“But, you see,” said the Freshman,” before I came to college, I promised mother that I wouldn’t join any of those wicked societies, and—”
“But Philo isn’t a wicked society,” interrupted the Chief.
“Yes, I know,” he replied; “But I can’t make mother believe that, and so I want to join and then be able to tell her how good a society it is.”
Interested in Membership for Fall 2010? Fill out the info form to start your application!
Have questions about Philo? Contact our First Censor, Emily Kern!
Membership in Philo is open to all undergraduate, graduate, and professional students at the University of Pennsylvania who are not in their final semester of study. Membership in the Society carries with it 196 years of tradition, bound together by the belief that one’s educational experience at Penn does not, and should not, end at the classroom door. It joins together friends who share a deep respect for one another, friends united in a common purpose of scholarship and in the extension of the thoughts that move between them. Membership also confers your right to become more involved in the Society’s means and ends, and help shape what Philo is to be.
The Philo membership process is selective but highly democratic. All decisions of membership are reached only after extensive debate and consideration by all members.
There are three steps for applying to membership; they are designed to give the prospective member ample opportunity to express herself/himself to the membership of the Society. They need not be performed in any particular order:
- Creative Submission: The only limitation or explanation is that it must fit through our door. Poetry, artwork, tapes of music, or photography are common selections, but so are submissions ranging from Spam Bombs to Elvis Shrines to photoessays about manhole covers.
- Presentation: A four to six minute presentation on a topic of the applicant’s choice, to be presented at a general meeting of the Society. The topic and the format are up to you. The applicant should keep in mind that there is only so much information one can present in the limited time frame. Be creative, practice the speech, and be prepared to answer two questions from members of the Society.
- Interview: An informal hour long interview with four to five members of the Society. Ideally, the interview is a casual conversation that gives you a chance to show us who you are, how you think, &c.
Before you do anything, however, the first and most important step–let’s call it step 0.–is to come check out what Philo does and who we are. We’ll be kicking off the semester with an evening of gentle madness and revolutionary splendor during NSO. If you would like to find out more information or are considering applying to Philo, please contact our First Censor Emily Kern, and fill out the information form.
If you aren’t sure whether you would like to apply but still want to be kept up to date on upcoming Philo events, please join our listserv to receive “Hebdo.”
There is no official date in which Philo starts accepting new applications. A little after every fifth General Meeting of each semester, Philo admits new members. Prospectives interested in gaining admittance to the Society in that semester must complete their application by the fifth regularly stated General Meeting, or else they must reapply in a subsequent semester. Please contact the First Censor with any questions.