<p>Does being in NHS really matter for college admissions? I know who've gone to ivies without being in NHS. It doesn't seem that good of a position because so many people are in it at my school (like 1/3 of the class LOL)</p>
<p>probably not seeing as how like 30 kids from my school got it.</p>
<p>NHS is not a prerequisite for a good school.</p>
<p>My highschool doesn't even have NHS, and we're a top 50 public that sends more than 20% of each graduating class to top schools.</p>
<p>It's contextualized--my school, like arbiter213's doesn't have it, and lots of people go to Ivies. But if you go to a school where NHS is prominent, and you're not in it, that might raise a red flag.</p>
<p>^but what if you don't want to do it? People have a right to choose what activities they want to do, ya know</p>
<p>There are no standard rules for becoming an NHS member, which is why I don't think that colleges look at it with any seriousness. Some schools require a mere GPA requirement. My school requires 10 recommendations from 10 teachers.</p>
<p>Some people at my school who are in NHS ended up at CSU schools. i think its just a waste of $30.</p>
<p>Second what Darcy said. In my school, probably 20% of each graduating class is in NHS. When I asked my academic advisor whether it was really worth it to join, she said that colleges may look askance at applicants who aren't members, because it's standard for high-quality applicants from our school.</p>
<p>10 recommendations? I am glad I did not apply for it, I just threw out the letter.</p>
<p>all i know is that it's something to put on your application if you don't have many Ecs.</p>
<p>It's not THAT important... do it if you'll enjoy it (our NHS is cultish and awesome - I am SO joining next year, even though I already know about the secret 4am kidnapping and initiation ceremony:))</p>
<p>In my opinion, no it does not matter at all. </p>
<p>Here's why:</p>
<p>Kid A: Is really into politics. He founded the Young Republicans Club in school and is captain of the debate team. He volunteered with the local branch of the party. </p>
<p>Kid B: Is into NHS. He is President of it and has won several awards. He has done many community hours in it. </p>
<p>If you're a college admissions officers you think the following:</p>
<p>Kid A obviously shows a PASSION for his favorite subject. He has gone out of his way to pursue it and has managed to spread his influence in the school campus. He has also helped out the party around the community. </p>
<p>Possible future: Politician, influential, looks great as a school alumni. </p>
<p>Kid B is really into NHS. He has obviously spent lots of time working with it. </p>
<p>Possible future: ? </p>
<p>See, both kids are amazing. But if you could choose ONE, you would probably choose someone with a PASSION for something (politics, science, medicine, volunteering, sociology, etc.) than someone who is a member of the STANDARD club of "smart kids". Remember that out of 20,000 applications, probably half are in NHS. But how many show a passion for something i.e. politics? Not many. :)</p>
<p>I agree. The time spent in NHS could be better spent on something else that shows a true passion. IMO, NHS is kind of an ego boost ..</p>
<p>I didn't even bother apply to my school's NHS. Waste of time and it's not as important as people think it is. You can get into any fine college without it, trust me.</p>
<p>My school requires a 3.5 GPA, 35 hours of community service, 5 teacher recommendations, 15 NHS member recommendations, and involvement in at least 3 other activities, as well as several leadership roles. </p>
<p>And in order to stay in NHS (to wear the cord at graduation, basically), you must accumulate 20 NHS points (1 point=1 hour of service at an activity/meeting), and that's not really too difficult to do, but many overly active students see it as a curse.</p>
<p>However, I'm not really sure how much weight being in NHS would weigh on admission into a top school.</p>
<p>One of my good friends was accepted into Columbia, NYU, and Princeton without being in NHS (however, she was still heavily involved in EC's).</p>
<p>In my opinion, NHS is a waste of time. A ton of people do it, and it is generally not too difficult get into. And you do not usually do a lot of special things once you get in. At a non-competitive school, it might make a small difference. Top schools don't really care.</p>
<p>What it all comes down to in some form is whether you volunteer at all. I'm not saying it's a requirement, but volunteering at least a little bit certainly isn't going to hurt. NHS is one thing to do to get hours, so is boys/girls scouts and other service organizations. It's just an easy way of putting on the application "I volunteer to help others" without using one of your essays.</p>