<p>I've just found out that requirements to be in the National Honor Society vary by school district. In our (very competitive) public school, you have to have a 3.75 GPA (and I believe fulfill some other, rather stringent requirements), yet some schools require as little as a 3.0. </p>
<p>I mean, it is a "National" Honor Society...I would have thought requirements would be fairly standard. If not by GPA, then maybe at least by rank?</p>
<p>Thoughts anyone?</p>
<p>Considering that the calculation for GPAs and ranking systems are not even close to standard between high schools nationwide, (4.0 scale, 5.0 scale, weighted grades vs. unweighted, including +'s and -'s vs. not, among other possible differences in GPA, and deciles vs. regular ranking vs. no ranks at all) how could the required NHS GPA/rank be standard at all?</p>
<p>Our school district also requires a 3.75 GPA, but that is a weighted GPA.</p>
<p>The same can be said about Nat Merit. I mean the PSAT is the same in each state isn’t it? Why does it take a 218 in one but a 208 in another?</p>
<p>I think NHS means different things in different schools. In ours, it is just a service organization and not all “qualified” kids even apply. It is a club that does some community service work as do many of the clubs. Our school does not weight grades and I think the minimum to apply is a 3.0 unweighted. I don’t really have a sense of how prestigious it is in our district relative to the title “National Honor Society.” My two older boys didn’t apply and weren’t interested in applying and I didn’t push it. Back in the 70s when I was in NHS, you were invited by the teachers and only the top students were invited starting sophomore year. They had an induction ceremony which was a “big deal.” There was recognition at the commencements and you wore a gold cord at graduation and were mentioned in the graduation program. I haven’t noticed any of that sort of recognition at awards ceremonies/graduations with my kids although I see it sometimes in the list of activities for the senior scholars and they have a picture of the group in the yearbook.</p>
<p>I agree that it would be impossible to require a uniform GPA across the country, given the difference in schools’ grading systems. I think the chapters have to be given a fair amount of discretion on the selection process, as long it recognizes students who exhibit scholarship, leadership, service, and character. </p>
<pre><code>At our school, sophomores and juniors who have a cumulative weighted GPA of 3.8 or higher are invited to apply. Applicants then have to fill out a form listing all leadership positions, community service, and school activities. A five-teacher committee then reviews the applications and votes. Many kids with the requisite GPA but insufficient activities are not selected. Its definitely a honor at our school to be selected.
</code></pre>
<p>In the fullness of time, the NHS “label” doesn’t mean that much.</p>
<p>One of the things I can say, having gone through the college admissions process, is that some things that seemed monumental and significant at the time receded into the rear view mirror just short of the speed of light.</p>
<p>National Merit means something, particularly if a school that’s a fit offers dollars for it…for many students, the colleges that recognize NM status rate a collective “eh!”</p>
<p>Val/Sal can mean something but not as much as you might think at the time. For the most competitive schools, they’re packaged by the dozen. “Yo! Admissions director! You’ve got 288 Val/Sal applicants paperwork here!” </p>
<p>“288? That’s two gross.”</p>
<p>If it makes anyone feel better, I dithered and fretted over one of my D’s high school electives and the fact that she took three years of one language and two of another instead of four of one. Pthhhht.</p>
<p>I guess I should share why I have this reaction all of a sudden. One of my son’s friends, who happens to be class president and yearbook editor, is not in NHS because GPA is “only” 3.5. Meanwhile, I see kids with higher GPAs doing absolutely nothing in there.</p>
<p>ready: NHS is basically a non-event…there are kids at my daughter’s HS at Ivies who were not inducted in due to disagreements with certain teachers; and yes, her class president did not meet the GPA/rank requirement either while others with no EC’s were in there…I have been told (and others on CC have chimed in) that it means absolutely nothing in the context of college admissions.</p>
<p>ReadytoRoll - I understand your feelings. </p>
<p>My younger son has a good friend (both rising juniors) who has a 4.0 average, mainly because he has chosen to take only the standard academic classes. No pre-AP, no advanced math track, easy electives. </p>
<p>My son has a 3.6 with lots of pre-AP classes, a few of which he struggled with. He is also on the advanced math track. So, he has had a mix of As, Bs, and 2 Cs. He has also been recently (rather late) diagnosed with mild ADHD and started taking meds in Feb (which made a huge difference). Because of the ways things are working next year, he won’t be taking any pre-AP classes. As a result, he MIGHT make NHS this coming year, but it will probably be his senior year.</p>
<p>Just the way it goes…</p>
<p>R2R, if you makes you feel any better the required gpa is a 3.9 at our hs. Then one is recommended by teachers and is evaluated as far as character, leadership, etc. The biggest criteria is the 3.9 gpa. Frankly, I am not impressed with all members, but some were all around stand out students. We know a few who did have a 3.9, were members of the NHS, but we knew were lacking in other areas. I won’t go any further than that.</p>
