<p>I would agree with that, thricedotted. I didn't want to decline my acceptance because it would look like I did something wrong to warrant not being in NHS... My other service club does much more meaningful work, and I'm really proud to volunteer through that organization. NHS, however, doesn't mean much anymore... it only means you aren't a cheater (presumably).</p>
<p>Note: 18 people? Woah. How large is your class size? Our NHS is considerably larger (maybe around 50-75 or more), with a class size of about 550... I suppose it isn't very difficult to be a member at my school? Do different schools have different qualifications for GPA or rank, or does every school have different specifications? If every school is different, I don't see why NHS is made out to be such a big deal.</p>
<p>Hmm...I'm sure that was a good essay that u wrote! ;) it seems you really wanted to take it to heart and get something done...true passion has been shown in ur apps: congrats! :D</p>
<p>Kudos thricedotted. NHS always struck me as somewhat of a sham. I mean, your GPA speaks for itself, and participating in a club based primarily around it doesn't add anything positive about you. The trivial service requirements do little more, as people either want to volunteer (reasons naturally varying) or don't. So their minimal expectations don't translate to much. Thus, it becomes a pointless organization, based exclusively around a person's willingness to complete assigned busywork. Why bother with that?</p>
<p>Ours go by weighted GPA. I'm not sure what the cutoff is because they don't release weighted GPA (only unweighted), and they ask for a list of ECs and service activities you do. I'm pretty sure the only way to be rejected because of the list is if you don't do anything at all.</p>
<p>Note: If we don't do 9 hours of service with the club and 3 hours out of the club in each semester, we're kicked out.</p>
<p>^Those 9 hours can be hard to get, our officers this year haven't arranged many opportunities.</p>
<p>In my school, the handbook says you have to have a GPA of 88, but they secretly raised it to 90 because...they wanted it to be more selective. Hahahaha.</p>
<p>brillar: It looks like they try to keep the quota at ~15% of the of the class, judging from your numbers and mine -- my class size was 118 when we were inducted last spring...and it's fallen to 107 since then. Dropout factory ftw...</p>
<p>thricedotted:
Is NHS a BS "club"? Yes. Should you do it anyway? Yes.</p>
<p>Let me put it this way: If you never joined the NHS, colleges probably wouldn't care too much. But, actively BACKING OUT of the NHS once a member raises a huge huge huge red flag. If I were an adcom, and I saw that someone resigned from the NHS, I'd start to think hard about the candidate's academic integrity. </p>
<p>Quite frankly, I don't see what the problem is. From your perspective, you hate the fact that NHS doesn't do anything -- so what does leaving the NHS accomplish? You're still doing nothing. Staying in the NHS requires, as you point out, very little effort, and colleges won't see this red flag. You only have about four months(less, actually) until decisions come out. Why not just stick with it? What's to lose? Tough it out for at least the four months, and just deal with the fact that NHS does nothing.</p>
<p>The NHS at my school is not as bad but we have really stupid people running it. </p>
<p>Our our NHS vice president makes C's but is the VP (***?). The election was joke. All the popular people won. It makes me mad because I am being lead by a dumb girl who can't even get a passing ACT score. Don't even let me get start on our NHS president...I don't even go to the meeting anymore.</p>
<p>The only real issue for you appears to be whether you should give your advisers the names of the schools you have applied to so they can notify them of your resignation. I find it bizarre that advisers would do this, and if I were you, I would tell them it is none of their business where you applied. (BTW, I agree with you that NHS is a bogus, biased organization and I think NHS should be boycotted at every school).</p>
<p>Wen: Don't all the popular people just win all the elections?
It's how it works at my school... In one of my service clubs, one of the officers doesn't have ANY hours in the club, so technically he should be kicked out. He won't be.</p>
<p>OP- It definitely is weird that the advisers would do that- I think that would just call negative attention to you, especially if they were allowed to 'spin' it how they liked. After seeing your reasons for resigning, the best you can do at that point is to show them the letter/write an essay to why you resigned...</p>
<p>Wow, my school actually takes NHS seriously!</p>
<p>First, you must go to the office and request an application. They write your name down on the list of applicants. The application is a formal letter to the principal detailing your academic excellence, character, and community service. Then, they make decisions on who is admitted. The minimum requirement to simply request an application is a 3.8 weighted GPA.</p>
<p>
[quote]
It's a matter of principle; I am quite convinced that the vast majority of NHS-ers are in it for the perks I mentioned in my original essay, and I refuse to partake in that any longer. I never meant to partake in that kind of tool-dom to begin with. It's just not who I am. I just wish I had realized that before I thought it could be changed.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Heh, I like your moxie, and I'm also amused at your naivete.</p>
<p>First you speak of all this "corruption" and "tool-dom" and that you don't want to partake in such things because it's "hypocritical". You do realize that this is by no means an isolated incident nor some egregious crime, and that about 90% of all high schoolers you'll ever meet join clubs and activities only for the sake of applications or community service hours and whatnot?</p>
<p>It'd be kind of like boycotting English classes or book clubs because 99% of students don't actually read the books, they use Sparknotes (which I'm proud to say I have never done!). Is it a shame that so many students use sparknotes rather than actually reading? Yes. Would it be over-the-top for someone to stage a protest (like resignations or angry letters) over it, as if it's a rare occurrence that must be reformed? Extremely.</p>
<p>So while I certainly like your attitude and found your essay amusing, the whole "resignation" thing was unnecessary.</p>
<p>While your NHS application and resignation make good reads, your actions make you seem like the type of person who manages to irritate lots of people and then be surprised at the people's anger.</p>
<p>It's typical for people -- including h.s. students -- to join organizations for perks, networking, etc. and to be willing to do little real work. This happens even in professional organizations filled with executives. Probably most organizations have only a small percentage of members who are working hard to help the organization achieve goals that are for the benefit of all.</p>
<p>The people who stand out in organizations are the ones who find ways to motivate the members to work hard to do things that make a difference. Doing this requires lots of leadership ability and a strong character.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, your actions -- which the angry NHS advisors plan to highlight to admissions officers by letting them know about your resignation -- only serve to highlight your lack of leadership skills. Many adults also would interpret your actions as indicating arrogance and naivete on your part. Your sending the kind of explanatory letter you're considering would add to the likelihood that admissions officer would regard you as being conceited, naive, and lacking social and leadership skills.</p>
<p>^^^
totally agree. this whole situation is ridiculous. just WAY too much to comment on...</p>
<p>guys NHS is what you make it. all the people who are complaining about NHS, why didn't you guys run for office in the first place? still, even if you aren't a leader why not just start doing things? just because you don't have a title doesn't mean you can't be proactive. it seems as though most of the people who have this view just want to use ECs to build their apps. "well i'm not going to have a leadership title so i might as well just not do anything except complain about how the club is so worthless" is the attitude i'm getting from a lot of posters.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Wen: Don't all the popular people just win all the elections?
