<p>What I would like to know is does the organization keep soliciting money after you pay the initial fee.</p>
<p>And there seems to be a wealth of diverse opinions here but to call it a scam would also mean that College Board is a scam, NHS is a scam, and ACT is a scam. Some people think this has value, some don’t. So be it. I’ll leave it up to my son to decide if he thinks it has value enough to join.</p>
<p>I have not seen any further solicitation for $$$.</p>
<p>My rule of thumb is that if they are asking for money the letter goes in the garbage. I cannot imagine that colleges value this when reading applications. If you want to list this as an award you can just say “nominated for”. I would not formally join or send them any money.</p>
<p>My daughter was invited as well, so I decided to check them out. </p>
<p>The following link about says it all. It’s on their website as well as YouTube. </p>
<p>Here’s where your lifetime membership goes: [YouTube</a> - NSCS Cribs: A Tour of the National Society of Collegiate Scholars Office](<a href=“NSCS Cribs: A Tour of the National Society of Collegiate Scholars Office - YouTube”>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vBzlFJRtmP0). </p>
<p>No videos on outstanding scholars, exemplary community service or future leaders…just Kelly, a bubbly intern with an interest in traffic, lunch and booze. This is what’s important to them? Wow.</p>
<p>We’ll pass.</p>
<p>My son keeps getting solicited. The latest letter didn’t even have their name on the envelope, but said to return after 5 days. I guess they wanted to scam you into opening the envelope. He is not joining.</p>
<p>He also got a letter from Alpha Lamda Delta. They are only $30. It came in an envelope from the school, which was somewhat more legit, and the letter said he got invited because he had a 3.6+ GPA . It was from a Chemistry professor who is the faculty advisor. We are debating whether to join that one.</p>
<p>As with most everything else in life, NSCS is what you make of it. I do believe it is the real deal. D joined and has not been asked for any more money. She has been informed of an induction ceremony on campus, and several scholarships. All information comes with a seal and contact information. As far as paying dues, I remember paying dues for NHS in high school.</p>
<p>As an university prof, I completely agree and your analogy is correct.</p>
<p>Prof: Whose analogy?</p>
<p>Hi all, </p>
<p>I’m on call for your questions and concerns. I’ve been a member of NSCS for 10+ years, I was a student officer for the chapter at The University of Albany (SUNY Albany) and yes, I now work for the NSCS national office. I am on this forum because I’ve seen some questionable posts in relation to NSCS and want to be here as a resource for anyone interested. I’ll try and post often (for legitimacy, that seems to be a big concern here) and will certainly answer everyone’s questions. If you’d rather though, please know we have a member and family line (also open to potential members/invitees) 202-265-9000, if you’d rather have your questions answered sooner. For free, you can call 1-800-989-6727 and speak with the same people. </p>
<p>I could answer/remark on all the posts here, but I’ll try and spread it out and be an active member. Feel free to message me. For starters though, I’d like to direct everyone to our webpage to view our annual reports, a detailed account of the organization’s yearly finances and activities. Not every organization/college honor society offers this, and I encourage you to check this out. [Annual</a> Reports | The National Society of Collegiate Scholars](<a href=“http://www.nscs.org/annual-reports]Annual”>http://www.nscs.org/annual-reports)</p>
<p>Also, be on the lookout for the article on NSCS in an upcoming issue of SUCCESS magazine!</p>
<p>DD just received this invite. She is a freshman at UCONN, Dean’s list with a 3.85 gpa first semester. This invite seemed impressive at first. After looking through the materials… this is nothing more than those Who’s Who’s mailers that I continue to receive 25 years out of College!! What I find even more disturbing is that they copy UCONN’s letter head and plaster it on their mailers?? Also, the youtube video of their office in DC says enough. This one goes in the waste can. IMHO</p>
<p>I’m impressed with Summa Cum Laude honors on a resume, not with membership to National Society of Collegiate Scholars.</p>
