<p>My primary problem is with how "character" is evaluated - it's just too unquantifiable. As said above, one person's troublemaker might be another's risk-taking, free-thinking innovator. Certainly kids who have cheated, stolen, or otherwise broken with decent behavior should be excluded. But having a bad attitude might just mean the kid doesn't suffer fools gladly, as few genuine leaders do.</p>
<p>One of my d's friends was excluded in her first go-round because she criticized a teacher in a public forum. She didn't talk back in class, she presented a list of the teacher's inadequacies to other faculty and received the NHS slapdown as a result. Aside from this one episode, she is a delightful, charismatic, hard-working, honest, bright kid whose exclusion troubled many in our community. Her character failing miraculously resolved itself in time for her to be inducted as a senior, her penance apparently judged adequate by the powers-that-be.</p>
<p>Several kids well-known among their peers for cheating were inducted as juniors, however, and one of them is an officer in the chapter. My d saw this sterling young man cheat throughout 4th year Latin and was ridiculed by him and his gang for refusing to share her homework/test answers. He also entertains his buddies by obnoxiously mimicking a special-needs student in class, in the halls, and in the cafeteria. But he's smart enough to know that this kind of behavior won't keep him out of NHS. </p>
<p>Maybe "character" shouldn't be an NHS criterion anymore - too many people don't know what it is.</p>
<p>My daughter was the only IB student not admitted to NHS during her Junior year. We never found out why. She was encouraged to apply her Senior year -- all she needed to do was fill out the app since she more than met the requirements, teachers already had done recs for her, etc. She decided it simply wasn't worth her 10 minutes to fill out the app. (I STRONGLY disagreed!) She was admitted to a "top 25" LAC without NHS with aid, so I guess it's not that important.</p>
<p>Frazzled, a situation even milder than what you describe is what kept my son out. At his school the NHS advisor (apparently the only member of the committee who isn't kept secret) was unprofessional enough to ask HIM why her students didn't like her, and he was too honest not to give her an objective answer (keep a professional distance, don't get emotionally involved, etc...). Then he had the nerve to criticize a project that he saw as a waste of money--something very expensive that the principal wants done so his name can be put on it. That was apparently his "lack of character." </p>
<p>I don't buy it. I just want him out of there.</p>
<p>Wow - that is discouraging! Fortunately, I think most folks are sophisticated enough to know that NHS inductions aren't always done fairly, and that when a likely student isn't inducted, there's a backstory that doesn't necessarily mean the student is lacking. The different criteria for induction described on this thread alone demonstrate that it's not a particularly meaningful honor. All of which is fine and dandy, but it's disturbing to think about deserving kids being hurt.</p>
<p>These examples of bizarre NHS chapters and their selection methods are so sad. Something that should have great meaning...this is an HONOR society, for Pete's sake....is meaningless.</p>
<p>My two cents: To the point of the thread: By all means, list it. As one person noted, her/his child was always a high achiever but not the highest that received individual recognition - NHS recognizes many students who are consistently very high in many things but rarely #1. Or perhaps the student who has had a life long enthusiasm in an area not specifically part of a high school's program (Orchestra, theater, voice, painting, come to mind)</p>
<p>True, selection, like just about everything, can be flawed (yes, we select federal judges solely on their excellence, right?).</p>
<p>I posted this elsewhere but as this thread is NHS related, I think my NHS "oddness" story will trump just about everybody elses. <grin> Read on.</grin></p>
<p>I was inducted into my Louisiana hs's NHS during my junior year (1965) with a few other juniors. A number of graduating seniors were also inducted in '65. In '66, a senior in the named (but not yet pinned) group of NHS prospects became pregnant. The school leadership, in its compassion, humanity, and terminally neanderthal (with apologies to any extant neanderthals for this idiomatic usage of their Linnaean designation, they were actually thought to be quite bright) mindset (facetious rant off), to spare itself the "spectacle" of an NHS member "with child," disbanded the NHS for several years. Those of us who were pinned as juniors could list NHS in the yearbook under our names with other accomplishments; no group picture appeared. Perhaps a scarlet letter on our graduation robes would have been appropriate.</p>
<p>Point being, it's an honorable organization; the corruption/stupidity of a few faculty/administrators do not detract from this fact. List it.</p>
<p>Oh, the father of the young lady's child was allowed to receive all awards to which he was entitled; no organizations were disbanded to prevent the school from being "shamed" by his actions.</p>
<p>My S became a NHS member last Thursday along with many in his class, then graduated 3 days later. Would have been difficult to "list" that! He said that they are inducted just before graduation to make sure that everyone meets the criteria down to the wire.
Sounds like there are many variances among the NHS chapters nationwide.</p>
<p>No, it does NOT matter! I had been in NHS for two years, but I did not even mention it on my Harvard/Yale applications because I did not want to "dillute" my other activities and passions! If I could do it all over again, I would not have even applied for NHS.. just not worth it (IMO).</p>
<p>Today my daughter told me everyone who applied to NHS got a letter saying that there were too many qualified applicants for them to make a decision, and they will be notified in the fall if they got in. Given how disorganized the sponsors have been, I'm not sure it's worth joining.</p>