<p>what are the requirements for national honor society, and is it an important extracurricular?</p>
<p>requirements are based on what your own school chapter makes them, find out yourself by asking people in your school or asking faculty.</p>
<p>its not really important to the top colleges in the country</p>
<p>unless you are president and do lots of activities =)</p>
<p>Due to the varied nature of NHS, it really all depends. Some chapters are pretty impotent and non-consequential. Others really do good work. Therefore, your personal involvement will be essential for your time in the group. Good luck to you</p>
<p>It is not an important EC. When it comes to top colleges, what would be impressive would be being a national officer. Otherwise, it doesn't matter to the top colleges whether you're in NHS as probably the overwhelming majority of their applicants would qualify for NHS if their schools offered it and if they chose to join it.</p>
<p>For lesser ranked colleges, you may be able to get some merit scholarship money by being in NHS or by being an NHS officer who accomplishes a great deal in their position.</p>
<p>Kids' school requires 3.5 UW GPA and 20 hrs volunteer work (annually) to be eligible for NHS.</p>
<p>If you read enough college admission books like I did, it looks like adcoms at top schools expect the NHS membership to be on the application, and it raises some eyebrows if it is missing.
BB.</p>
<p>"f you read enough college admission books like I did, it looks like adcoms at top schools expect the NHS membership to be on the application, and it raises some eyebrows if it is missing."</p>
<p>I've read lots of admission books, and I also am an alum interviewer for an Ivy. There's no indication that admissions officers at top schools expect to see NHS on an app. They're more likely to think, "So, what else is new?"</p>
<p>To quote CC's expert advisors, "Don’t worry. Being–or not being–in NHS should have little or no impact on your son’s college-admission success. Colleges judge students on what they HAVE achieved, not on what they haven’t. The most elite colleges are looking for applicants who really stand out in a crowd, so–at these schools–NHS membership is so common that it doesn’t set applicants apart at all.</p>
<p>While not being selected for NHS won’t directly hurt your son’s admissions chances, the REASON that he was passed over might have some impact. For instance, did he receive a low grade in a critical subject or two? Were his recommendations not up to snuff? "</p>
<p>thanks guys, that was helpful</p>
<p>the NHS at my school really doesn't do much, does that mean I shouldn't bother then? So it really doesn't matter for tops school?
I personally see it as a completely useless club at my school since, there is really no objective.
one doesn't show leadership by being in a club of something and do almost nothing.
And Volunteering... if one really need to make a club to require you to volunteer then...that person...</p>
<p>Agreed. If NHS is missing, I wouldn't care (I'm an Ivy alum interviewer too). If the student's NHS experience is meaningful, then great. But I'm fully aware that NHS varies considerably school to school.</p>
<p>I wasn't part of my school's NHS either. Didn't affect me at all. Good luck to you.</p>
<p>BINGO! It raises admissions officers eyes if it is NOT on the application, regardless of whether or not your local chapter is consequential or impotent. In most all cases, NHS is a measure of SOME level of academic honors and service to the community.</p>
<p>In short, DO IT or face the consequences.</p>
<p>of course it doesnt matter to Ivy level colleges....because presumably your SAT scores are above 2100 and your gpa is above 3.75 UW anyway. In that sense, NHS does NOT matter.</p>
<p>I was talking more of the colleges that are not top 20....where EC stuff counts and they are looking beyond just raw scores......and in some cases if they know your highschool well enough....they know if your chapter is meaningful...and if you have integrity or not.</p>
<p>It is as important as you make it. If you show that you have actively participated and invested a lot of time in it then it can be very important, in contrast to what others may tell you.</p>
<p>It's a club, in the end. It's like being on the Debate team or Science League. If you get in, you still need to work to make it worthwhile. If you don't get in, then it means that you have time to do something else and make THAT worthwhile.</p>
<p>
[quote]
It raises admissions officers eyes if it is NOT on the application
[/quote]
</p>
<p>National Honor Society can't be consequential at all for the many students who apply from high schools without NHS chapters. College admission officers are also well aware that the selection process can be very political (in a bad way) at some high schools.</p>
<p>I don't understand friedokra's reply "Do it or face the consequences" </p>
<p>I DIDN'T DO IT and suffered no consequences. (I was accepted at all my schools, eventually matriculating at one of the HYP. )</p>
<p>2nd tier and LACs also know the tremendous variability of this "club"/"honor".</p>
<p>Don't sweat it. Period</p>
<p>
[quote]
BINGO! It raises admissions officers eyes if it is NOT on the application, regardless of whether or not your local chapter is consequential or impotent. In most all cases, NHS is a measure of SOME level of academic honors and service to the community.</p>
<p>In short, DO IT or face the consequences.
[/quote]
yeah, the consequences are pretty insignificant, considering the people from my school would got into HYP and others weren't in NHS. Guess they faced some extremely severe consequences, eh?</p>
<p>"BINGO! It raises admissions officers eyes if it is NOT on the application, regardless of whether or not your local chapter is consequential or impotent. In most all cases, NHS is a measure of SOME level of academic honors and service to the community.</p>
<p>In short, DO IT or face the consequences."</p>
<p>Not true. Admissions officers can determine your academics by your gpa. I haven't ever heard of a college that required that applicants have done community service.</p>
<p>Most colleges use ECs (with the exception of things like football) for at most merit aid, not for admission consideration.</p>
<p>The exceptions are places like HPYS, but even they don't require community service, and they certainly don't require NHS (virtually all of the applicants have the gpa to qualify for NHS -- if their schools have it). What they do virtually require is some kind of strong EC.</p>
<p>Simply belonging to NHS wouldn't qualify a a strong EC nor would being school NHS president. In the rarified air of places like HPYS, being national president or VP of NHS would qualify as a very strong EC.</p>