<p>Sugarhoney1904 - I’m incredibly sorry that your questions have gone unanswered and that you have had this first impression of the Society. I have sent you a Private Message with my contact information; I would love the opportunity to answer your questions and to also investigate the poor follow up you received. We strive to uphold ourselves to high standards - we are here to serve our members. I am also happy to answer your questions here in public forum - whichever you prefer.</p>
<p>Scam is a little bit too strong a term. They solicit you for money and the most important benefit at the top of their list is scholarship. If you are one of those that are lucky enough to get the $1000 scholarship then I guess it is worth it. But the numbers do not lie, they only pay out about 5% of their revenue to scholarship based on their annual report. You have a chance at better payback at any lottery system around the country. I also looked at the activities at my S school chapter website and it seems that they do about 1 or 2 charity events a year, and that involves the students doing something to raise money for some charity, hardly a benefit provided by the organization.</p>
<p>Where the rest of the money goes? At the very least, to pay the salaries of the people that run or involve in managing the place. I guess Maya Angelou and the likes probably get a little cut every year for being honorary official.</p>
<p>This is not a scam, it’s a very new organization. The fee is once in a life time unlike the golden key has a fee once a year. </p>
<p>I am joining one I get the money.</p>
<p>I would not say it is a scam, but it is purely a money-making organization - a for profit. It is not exclusive and would not be noticed on a resume. What is noticed is your GPA, honor societies at your college and nationally known graduation honors such as the cum laudes and Phi Beta Kappa.</p>
<p>It certainly is your right to spend the 75.00 but it will not help you find a job or get into graduate school.</p>
<p>Katwkittens it is not a scam, and you are wrong, check the accredidation with that level on the honor society list paying 75 dollars isn’t a big deal. Gold key makes you pay once a year not once in full. </p>
<p>Post you opinion, just because your children didn’t get a invite doesn’t mean it’s a scam. Call them and see. It’s pretty decent not everyone gets a invite maybe they’re GPA’s weren’t high enough? It was created in 1993 when did your children go to school.</p>
<p>Don’t waste your money. It is meaningless on a resume. Graduate with honor recognition–it’s free and has much more meaning on a resume than NSCS. </p>
<p>I’m sure graduating Summa Cum Laude will get you noticed over being a member of NSCS.</p>
<p>BasherK139, the issue not people NOT getting invited, it’s people who should not get invitations getting them.</p>
<p>Also, what’s the school going to tell you? They’re selling the names to the company, they’re not going to tell you that it’s a rip-off.</p>
<p>Amusing story, I heard one of the contestants on Wheel of Fortune College Week say that she was a member :-).</p>
<p>
I am pleased to let you know that the modest entrance fee for the Society has been reduced to $39.99. The Society (now renamed the Society of Collegiate Academic Megastars) has added a new wing to the Crystal Tower of Sagacity, the Grand Hall of Flags, and you can have a flag added with a digitized image of yourself plus your college GPA embroidered in silver thread for a nominal extra charge.</p>
<p>Regarding the “The National Society of Leadership and Success, Sigma Alpha Pi”:</p>
<p>My son received an letter indicating he had been nominated for membership in “The National Society of Leadership and Success, Sigma Alpha Pi”. I am a faculty member where my son attends college, and the letter and website appear suspicious to me; for example, the email address for the chapter advisor, though she is listed in the university directory as being a staff member in Student Services on campus, is not a campus (.edu) address. NSLS is listed as a student organization on campus, but a search of the university website turned up not a single response (searches for other student organizations turn up meeting and activity info, for example). The NSLS website itself seems focused primarily on promoting membership by individuals and universities. My intuition is telling me that this is a vanity organization rather than a true honorary society; all the legitimate honorary societies I am familiar with develop their membership via true nominations by individual faculty or community leaders in the field, rather than on grades alone. I am in the process of checking further with the organization itself and the chapter advisor and student officers on campus to see exactly what this organization is, but I suspect that it is, at best, a vanity exercise of limited value r/t one’s career, akin to the millions of “who’s who’s” out there that tell me every week that I have been nominated for membership (but never by whom). Buyer beware; it may offer some activities of value, but it may exist for reasons beyond benefiting its members. I will post further when I have received responses from NSLS and the campus chapter advisor.</p>
<p>Why bother to research it? It is 99.999% likely that your son will get more benefit out of spending the money on a new necktie than on something like this. Even real honor societies probably don’t help that much compared to actual achievements.</p>
<p>Let me share with you my personal retirement income plan :</p>
