Are National Honors Societies Worth It?

My school has a NHS, National Science Honors Society, National Math Honors Society, and Rho Kappa—I could join any/all of these, but is it worth my time? All the “competitive” people in my school are in these, but my school on a more macro level is quite uncompetitive when it comes to admissions (less than 5% acceptance rate at T20s in the past decade, with most acceptances being recruited athletes) and I don’t think I will gain much joining any of these, especially since I don’t have any leadership roles in them.

My current ECs are a website that promotes geographic literacy (huge project that I started with ten friends freshman year, has gained lots of traction and users), soccer (3x varsity, 2x starter and likely captain next year at one of top schools in state), physics research at state flagship uni, Vex Robotics, English tutor volunteer, geography bee coaching, competitive programming/web dev, speedsolving. My ECs aren’t spectacular but they all fit what I’ll be studying in the future and I show lots of commitment. Not sure honors societies will add anything to these.

I don’t know about the others but DD was in NHS. We debated it for a while and then a teacher friend said it was not really optional because if a student is eligible for it and doesn’t join, colleges think they weren’t accepted because of a disciplinary issue or some other issue. I have no idea how true that is but we decided it wasn’t worth the risk. The community service hours were a bit much and I always hated the idea of forced service for causes you don’t believe in but with the pandemic, half of the hours and activities were waived. YMMV.

My D did it only because it made her feel good and she didn’t have many academic awards in high school. I HIGHLY doubt colleges look for or even are about it.

@helpingmom40 That bit sort of scares me…I’ve never had any sort of disciplinary issues…I just don’t think it’s worth my time. Surely if I had a disciplinary issue that was reprehensible enough, they would find out anyway??? Can someone else chip in on this…

My rationale is that it’s such a hackneyed EC that most AOs won’t even notice it. I have ten other things in mind to fill up my EC slots.

NHS is probably the least interesting thing on an application. NHS criteria can vary wildly, from basically getting okay grades to jumping through hoops. Colleges know this, which is why they don’t care about it. No, you do not need to do NHS or anything like it. It’s fine if you want to do it, and better than nothing I guess.

I know tons of kids who got into excellent colleges just fine without joining any such clubs. Colleges are a thousand times more interested in stuff that genuinely matters to you.

ETA: My D did NHS, my son did not. Both got into almost all colleges they applied to.

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My son’s school was a high ranked one in our state. It seemed like most kids “could” be on it. My son didn’t join since he was already active in other things. You have plenty of things and the library thing is cool and different. That’s the kind of thing that will set you apart. Not being part of an organization that you don’t really care about. Do things you enjoy. DO NOT do things you “Think” a college wants to see.

D20 chose not to join because to her, it was just another club/commitment. She had no interest in being an officer, so it wouldn’t have really added anything to her resume. She did join Mu Alpha Theta sophomore year because she truly loved math and wanted to tutor. Like you, she had Vex, her sport, volunteer, work, etc… This is what I said to her: “Do you WANT to do it?” She didn’t; we supported her decision. It was a huge relief to her when we told her it was o.k. What she added instead: theatre; it was something she always wanted to try. I think her passion for her ECs came through in her apps/essays. Not joining didn’t affect her acceptances, merit or honors college acceptances.

NHS at our competitive suburban high school invites something like 40% of the students. Both of our kids are in the top 10% of their class and didn’t bother. NHS is different at every school. It doesn’t mean one thing. Typically, it means you have a certain GPA (which your transcript will already show) and, once you’re admitted, they do community service. Your ECs are terrific. No college is going to care if you decide to not join NHS. The college counselors around here tell the kids that, unless they need more ECs and want to try to run to be on the board on NHS, it’s not worth it. Our S19 was successful getting into a number of top 15 LACs. He didn’t need it. D21 didn’t bother either and we aren’t worried about it at all.

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depends on your plans but typically they arent’ “wow”

Thank you guys so much for your input! Looks like I won’t bother. Anyone at my school with a 3.5+ GPA can join, so it isn’t special at all. I’ll focus up on other things more important to me.

Personally I agree that honor societies sound nice to students and family but may not mean much for admissions. They say you are intelligent which admissions can tell by your grades. They may require ecs which you can do without being part of the National Honor Society.

