I don’t even know the significance of the National Honors Society. As far as I know, my school doesn’t offer any way to get into it. We have CSF (California Scholarship Foundation) and all I know about it is that it means you get to graduate in white (an honor). Is being in NHS a big deal at schools that do have it?
<p>NHS has little to no significance unless you do something with your school's chapter. Most of the schools I've been to, NHS is simply a group of people with decent GPA (3.5+ or 3.7+ around there). Imagine the numbers of collegebound students across the nation that's in NHS, and you'll realize its "significance".</p>
<p>I find NHS to be of slightly more importance than CSF, at least at my school. For instance, a UC adcom I heard giving a lecture recently said 92% of UC applicants got CSF for at least one semester of high school.</p>
<p>It really depends on the school.</p>
<p>At my school, you have to be nominated. It doesn't mean a teacher has to personally recommend you, just that you need a 3.0 GPA or so. After that, you apply by submitting short responses and a resume. They pick about 15 or 20 or so students from that.</p>
<p>At my school, these are 15 to 20 of the brightest kids around, but they are not THE 15 to 20 brightest. All they do is tutor kids after school and visit a nursing home (I think they threw a holiday party or something). They don't really do anything, but it is an honor to get in.</p>
<p>Hmm I guess it does differ...</p>
<p>At my school each potential candidate has to go through a selection committee as well as be recommended by their teachers. Once chosen, NHS members must perform a minimum number of community service/school service hours with all types of groups in the area: nursing homes, children's organizations, various elementary schools, auctions, and the NHS sponsors the school's honor roll... NHS is pretty big, and it's hard to get into, so for me I guess NHS is a big deal.</p>
<p>At my school, every incoming junior that has a 3.5 + GPA is considered and mailed an application (consisting of essays, recommendation sheets, etc). They pretty much turn nobody away, unless they don't meet the requirements.</p>
<p>We have to complete a minimum of 24 service hours a year. 10 of the hours have to be completed in-school (tutoring, dances, school functions), the other 14 can either be in-school or out of school. </p>
<p>We have 2 meetings a month. The majority of our meetings are very unproductive and the most of the members are really lazy and don't volunteer for anything unless they have to. Kind of sad, because I was so excited to be in NHS last year, and was really bummed out to see how un-enthusiastic everyone was (including the advisor) about community service.</p>
<p>Don't worry about having NHS. It is so common for it to be on the app at the extremely and very selective schools, that they don't really notice it and won't miss it either. Leadership positions can mean something as they do in all EC's. The criteria for membership varies a lot from hs to hs and it ends up being meaningless.</p>
<p>NHS is a joke at my school. It's more based on favoritism than anything else. Plus, if you're not in a position, it means nothing. And because I go to a large school, and there's only 5 positions, most people aren't involved at all.</p>
<p>At our school, hundreds of kids are nominated for NHS. And hundreds get in. However, they do turn away the occasional random kid for either 1. not meeting some criterion 2. just to make an example of them to show their "prestige".</p>
<p>It really sucks to be in the second category because they usually have nothing wrong with their stats.</p>
<p>I think this is the problem with nhs, it differs so much from school to school. At school A it can be real place of honor, for the few and proud, and at another school it can be easy to get into</p>
<p>It might be good to remember that NHS is not set up along the lines of Santa Clause where the primary concern is to reward the good boys and girls. It is a corporation that has employees, and the primary concern is to make money and keep working. The central organization exists because of the hs chapters, but it has very few rules about what the hs's do or don't do.</p>
<p>I'm the President of our NHS chapter, and last year, because the students who led it weren't into it, it sucked in terms of doing stuff. This year it's gonna be better, cuz our four leadership positions are all filled by motivated kids. We're planning gifted freshman orientation sessions, help at the local homeless shelter, tutoring in-school, visiting elementary schools to help out kids, raising money for Big Brothers/Big Sisters and the local domestic violence shelter, and putting on a college night for Juniors and Seniors. Last year, we ONCE had the opportunity to shine shoes for the march of dimes. NHS is what you make it.</p>