im a junior and ive been in nhs this whole year until i recently got kicked out because i cheated on a quiz. i know what ive done is unexcusable and im truly remorseful about what happened. im not complaining about getting kicked out because i feel that i deserve this for what ive done even though its the only time ive ever done it. since this is my first/only time with this the school administration was lenient enough to not show it on my transcripts or any of my records when i apply to college next year. so there won’t be any evidence that i ever cheated or was even in nhs let alone kicked out. but im worried that i might not get into any universities because i wont have nhs on my resume? i have other extra curriculars, decent grades and test scores, and ive developed good enough relationships with some of my teachers to write good letters of recommendation about me. but do i still have a chance at getting into a good university without nhs on my resume??
No
NHS has absolutely no bearing whatsoever on the college admissions process in any way, shape, or form.
I have already got into a few universities and I was not in NHS. I had a 4.3 GPA and I never joined NHS simply because I either forgot to do the application or I didn’t care. NHS has different requirements at different high schools, so at some high schools it is super easy to get into NHS while at other high schools high stat and involved students get rejected while unqualified students get in. At my school NHS is pretty much a joke and just a way for students to pad their resumes and the NHS president to get a leadership position.
@some6888 Think about it a little. How many US high school students get into good universities every year? How many of those were members of NHS? I am willing to bet that the first number is much larger than the second number.
In short, NHS is not necessary for admission.
In some areas of the country (mostly smaller communities from what I gather) being in the NHS is considered a big deal. In our urban metro area, no one bothers unless they have nothing else going for them in terms of ECs. It’s the bastion of last resort for someone who desperately needs to show some kind of engagement. So no, it’s not necessary or even particularly helpful. I’m glad your school has decided to cut you some slack for a first and only offense - there’s way too much of this ‘zero tolerance’ nonsense out there these days. Kids make mistakes, learn and move on.
Worry more about the cheating. Mostly, you need good LoRs more than NHS.
I think it’s lucky you got off so easily.
I think the value of NHS varies by community, but certainly plenty of kids do just fine without it.
Just be sure that the cheating incident really is your ONLY such offense, and hope for the best with LoRs.
This is the problem: You’re focused on the wrong thing. It’s not membership in or out of NHS that’s the problem. It’s what you did to get tossed from NHS - you cheated. Be sure that was the only time.
You should worry more about the outcome of cheating itself more than the NHS status. Check if that would be reported on any school record.
It won’t be reported on any school record. I just won’t be an nhs member anymore
how is your relationship with your guidance counselor? He/she will have to write a you a recommendation. They must know you cheated, how is that going to affect the recommendation next year? I’d worry about gaining back their trust- not NHS. No one cares about NHS.
My guidance counselor and I have a solid relationship. She knows me well as a person. Like I said before the only people who know about this are my parents, the teacher, and the administrator who oversees nhs
It would be hard for me to believe that your GC doesn’t also know about it at this point.
NHS is THE most overrated EC on the planet. It’s no better than putting “honor roll” in your awards section. I think it actually hurts some applicants because they could use that activity slot talking about a small quirk (penspinning, card tricks, woodworking, etc.) that brightens up their application from the typical Model UN, NHS, FBLA, SNHS laundry list.