and rumors say former president Eisenhower had been the only non-member to enter the Old Barn. However, he was turned away after trying again to get in once his term in the Office ended. Another popular rumor surrounding the society is that if a member has not earned their first $1M by the time they’re 40, the club will give it to them.
The Porcellian Club has seen the likes of:
- Teddy Roosevelt
- Oliver Wendell Holmes
- The Winklevoss twins
5. Scroll and Key – Yale University
Founded in 1842, Scroll and Key is one of Yale’s “Big Three” societies, along with Skull and Bones and Wolf’s Head. As with the former, fifteen seniors, both men and women, are tapped to join the society each spring. They also have a main headquarters building called the Tomb – but a crucially different and self-proclaimed “superior” one. Scroll and Key have a reputation as one of the wealthiest societies, as it has made significant donations to the university over the years. These include the annually-awarded John Addison Porter Prize since 1872, as well as the 1917 endowment that founded the Yale University Press.
The secretive membership is offered to a diverse group of students, but specifically high-achieving ones. Often, members will also be editors of the Yale Daily News. Some notable alumni include:
- Joseph Medill McCormick, former U.S. Senate and publisher of the Chicago Tribune
- Robert F. Wagner, Jr., former mayor of New York City
- Fareed Zakaria, host of CNN show and editor of Newsweek
Final Thoughts
Common to all the societies on our list is a sense of mystery and prided exclusivity that dates back a hundred years or so. Students will always be eager to get just a glimpse at what could possibly go on behind these clubs’ closed doors. Your guess is as good as ours, but for most on our list, recruitment comes unexpectedly and just for a select few of the masses. Chances of getting infamously shoulder-tapped and welcomed in are incredibly thin, but who’s to say entirely impossible?
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