<p>I’ll plan to come up with a grandiose title. Something like “National All-American Honor Society of Scholarly High School Servant Leaders.” Then I’ll look around until I find someone with a famous last name who’s looking for an easy buck. An Einstein would be great. A Nobel is also good. Settle for a Roosevelt, Eisenhower or Kennedy if I must. Pay that person to be my figurehead and to write a letter indicating how this society perpetuates the life works of their famous distant relative, and how kids like the recipient’s are the inheritors of the world that great-step-granddad helped to create. Send Fred Roosevelt’s letter to every counselor and Dean’s office in the country and ask for nominees, explaining how great it will be for their school when they can publicize all their honored students, how the honor is free, and how those students will be aided in their college or job searches and have a shot at generous scholarships. Create a glitzy promotional piece to send out to all the parents of the GCs’ nominees, indicating how prestigious this honor is and how the proud parents will surely want to pay only $69 for the hardcover NAAHSSHSSL book (or $119 for the deluxe faux leather bound version, and perhaps $49 for the framed certificate, $19 for the key ring, and $199 for the coveted semi-precious jeweled pin by which the Society’s honorees recognize one another). Put a couple percent of the revenue in a scholarship fund and give out modest grants to the students who write the best testimonials about how the Society helped them get into the dream school for which they’d have never otherwise been competitive. Redirect a substantial amount of the revenue into a special one-week Washington D.C.-based “Young Leaders of America” seminar, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for which next year’s parents will have to raise only $3850. Put the rest of the proceeds into my retirement fund, except for a couple grand which I’ll want to use the next year to fire Fred Roosevelt and hire Fred Einstein.</p>
<p>Wouldn’t it be cheaper to just change your own name to Einstein?</p>
<p>Well played, Hunt. I’ll pay myself to endorse it with my own new family name! :)</p>
<p>I suggest “Mohandas Carnegie Einstein” for your new name.</p>
<p>Well, I did some research anyway, though I think all negative opinions above and elsewhere match my own. Here is what I found out:</p>
<p>THe National Society of Leadership is registered as a student organization at Kent State. The advisor and a student officer there report that there are over a hundred members joining in a typical year, and that although no meetings have yet been set for this year, they do meet and there are regular activities on campus as well as video conferences. The NSLS itself also responded, and it is a FOR PROFIT entity; the representative claimed this gives them a better financial footing so they can better serve their members without the restrictions placed on non-profits. Amazing. </p>
<p>My conclusion (my opinion) is that this is not an honorary society in any usual sense, but instead exists primarily to make money while perhaps delivering limited benefits to others. It’s membership is based on earning a minimum GPA (once), paying one-time dues, and completing certain requirements designed to improve leadership skills. In my opinion it conveys none of the prestige or honor associated with a true honor society, and would offer no benefit to members in terms of their careers since it is one of a number of similar self-proclaimed “honor” societies. You can start your own similar society if you wish, as several have suggested. </p>
<p>I would encourage anyone considering paying their fee (now up to $85) to first check with their local chapter to determine if the university or officers profit financially, and if the chapter is truly active and offering beneficial activities for its local members. Actually, I would encourage you to skip that, and instead investigate true honorary societies associated with specific fields of study that ARE selective and DO convey honor and prestige. Short story: an enterprise existing primarily to benefit those who have created and run it, with perhaps a few benefits to its members, but none that cannot also be obtained from other sources with that are non-profit and more clearly altruistic in their intent to help students. BUYER BEWARE!</p>
<p>Thought I would add that the advisor for the NSCS at my D’s school sent out a facebook request in July for volunteers to fill all four officer positions - it looks like whoever responded got the positions. A girl on her varsity sports team (who was not involved in school activities AT ALL last year) is now listed as president - the advisor is filling one of the positions. Someone on the chapter’s facebook page just asked if there was some sort of induction/awards ceremony. the wall shows a two year gap with no posts at all before the July request for volunteers.</p>
<p>Based on the above, I’d be comfortable saying that this chapter is inactive. I talked to my D: she said she hasn’t heard anyone even mentioning the chapter, and she is a member of the honors college (made up of 120 students invited from each class). One would think these would be the students involved if the chapter were active and legitimate. Her honors peers are in Student Government, are RA’s, belong to Free Thinkers, or are varsity athletes. Several are members of the Honors college Student Advisory Board. None are part of this organization.</p>
<p>I attended my son’s honors reception recently (this was to recognize students who had made it through the first two years of the program). They called each of them up to get a certificate, and each student was allow to give up to 2 highlights that they wanted read. I was amused to hear about a dozen mention National Society of Collegiate Scholars as one of their highlights. I guess they wanted to get their money’s worth.</p>
<p>I just want to say that I feel that this is not a scam, because there are opportunities to get the fee waived. You have to write an essay to them and if they accept it they waive your fee! From what I gather it is very benificial!</p>
<p>Everybody take a drink!</p>
<p>kag: your logic is sieve-like. Just because they are willing to waive a fee or two does not mean that even acceptance is worthwhile. You pay a fee and get nothing, you’re ripped off. You get a waiver and get nothing, and you’re… fill in the blank</p>
<p>Whatever, your benefit is nil, free or not. What about the phrase: “meaningless on your resume” is unclear?</p>