<p>
Or a 223 in one and only a 200 or 201 in another. This is one of my pet peeves, too.</p>
<p>NHS is meaningless, really, in the big scheme of things. I have found the service projects and fundraising to be mostly meaningless in son’s school. Fundraising efforts are dedicated to providing five scholarships to the NHS officers.</p>
<p>NHS isn’t that important. There were people in my school’s NHS who didn’t get into that many super selective schools and there were people not in NHS (myself and some of my friends) who found themselves at Ivies. NHS is good as another line item on the college app which shows that a student is very involved, very smart, and does community service. It’s nothing that’s going to wow and adcom and probably not anything that is going to raise a red flag (like an F on the transcript or being convicted of a crime). It’s nice if you have it, but nothing to lose sleep over if you don’t.</p>
<p>I couldn’t join NHS because it required 3 different organizations you do community service for. I only had two, both of which I worked at for 3+ years. There were kids who made stuff up (and NHS didn’t check) but I was too lazy to lie that I helped at a canned food drive or something like that.</p>
<p>The real thing you should complain about is how different colleges do Latin honors. At Harvard, the top 5% of the class is given summa. At Penn if one has a 3.8 GPA he gets summa. Princeton only does it by department. At Harvad 50% of students can graduate with some sort of honors, but at Yale it’s maxed out at 30%. Something like that stays on your resume forever. </p>
<p><a href=“College of Charleston | Page Not Found”>College of Charleston | Page Not Found;
<p>NHS standards vary wildly from school to school rendering it meaningless for college admissions but it can be a great experience depending on your school. In my D’s school the standards were very rigorous - high GPA, active in volunteer, and ECs. She met all the criteria but she wasn’t in the “right” clubs. You had to belong to a select few clubs to be considered. She preferred to be active in her area of interest and say no thanks to NHS. Many of her friends who joined left because it was not a dynamic group. By graduation few of the top students were in it at all. Her friend in another school district really enjoys being in NHS and gets a lot out of it. My S’s HS, a top academic school, did not even have NHS.</p>
<p>At our HS NHS is more the service organization for good students. You don’t have to be a great student to get in, but you have to have a lot of service hours and the entire faculty gets input, meaning you’d better not have had run-ins with teachers. Cum Laude Society is the recognition organization for high scholastic achievement. NHS requires a 3.5 GPA; Cum Laude Society requires a 4.2. This is on a scale where A=4.0 and A in honors/AP=4.5.</p>
<p>It’s 3.5 at my D’s school and you have to write a few essays. </p>
<p>I can tell you that based on some of the 108 (1/4 of her class) kids admitted, character isn’t exactly taken into account.</p>
<p>At our HS I think there’s some grade criteria (maybe 3.2? can’t remember), but also involvement and good character. You are nominated by a teacher and have to fill out an application/essay. Kids with high gpa, but no school activities are passed by for more involved kids. My son likes it. Nice group of kids that participate in a lot of service activities. Great way to meet new kids in his large high school. Some type of adornment at graduation.</p>
<p>Ours is 3.85 and THIRTY separate service requirements.</p>
<p>Ours is like a forced labor camp!</p>
<p>Sure they had high standards the kids had to reach in order to get in, but once in, it is dreadful. They force the kids to do service and be at ALL meetings or else they are threatened with being kicked out of the Society. Even if they have a science lab at lunch they are expected to skip class and attend the meeting. All the funds raised are for senior scholarships and they always go to the officers. </p>
<p>My daughter is in three honor societies at her school (NHS, Language HS, and Music HS) and they are all the same. The language HS had a mandatory (everything is mandatory) event the NIGHT BEFORE the language AP exam!! So instead of studying, they all had to work this event so the officers could get scholarships!</p>
<p>And yesterday they HAD to attend a vollyball “fun” end of year event for all the kids in the Honor Society or else they would be kicked out and they would take away their cords for the graduation ceremony. That is absurd!!! Forced to attend a party or else kicked out!!!</p>
<p>Does anyone else’s school have such craziness?</p>
<p>SVMom, I think that is what goes on in our school and why my boys weren’t interested. I can’t say for certain, but that is in the impression that has been given by others. The numerous and ill timed meetings and the mandatory service and ‘fun’ events coupled with the randomness of the kids selected have been reported by others in our school. Very few kids that are heavily involved in band, choir, sports ect are involved in NHS so in our system NHS is pretty self selecting of the kids that are not heavily involved in other activities. It’s fine with me.</p>