Come graduation if people are recognized or get to wear special things will you feel left out if you do not? Do they have specific requirements you do not have time/interest for?

S22 was invited and decided against it. They require specific volunteering each semester and with robotics in the spring he’s really busy. He volunteers during most summers and fall/winter, but was worried he’d be stretched too thin by joining. Nothing I have found makes me think he made a mistake.

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@momtogirls2 They have quite a few requirements. All of them require their own volunteer hours, fundraising, and organized activities. For something like National Science Honors Society, I need to do a research project (I would probably just summarize my physics research) as well—NSHS was the only one I was strongly considering but I don’t think I’m going to participate.

Yes, you get to wear some special things for graduation. But, there’s a chance I may be the one giving the valedictory speech—that clout surpasses any that some colorful ribbons can give me. Of course, I’ll be fine if I don’t give that speech either. No one’s going to remember in a few years who was wearing what—they will, however, remember what college you went to.

Ehh it honestly depends. Some schools (like those in the Bay Area) have extremely competitive and active honors societies, while others tend to be a bit less active. It’s not going to be a make or break situation: the only value IMO would be if you held a leadership position in the society.

Hope that helps!

My first question would be “worth what”? What investment are you required to make to be in it?

My D had to fill out an application and then perform x hours of community service per year, which she already did. It helped her meet a few teachers, who were advisors, as well as meet a few other high-performing students she didn’t know. So it was probably worth the extra hour to fill out the form.

In terms of college applications, it probably means little.

I think it will likely be the least interesting thing on your application if you do join. I would say that is likely the case for most kids in top schools.
Do you know how much of a commitment it requires? Will it offer low return on investment? Time is valuable, but if it only requires showing up to a meeting once a quarter and you make a connection with the advisor/ teacher, it could turn into something more. Don’t agonize over the decision though. You sound like you have good instincts.

The application isn’t an issue. I’ve been “inducted” as everyone with a 3.5 GPA or above is…and now I just need to write an essay. I’ve already outlined above what most of these honors societies entail at my school. There’s a very low return on investment—I honestly don’t see me gaining anything from it. I already know which teachers I’m going to ask recs from, so making more connections with teachers won’t help either. I’m pretty sure you are required to go to one mandatory meeting a month. Maybe I should ask just to clarify but it may not be worth the hassle.

My issue is that my school is very uncompetitive. I would likely join if NHS was made up of students of a similar caliber, but in my grade, only my friend and I will be competitive applicants for T20s. The current students in NHS are lackluster, to say the least—I was very peeved to find out that the people in my grade who got the leadership positions for the National Science Honors Society won’t even take an AP science course until senior year. In general, there’s a very weak EC/club culture at my school.

Do things that you find interesting and make you happy. Maybe this group needs someone like you to get it up to par? Take that approach. I told both of my kids in high school and college. Do something to better yourself and the school. Maybe this is that thing for you?

To be inducted into NHS, in general you need the four pillars:

Scholarship, Service, Leadership and Character.

Guess what colleges are looking for? Scholarship, Service, Leadership and Character.

So NHS is a way of the school honoring the students who excel in those four pillars.

That is a very good thing! We honor football players and band members and such…let’s also honor academics!

Also, parents love to see their children publicly honored.

So if the question is:

  1. I don’t want to bother to apply - don’t worry, colleges care about what would get you into NHS, not necessarily the title. But your parents sure would be proud.
  2. I did not get in. don’t worry, colleges care about what would get you into NHS, not necessarily the title.
    So make sure you find ways to exhibit Scholarship, Service, Leadership and Character even if you don’t have the “title” of NHS.

But if you can apply, do so…your parents would love to see you honored.

Also, NHS may be an opportunity to show leadership…does your NHS do tutoring? If not maybe you could start a tutoring program.

@bopper My parents, quite frankly, don’t really care too much. I’ve already done a fair share of my own tutoring—I volunteer as an English tutor for overseas students, and I also do free geography bee coaching (have coached a state champion and two state runner-ups).

NHS doesn’t seem as glamorous as it sounds imo.