It's how it works at my school... In one of my service clubs, one of the officers doesn't have ANY hours in the club, so technically he should be kicked out. He won't be.
[/quote]
hate to break it to you, but if you want to get anywhere in life, people have to like you. the best leaders are always well liked.</p>
<p>I think NSM and Newjack are being too hard on OP. He was honest in his application essay, and was legitimately invited to join anyway. So he gave it a serious shot, but decided he was right all along about the superficiality of the organization, and so he quit. I think he should be commended for doing the right thing in the end, given his feelings about the organization. I don't believe the NHS advisors have any right to contact admissions offices about his resignation. I think they are the ones being immature about this non-event, especially since he informed them from the beginning how he felt about the club.</p>
<p>I mostly agree with Bay- NSM, however, made some excellent points about how the resignation will be received. It stinks, but she's right.</p>
<p>Newjack88-</p>
<p>NHS is typically used as fluff, but that doesn't mean we've all wasted the service opportunity. I don't really agree with NHS (especially because of the different guidelines at different schools) but I still participate. Honestly, I probably do more work and more meaningful work in my other service club, but I still have done almost every NHS event so far.</p>
<p>And, yup, that was what I was saying, you have to be popular. I realize that, that's why I was asking what was so unusual about it. And I am well-liked (I'm a nice person in general and I have a lot of friends). </p>
<p>I just think it's wrong to elect someone that is popular but not qualified in any way to fill the position. If they're popular and do a great job, then great, but the officer I mentioned in my post wasn't even filling the minimum requirements to be a member in a club that he is leading. I don't think that popularity should ever do that much for any person.</p>
<p>
[quote]
lol if you hated it and didn't want to get in, why would you put it on your app anywyas
[/quote]
haha so true!</p>
<p>
[quote]
He was honest in his application essay, and was legitimately invited to join anyway. So he gave it a serious shot, but decided he was right all along about the superficiality of the organization, and so he quit. I think he should be commended for doing the right thing in the end, given his feelings about the organization. I don't believe the NHS advisors have any right to contact admissions offices about his resignation. I think they are the ones being immature about this non-event, especially since he informed them from the beginning how he felt about the club.
[/quote]
in my opinion, what the OP did was pretty immature. my guess is that whoever is in charge of NHS at his school decided to look passed the essay and just let the kid in so the OP could put it on his applications. in that respect i think that the whoever let the OP into NHS was rather generous. it would look sort of strange for such a highly ranked student not to be part of NHS. (not as strange as someone who puts it on their app and then decides to quit after sending the application.) though harsh, i think that the organization has the right to contact the colleges he applied to since he did put it on his applications.</p>
<p>
[quote]
I just think it's wrong to elect someone that is popular but not qualified in any way to fill the position. If they're popular and do a great job, then great, but the officer I mentioned in my post wasn't even filling the minimum requirements to be a member in a club that he is leading. I don't think that popularity should ever do that much for any person.
[/quote]
i'm sorry that your NHS club is like that but why not take the initiative and turn the club in a new direction? also, did you run? because i think that this post sounds like you regret not running? seems as if you think you could have done a better job if you were in the position? this would explain some of the animosity you feel towards the club's current leader...</p>
<p>To clarify, I mentioned it was in another service club, not NHS. We have problems at NHS, but not quite that bad, haha.</p>
<p>And, yup, I did run for a position (not for the one he has- he was guaranteed that spot because he had it last year). I've done more work in the club than he has, but I haven't exactly been coveting his position... I just think it's wrong that popularity counts for so much sometimes. And I think it's wrong that colleges are seeing that and will think that he's so great when really the advisers for the club and such are just letting him slide by even though he doesn't contribute. I don't see much I can do about it- c'est la vie (cynical way to think about things, but I'm pretty sure it's true in this situation). It's okay, I'll get into a college anyway and life will go on.</p>