<p>NHS at my school is such a joke, its not even funny. There’s roughly 100 members, and the application requirements arent difficult at all. You are invited to apply if you have a 3.5 weighted gpa at the end of your sophomore year, and then you fill out your application which just involves listing community service and school activities. The faculty of application reviewers is terrible, and lets in anyone who plays a sport and does nothing else, but sometimes denies people who hold leadership positions in multiple clubs. And the teacher who runs it is apparently a racist, considering all the asians with full applications got denied, for apparently no reason, and only 25 or so people got denied, and half were asian. NHS at my school does nothing, besides going to a meeting once every two months, and you have to complete 6 hours of community service a year. So basically, its a total joke.</p>
<p>At my school, NHS is serious. You’re judged by a rotating selection committee and are required to do daily community services.</p>
<p>You can only get in at the end of your Junior year.</p>
Negating membership in the National Honor Society is somewhat ridiculous. On it’s own, no membership does not guarantee you acceptance to any college. However, if that is ALL your child has to bring to his/her college application, then his/her induction into the Society is, in my opinion, questionable in the first place.
The NHS relies on it’s Chapters for selection of students for induction. Which makes sense as there are 100’s of thousands of students seeking induction each year and feasibly the only way to process selection is at the Chapter level. To assume it’s a popularity contest is probably based on ignorance of the criteria for induction.
A student must meet a combination of requisites.
GPA Factor: At my daughter’s school, the students must have a minimum weighted GPA of 3.8 and continue to maintain the 3.8 GP. (Because it is an honor’s program and most of these students who are selected for induction are taking a full curriculum of Honors or Honor’s/Advanced Placement classes, and they have unweighted GPA’s of 4.5 and above.) This is no easy feat! It is many hours of study and self discipline. Something a college will certainly be cognizant of in it’s consideration.
Community Involvement Factor: A student must demonstrate consistently (consistently being key) involvement and promotion of a positive campus environment. Membership to school clubs and/or athletic participation.
Community Volunteerism: A student must have a record of, and commitment to continuing, involvement in outside volunteer work on a local, state or national level. Most specifically, assistance and aide to the needy and less fortunate. Our Chapter requires a minimum of 20 hours per year, signed off by the facility or organization for which the volunteer work was performed.
Demonstration of Leadership: A student must in some form demonstrate his/her ability to lead, in not just one area, but in a combination of areas, in the classroom, on the athletic field, in an extracurricular club, positive promotion of school environment or community.
Ability to communicate well orally or in writing, one of the critical reasons for the essay portion of the selection process.
Considering all the of these requisites, no it most certainly is not a popularity contest and while some students may have higher than a 3.8 or 4.5 GPA, they may not be inducted if they do not meet all or most of the criteria. Why is this? A successful, productive individual is not one who is merely self serving. This translates to why colleges also do not just consider GPA or SAT/ACT scores. Colleges want the full package. Success in whatever your life endeavor may be requires you be able to excel at meeting simultaneous challenges at work, at home and in your community.
An Honor Society Member by virtue of being inducted and maintaining that membership throughout high school, because of all that it entails to keep that membership in good standing, certainly brings much more to a college application than merely noting such membership.
I am truly proud that my daughter was inducted her freshman year. I have full confidence that because of her own goals and how hard she worked for this honor and privilege and her great character, she will continue to endeavor to maintain this privilege. I know personally that because of such a membership and what it requires of her, she will have many valuable experiences and achievements to list on her college applications, and most importantly that enrich her soul. I also know how thrilled she was to be included in the company of thousands of other luminaries who were members of this Society.
MODERATOR’S NOTE:
Use old threads for research only, but do not resurrect them. This question has been asked several times, and there is, I am sure, a more recent thread to which you could have added this comment. Closing.