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Business fraternity at SMU: Phi Chi Theta

A plain explanation of what a business fraternity is, what Phi Chi Theta does at SMU, and how recruitment works each semester.

What a business fraternity is

A business fraternity is a professional organization built around careers rather than housing or social life. Members join to practice interviewing, learn how industries actually work, hear from people already in those industries, and build a group of peers who will be in the workforce at the same time they are. Most are coeducational, and the national ones have chapters at universities across the country.

That is different from a social fraternity or sorority in a few ways. There is no house. Membership is based on an application, not a bid week. Meetings look more like a class or a workshop than a party. And the point of the group is what happens after graduation, which is why members tend to describe it in terms of the network they walked away with.

Phi Chi Theta at SMU

Phi Chi Theta is a national professional business fraternity founded in 1924. The chapter at Southern Methodist University is the Alpha Gamma Chapter, and it describes itself simply as SMU's professional business fraternity. The colors are purple and gold. The chapter posts as @pct.smu on Instagram, which is the best place to see what a normal week looks like.

Two things set the SMU chapter apart from what people expect. First, it is open to all majors, so you do not need to be admitted to Cox or plan on a finance career to apply. Second, it is small enough that officers read every application themselves. There is no form robot on the other end.

Chapter meetings are typically held at the Cox School of Business. Guest speakers from Dallas firms come to those meetings through the semester; Holiner Holdings is one firm that has spoken. Outside of meetings there is an annual philanthropy event called Pie Chi Theta that raises money for the SPCA, a spring formal, and the usual run of chapter socials.

What members actually get out of it

The honest answer is that you get what you put in, but the chapter gives you a lot of surface to put it into.

• A track record you can point to. Brothers have landed internships and full time roles at Morgan Stanley, JLL, Visa, Texas Capital Bank, Hilltop Securities, Lockton, USGA, the U.S. Department of Energy, Jackson Walker, Douglas Elliman, Northmarq, D CEO, Brasfield & Gorrie, CyrusOne, Origin Bank and Billabong. Those are not the fraternity's placements; they are the brothers' placements. The fraternity is where the referrals and interview prep happened.
• People a year or two ahead of you. The most useful conversations in a professional fraternity are with the junior who just finished the internship you want. They know which recruiters answer emails and what the first round interview really asks.
• Reps. Speaking in front of the chapter, running a committee, pitching a sponsor, organizing a philanthropy event. These are the skills interviewers ask about and most classes never make you practice.
• Friends who are not in your major. Because the chapter is open to all majors, the table at a chapter meeting can include finance, advertising, engineering, political science and pre med students. That mix is rare at SMU and it is a feature.

How recruitment works

Phi Chi Theta recruits twice a year, at the start of the fall semester and the start of the spring semester. Fall recruitment usually runs in the first weeks of September, with two Info Sessions, a Meet the Brothers social night near campus, and applications due about a week after the first session. Dates move each semester, so check Instagram for the current schedule.

The path is short. Come to an Info Session, come to the social night if you can, then submit the application on the apply page. Officers read the applications and follow up directly. There is a full walkthrough on the recruitment guide and a shorter checklist on how to join a business fraternity at SMU.

Who should apply

Anyone at SMU who wants to be more deliberate about their career. That includes Cox students who want a peer group that is doing the same recruiting they are, and it includes students in Dedman, Meadows, Lyle and Simmons who want business exposure without changing majors. Freshmen are welcome to come to Info Sessions; eligibility by class year can change from semester to semester, so read the current application for details.

If you are still weighing it, the what to look for in a business fraternity page lays out the questions worth asking any chapter, including this one.

Why we think it is the best fit at SMU

Ask members whether Phi Chi Theta is the best business fraternity at SMU and they will say yes, and then they should tell you why in terms you can check. In our opinion it comes down to four facts: every major can join, the meetings are at Cox, Dallas firms come to speak, and the placement list is published. The full case is written out with the caveats attached, and the scorecard lets you test it against any other chapter.