<p>This spring is my first semester at CSUN. But, last week I received what you/your children have received and it says I have to pay $75 to join the organization. The first thing that surprised me was, it says I was selected because of my outstanding performance during the first year the university. As I have mentioned earlier, this spring is my first semester at the university and the semester is still going on. So far, I have received 3 letter from them and the last says I have to respond within 5 days. I received phi theta kappa nomination and I had to pay $60 to become a member. So, the money part of this new one didn’t surprise me.</p>
<p>LOL Octavia–proof that the letter goes out to everyone with a pulse! </p>
<p>NOT that you won’t be deserving when your spring semester grades come in… :)</p>
<p>Hi Octavia! I’m guessing from the fact you mentioned you were nominated to be part of Phi Theta Kappa that you are a transfer from a community college? If so, this would explain why you received an invitation at CSUN even though it is your first semester. Though you have only been at CSUN for one semester, your previous credits from your community college studies that transfered, along with your high grades qualified you for NSCS membership.</p>
<p>A student with a 3.4 or above and in the top 20% of their class is eligible for NSCS membership. However, you must be a first- or second-year student, defined as 12 - 60 credits. It may be the you transfered over 60 credits from your community college, and that is why you were included in the group of students that were invited this semester (even though you haven’t completed yet). </p>
<p>Either way, only a small group of students on campus are invited (less than 10%). If you’ve still have questions, and aren’t sure, I’d encourage you to call the NSCS national office at 202-295-9000 (or toll free at 800-989-6727) - we get tons of calls everyday with questions and are happy to answer them. Thanks for posting!</p>
<p>P.S. I’m an NSCS member of 10+ years, and if I thought that having NSCS on my resume would be enough in and of itself, than I would agree, it might be $75 wasted. It’s the opportunities that NSCS has offered me and what I have done with them that I have benefited the most from!</p>
<p>Hello MDparent, I’m a college sophmore and I just received the same invitation. Before I was going to make a payment of $75 I obviously had a few questions. When I pressed the link to email them I wrote out the questions I was curious about and the post wouldn’t respond to my e-mail. I’m not sending any money to them unless I get some answers. If you hear anything legitimate about their Honor Society Collegiate Aims, please post a response. My advice is not to send the money until we research a little more. Good Luck. Hope to hear from you soon.</p>
<p>Hello I’m a sophmore and I have received this honor society invitation. I have no problem sending the $75 fee. My problem is that every time I try to e-mail them it fails and the site doesn’t want to respond. My computer scanning and security is showing errors. In my experience, this is what happens when fraudulent sites are at work. Also they kept repeating they wanted the money. I’ll do a little more research about them because I would like some letters of recommendation too.</p>
<p>Save your money. It’s not a boost for your resume. It’s not a prestigious organization.</p>
<p>Once someone from the organization sees my post, he/she will post a long and winded response about how great the honor society is and how many opportunities it provides for its members. It’s a crock. The person is selling a product.</p>
<p>bbjones - I’m very sorry to hear that you’re having issues with the email response - I will have it looked at immediately. What questions do you have? I’d be happy to answer them, I am a member of NSCS for 10+ years. </p>
<p>If you’d prefer to keep the questions via email, I’d encourage you to email <a href="mailto:nscs@nscs.org">nscs@nscs.org</a>. The national staff answers plenty of questions every day. You can also feel free to email me personally at <a href="mailto:provost@nscs.org">provost@nscs.org</a>.</p>
<p>nysmile - I’m sorry you feel that way about NSCS. NSCS is not a product, it is a non-profit organization with completely transparent operations. I’d encourage you to check out our annual report which details our expenditures and revenues - [Annual</a> Reports | The National Society of Collegiate Scholars](<a href=“http://www.nscs.org/annual-reports]Annual”>http://www.nscs.org/annual-reports).</p>
<p>I would just reiterate this point I made a year ago:
So find out if they’re actually active on your campus before you pay.</p>
<p>And, if $75 seems too much, I am happy to inform you that for only $50 you can (if eligible) become an honoree of my own “Hunt for Excellence Society of University Superstars.” As a benefit of membership, your name will be permanently inscribed on the Wall of Wisdom in the Crystal Tower of Sagacity. (Your name can be accented with genuine gold leaf for an extra $15).</p>