<p>Anyone gotten stuff like this? It's almost as though you're paying 75 dollars so you have the right to resume-pad. (They even say about putting this on your resume...) And I'm a low-income student. I mean, what other real opportunities are there to get from joining this thing?</p>
<p>I'm sure there have been other threads on this you can find with a search.</p>
<p>Anyway, I wouldn't call it a scam; it is technically legit. But unless you really take advantage of whatever opportunities your chapter offers, it won't be of any help.</p>
<p>There is another thread. Do a search.</p>
<p>For my money, it's a scam. Not in the sense that it's not an actual honorary, just... not a very high quality one, I suppose. Not for me... but to each his own.</p>
<p>Most of the things that you have to pay to get into are scams. It probably is a legit organization but it provides you with no benefit, so all it reads is "I paid to get into this organization just so I could pad my resume."</p>
<p>I got the same thing, except for "High School Scholars". It's not a scam, just a "I-want-your-money-so-you-can-have-your-name-printed-in-a-book-that-no-one-will-ever-read" thing.</p>
<p>Hi all,</p>
<p>I wanted to post to assure you all that the National Society of Collegiate Scholars is not a scam. The organization offers a ton of opportunities including professional development, scholarships, internships, and community service, as well as the honor that comes with being a member. Let me preface my testimony by saying that I am the founding chapter president for the Northern Arizona University and I currently serve as the president for the National Leadership Council, which is a council of 20 NSCS members from across the nation that act as a sounding board and local presence for the national office.</p>
<p>Sadly, many people are turned off by the membership fee. To clear things up, this is a lifetime membership fee and a large portion of it goes right back to the local university chapter for activities and events. The other portions go for nationwide programs and scholarships; it should be noted that NSCS officially offers more undergraduate scholarship dollars than any other honors organization. Opportunities range from leadership positions and community service, social and professional opportunities at the local university, all the way up to positions, scholarships, and networking at a national level, as with the position I hold. The organization works really hard to find quality partnerships that the members can benefit from, like Geico (who offers not only a discount on insurance to members, but also internships and scholarships).</p>
<p>Next, first and second year students are targeted because, when NSCS was created, there were no honors and service organizations for first and second year students. As Steve Loflin, the founder and director, puts it, that's a shame that there is such a gap in acknowledging the students that do well from the start. Students are invited based on being the top 20% of their class, with at least a 3.4 GPA. The registrars from every school submit the list of eligible students. It is not random and you and your student should be proud!</p>
<p>Unlike many other organizations, this is not just a line on your resume; it is an active and very expansive organization. (Unlike Who's Who) Through NSCS, I've been able to meet some stellar undergrads from all over the nation. However, rather than just carry on about how great this organization is, I encourage you to check out the website (nscs.org), find your university's chapter page, and contact the NSCS chapter at your campus. I think that you'll find that it is far from a scam.</p>
<p>If you have any specific questions, or concerns, feel free to post or contact me, I'd be happy to talk with you.</p>
<p>I'd just like to add that you should look into your local chapter. My university's NSCS is very involved in community service (such as can food drives/ relay for life/ x-mas gifts for troops overseas/ ect) which is why I am joining. They also run on a point system to differentiate from active and non-active members.</p>
<p>I am interested in service and volunteering (e.g. being EMT, etc.), and even community outreach -- I just don't think I'd be that interested in canned food drives all that much. (Now, UVA has a separate programme where it aims to deliver dining hall food supplies that were never brought from their storage racks into the open for students and would be wasted otherwise, to the Charlottesville poor, and this appeals to me because it is novel.)</p>
<p>I'm also really more interested in research opportunities, and I suppose I like activities that are somehow academically or intellectually related. Given my preference, is NSCS of any value to me?</p>
<p>scam/useless?</p>
<p>yes/yes.</p>
<p>you should definitely do it. let this be the ultimate test of your intelligence.</p>
<p>Sounds like some other schools have decent chapters, but at my school, that and Phi Eta Sigma have absolutely no weight and they don't do anything. I'm already putting on grad school applications that I'm a consistent President's List student, so there's no point in any of those organizations.</p>