I was kicked out of NHS just this week. I am a diligent student with a 4.9 GPA, I take 3 AP courses and the rest are honors, I have never gotten a B in my life. I am sweet, kind, and charismatic, basically a well rounded people pleaser, the last person you would think would get kicked out.
What happened is, I took a quiz, and then turned it in, and then my friend sitting next to me isn’t gonna take the quiz (she was absent), and I assumed she would get different questions so she asked me what the answers were and I didn’t want to say it outlaid so I just passed her a note with the answers from this quiz (this is a quiz from chapter 20-21, she’s still didn’t take any of the quizzes from this book, she’s far behind, she was going to get another quiz along with the others, and they would be different questions, so I honestly didn’t see this as “cheating” or wrong in any form because
I turned in my quiz
she didn’t have a quiz with her
she was going to take a different one.
I realized it was wrong because the teacher asked what the per was then I panicked bc i thought “oh no, I wasn’t supposed to do that”, so then i lied and she took it, and then both of us got a detention (even after my explanation) and 0s. I honestly didn’t try to make any excuses or weasel out of it or anything, but then she contacted the dean of students (over a 5 point quiz where I didn’t even cheat to help myself, and only was trying to help another student who wouldn’t get the same questions as I did, so I was helping her prepare), and now I’m kicked out. I know this is a lesson I will keep with me for the rest of my life and that there is no second chances, but would I be able to be reinducted towards the end of the year (when we have the ceremonies for the next year), or would I stay ashamed, and have colleges look at this mark on my record like a black smudge, tainting my application? I’m not only upset about its future impact on colleges, I’m also upset that I won’t have the opportunity to help the community and school like I would if I was in NHS.
NHS is of very little value, I would leave it be and never bother to reapply, what you should consider though is if this has other implications on your transcript or record. If you have escaped that, consider yourself lucky.
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so I honestly didn't see this as "cheating" or wrong in any form<<<
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That isn’t going to help you at all. You seem to fail to understand the words cheating or wrong in this context.
You can do better service outside NHS IMO. Organise your own. Try volunteer match, find your local shelter, title one school, etc and see what you can help with.
Thank you happymomof1, but the thing is, I don’t really go to any community service opportunities because my mom is really strict, I usually can only go with a group from school, and the only people who go are those in NHS, and even apart from that, I feel so ashamed to even be near any of my friends, because they now all know what I did and they are all judging me. My school is pretty lenient about cheating too, I never have (other than described incident above), but I see it all the time in my classes, and I understand that there are consequences for actions but I never thought they would be that severe. I will defiantly think things through in the future, but in the meantime all I can do is wish I could relive that moment and do something different
Relax guy, take a load off, buddy. It’s only one 5pt quiz. Probably the biggest damage you did was trust, but who cares? Cheating happens all the time. I got kicked out of a volunteering opportunity for no reason other than there was too many people wanting to volunteer. I was depressed for like a week, but I got over it. Like Sybylla said, NHS is worthless.
Son couldn’t get in to NHS because of a stupid thing he did. Wasn’t on his record because the school said it wasn’t reportable to colleges but did keep him out of NHS and from getting a school award. He learned his lesson, didn’t mention it on his college aps (per GC) and no one asked or cared. He got great merit and is doing well at his chosen school. You will be fine. I would talk to your parents about letting you volunteer somewhere, pet shelter, hospice, nursing home, hospital, etc. Even let them take you and pick you up if they are worried about it. They may be more open than you think if you present them with a specific opportunity.
Give yourself a big break. Your self-esteem has taken a beating which is understandable.
This is NOT a “make or break” moment–NHS doesn’t mean anything beyond HS. There isn’t a requirement to put it on your college application. Your grades will speak for themselves. You should be proud of your record.
You certainly will not be keeping this lesson for the rest of your life. That’s ridiculous.
NHS is worthless, but cheating is serious. Giving someone answers is cheating. Copying someone else’s work or letting them copy yours is cheating. Learn the definition of cheating and resolve not to do it again, and you’ll be fine.
Cheating is bad and even if it wasn’t your intention you did do something you shouldn’t have done. But you won’t be haunted by this by the rest of your life and it may become a funny story (how a nice person like you got booted from a meaningless organization) by the time you get to college.
I agree with @happy1, you have learned from your mistake and should simply leave NHS off your application and move on. If you feel the need for redemption, find another way you can contribute to your community. No need to feel ashamed, you simply made a mistake in judgement while trying to help a fellow student. Retain the lesson learned and your desire to help your fellow students and that will be far more valuable to you in college and the NHS.
You can still list it for the period you were in, and if you held a leadership position. But I am in agreement with everyone else NHS isn’t what it used to be. It’s not a differentiator that will help you stand out. Look for other Honors, Accolades and Awards that are more unique to you and or that can help you stand out. You have to think International, National, State or Local.
If you don’t think it’s wrong, then when a friend asks for such help just say, "Let me double check with Mr/Ms. teacher and make sure they are cool with me giving you those answers, since I certainly don’t want to compromise my academic integrity. "
If it seems ridiculous to say that, then it’s ridiculous to think that it’s ok to provide such help.
Yes, @preppedparent is correct that the OP is entitled to list NHS for the period he/she was in it. But I would suggest not listing NHS on the college application at all. IMO having NHS on for only a small portion of your HS career and for part of a year could raise a red flag to admission counselors (it begs the question why did the applicant leave NHS mid-junior year?) As noted by multiple posters NHS is not a big deal in the college admission process and people choose not to join for various reasons so I think it would be better for the OP to leave it off the application entirely.
