<p>National Honor Society and California Scholarship Federation memberships are very popular at my school, but they seem entirely based on GPA with the exception of some ECs needed. Do they really add to the app, though?</p>
<p>… for schools that value ECs? No. They are very common and if absent, won’t be missed.</p>
<p>It depends on how high you are reaching with your schools. At really top schools everyone who is accepted is pretty much eligible for NHS, so that doesn’t help at all.</p>
<p>…and at schools that aren’t “really top” they generally don’t care about any ECs.</p>
<p>There are numerous threads asking whether NHS should be listed as an honor or activity. The general consensus is that it really is neither but can be listed if you would like it to replace a blank space on your app.</p>