<p>Well NHS at my HS wasn’t much – I was too busy. I didn’t get passed over. My grades and GPA were extraordinary – which allowed me the only HYP acceptance in my school. We aren’t talking about people who don’t qualify for NHS. </p>
<p>Go ahead and give your best to your school’s NHS. Frankly, they need someone like you. But don’t imply that it’s a necessity for others. We’re on the friggen 11th page of posts (this being #161) and the constant refrains is being in or not being in NHS is “meh”.</p>
<p>I mentioned my friend’s twin boys at a top hs- the one with the higher gpa, class rank, rigor, comm svc and anything else to throw in, DID NOT get in (as a jr) but his slightly lesser brother did.</p>
<p>Go read the home site of the NHS org. The reason it’s no consistent icing on the cake for admissions is because the standards vary from hs to hs. One can emphasize grades and service, another can focus on grades and whatever. Some set minimum hours, have an app process, require nominations, etc. Or none of those. It can be a serious, competitive honor accorded to those who truly deserve it- or a matter of selecting subjective favorites among the top kids.</p>
<p>It’s all over the map. When I read, I go yeh yeh yeh. But, put it in if you wish. Sure. You earned it. It’s just not a national honor.</p>
<p>I don’t think it is now what it used to be before the explosion of internet access to lots of opportunities for leadership and accolades, contests etc.</p>
<p>In the olden days, I think it provided a niche for kids who were not varsity athletes but who were “mathletes” instead.</p>
<p>Then, it wasn’t enough just to be smart and a good student to get into a good college.</p>
<p>I think if you have it, you use it, but it doesn’t confer the same amount of honor, say as it used to and certainly doesn’t have the cache it once did.</p>
<p>This perhaps is a year in review summary, or better yet an August 2011 summary of the importance of NHS as proffered by CCers.</p>
<p>I’ll suggest to you that NHS is, and will deliver as a societal dividend, what is invested into it. It seems that there should be an effort, via the NHS national office to revitalize what chapters are doing. Perhaps by honoring specific chapters who complete a visionary service program, or offer sustained and exemplary leadership (maybe have some NHS youth conferences) and achieve something similar with character development.</p>
<p>And teaching what scholarship is all about: seeking and answering the academic question - not going beyond it or away from it, but truly answering what the question asks. Avoiding the pitfalls of going outside the lines and bringing things into the process that make it less scholarly.</p>
<p>It seems like there is no vision, and that activities are simply what may fill a to-do list, Day-Timer, or personal calendar for advisors and even students. It does not stand out, and becomes more of a human doing and not a human being. There is no evidence of forward thinking in the comments offered by NHS members and observers through CC.</p>
<p>I have known many, and include myself as someone who took lessons learned via the NHS experience, and carry them, years later, in my life today. Service, leadership, scholarship and character are all important, and at least for me, remain as benchmarks and guidelines for where I have been and where I am going.</p>
<p>It seems that those who govern this organization nationally may need to be rejuvenated.
NHS members deserve a more engaging and dynamic experience.</p>
<p>Even though many entries say nhs doesn’t really matter, as a parent and educator, I differ on this opinion. it is a great opportunity for students to experience gathering, writing and organizing information about them that will make their qualities stand out, shine —much like a job or college application. the confidence gained from getting in the nhs is a reflection of their hard work and attention to detail --it is satisfying for the student! Why not encourage those skills they will use later on in life?</p>
<p>Zaki174, your point would be well taken if you weren’t overgeneralizing from your own experience. Not every school requires that sort of effort to be admitted to NHS. My kids didn’t have to gather, write or organize diddly squat. They just were told they got in provisionally based on their grades and had to do a minimal amount of community service to seal the deal. And it’s because the criteria for admission and the experience of being a member vary so widely among high schools that NHS membership can’t be very useful for college admissions decisions. (So far as I can tell, the only time a student’s NHS status comes up in our community is when it’s part of a an unfortunate headline, like “Honor student caught in drug bust.” )</p>
<p>I cometely agree. If a school doesn’t have structure or difficult requirements to get into something, then yeah, sure just being selected might not feel not very meaningful. Sorry that was your experience. </p>
<p>I cannot stand NHS. I already did plenty of volunteer work. But our chapter makes a list of what you can and cannot do, and it is insane. Most months it is do just one specific thing, like time a swim meet, or pay $10. January really bothered me. It was time a swim meet, where I had to be driven 30 minutes away to do it, or give blood. If I did it over again, I would not even join. And my volunteer work meant nothing? I have over 1000 hours in volunteer work outside of this. NHS has been a stupid little bullet point on my application.</p>
<p>@undecided2014: you should resign and proudly be “cord-free” at your graduation ceremony. You don’t need to be under its tyranny. In the real world, no one gives a hoot about NHS.</p>
<p>Î agree, no one cares about NHS. It really doesn’t matter except for graduation day and at that point knowing you got into a good college with a scholarship will be much more meaningful than timing a swim meet 30mn away.</p>
<p>@T26E4 I would have resigned if I had known it was this bad. But I was new to this school in 10th grade, so I was not inducted until end of 11th grade. The chapter hours thing only started senior year. And now I am about 1 month of chapter hour stuff away from being done. And get this, I just got a great job offer and will likely be working instead of going to graduation! This job is a dream job so I do not want to miss anything. It is at a research center that even aligns with my major. I am lucky to have this job. My first day is the day of Graduation as our graduation is not until almost a week after the last day of school</p>
<p>I found it interesting that in my daughter’s school, you submit two sets of forms that describe your volunteering/leadership, etc. One with your name, and one without. I am surmising that they use the one without your name to evaluate so you do not have the teacher’s pet situation.</p>