When I was in high school, you just got inducted into it for having a certain GPA. Now, at least in our district, it’s like a college application - essays, recommendations, etc…not to mention that students sometimes aren’t accepted into it if they don’t have community service or leadership. I’m wondering if it’s the same in every district - it’s just a stressful time for the high-achieving student in general and I don’t know why applying to the NHS has to be so time consuming.
Is is this way everywhere now, or is our district just particularly crazy?
Kids’ school requires a lot of volunteer hours on top of certain GPA (not super high–3.5, I think).
The hours have to be done within the year, so hard to fit in. My kids were not interested. (And knowing that a lot of kids faked or inflated their hours made them even less interested). Not being in NHS absolutely didn’t hurt them a bit. If you are a top student with with top scores, no college is going to say, “Hey, how come NHS isn’t on your list? I guess we can’t admit you. . .”
My son said, “NHS is no honor–they let everybody in that” (More than 1/4 of the class?)
D’s HS required several pages of paperwork, essays, etc. They verified volunteer hours. Lots of top students did not get in.
At S’s magnet school, anyone one who applied got in.
D’s school requires a teacher recommendation. She joined, but very few kids bothered, and she didn’t like that the community service requirement was for peer tutoring .
My D’s HS hs lots of paperwork also, several pages plus essay, plus I believe 3 recommendations. The kids pretty much self-select there, they know who’s going to make it or not, so they don’t even try if they are borderline generally.
The effort-to-value ratio for NHS induction at my kids’ HS is completely out of whack, and I don’t believe for a moment that admissions officers put any stock in seeing membership on a kid’s Common App. The only silver lining was that some of the essays they drafted became good base material for activity-type essays on a couple of their college applications.
Ours was by invitation only so no application. If you accepted the invitation and went through the induction ceremony there were certain things you had to do like maintain a certain GPA, perform x number of volunteer hours, agree to tutor, etc. If you didn’t get invited sophomore year there were always a few juniors and seniors being inducted i noticed. 2 of mine declined the invite and the last one accepted. Ours did boot a few kids that got in trouble at school or had a GPA that fell below the minimum so it wasn’t a “wide-open” sort of club. The only kids that weren’t invited and seemingly should have been invited, according to my kids, generally had a moral/social/legal issues somewhere in their record - like an MIP, or too many detentions or a suspension etc.
Yes, I agree with the OP! At my son’s high school it is like a college ap AND they make the due date very early in the school year. Since my son participates in a time-consuming Fall sport, it just added a lot of grief for not much return. I give those who choose to “jump through the hoops” credit.
Also, as a senior if you don’t fulfill the required service hours during the school year, you don’t get the recognition at graduation.
A. Candidates must have at least a 3.50 cumulative G.P.A. to be nominated.
B. Candidates must have a minimum of 100 community service hours completed, of which up to 30 can be obtained through in school service projects and/or activities. All 100 hours can be obtained outside of school.
C. Candidates must complete an application designed to highlight the student’s qualifications, experiences, achievements, and special interests. Students should focus solely on their accomplishments during high school. Candidates must demonstrate their commitment to the four cornerstones of the National Honor Society; scholarship, leadership, character, and community service. Student disciplinary records will be reviewed as an aspect of character.
Then they review the applications with no names attached to make it the most fair it can be.
In our school they let you know freshman year about the service hours. By Junior year, you can have those service hours done…NHS or not it is A) A good thing to do for your community B) Good to put on your College app anyway
So to me it is like the school formally recognizing the hard work you have put into academics and service. Plus parents like it a lot;
Grades require a weighted GPA that is basically straight As for regular classes and a few pre-aps/APs
Service 15 hours in the current year
Leadership position of some type in the current year
Resume with ECs.
No sophomores.
The leadership position in the junior year keeps quite a few out and does not make a lot of sense. If you are class president in Sophomore year and lose the election as a junior, you better find some other leadership position quick or no NHS. Most kids have some position outside of school that they can use, but not everyone.
The service hours catch some kids off guard if they look at the application too late.
At our school if you have a 3.75 you’re invited to apply. You have to have I think about 100 service hours under your belt by application time fall of junior year. Many, although not all, of those who meet the grade and service requirements get in, and just about everyone stays in. You do have to keep up with grades and service hours, but it’s not too difficult for people who got in in the first place.
i thought it was a decent group at our school to have on your list of ECs. I’m sure, just like everything, it’s different everywhere how exclusive, how public service oriented, etc. There are so very many school sanctioned activities these days. I think back in the early 70s we had NHS, sports (mostly only if you played on the boys team), Home Ec Club, Art Club, Debate Team and the cheerleaders…that was about it for yearbook activities…anything else you did was “outside” the high school.
Ours includes lists of ECs, leadership positions, awards earned, volunteer positions and hours, 2 essays, and recs from every teacher, three other staff members and three personal recs. I think the requirements to apply are completely over the top.
