As you navigate the college admissions process, it’s natural to seek every advantage.

However, joining the National Honor Society (NHS) isn’t always the golden ticket it’s perceived to be.

In this blog post, I’ll dissect the myths surrounding NHS membership and discuss why it might not significantly boost your college application.

I’ll help you understand why sometimes, the best way to stand out is to forge your own path to academic and extracurricular excellence.

What is the NHS The National Honor Society (NHS) is one of the oldest, largest, and most widely recognized co-curricular student organizations in American high schools.

Established in 1921, it now has over

1. 4 million members.

The NHS aims to create enthusiasm for scholarship, stimulate a desire to render service, promote leadership, and develop character in secondary school students.

Membership in local NHS chapters is an honor bestowed upon a student by a Faculty Council and is based on the four pillars of NHS: scholarship, character, leadership, and service.

How to get into NHS The National Honor Society (NHS) is a organization that recognizes high school students in the United States who have demonstrated excellence in the areas of scholarship, leadership, service, and character.

Here are the general requirements for students aspiring to join the NHS: Scholarship GPA: Students must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 85, B,

3. 0 on a

4. 0 scale, or an equivalent standard of excellence.

Some chapters may require a higher GPA.

Leadership Roles: Demonstrated leadership experience in school or community activities is essential.

This could include holding leadership positions in student organizations or other initiatives.

Service Volunteer Work: A commitment to volunteering and community service is crucial.

Students must complete a certain number of service hours, which can vary by chapter.

Character Personal Qualities: Students should exhibit high standards of honesty, reliability, and respect for others.

They should also have a clean disciplinary record.

Other Considerations Standardized Tests: Some chapters may have criteria related to standardized testing scores, such as the SAT or ACT.

Faculty Council: The final selection is often made by a Faculty Council, which reviews each candidate’s qualifications.

NHS is not all that special The NHS boasts over one million members across the United States, which raises questions about its exclusivity.

With such a large membership, the distinction that once came with being part of the NHS has diluted over time.

The organization’s broad criteria for acceptance mean that a significant number of students meet the minimum requirements for membership, making it less of a unique honor and more of a common resume-padder for high-achieving students.

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Use it for distinguishing information.

In a highly competitive college admissions landscape, students seek every possible advantage to stand out.

However, due to the NHS’s vast membership, inclusion on a college application no longer carries the weight it once did.

Admissions officers are well aware of the NHS’s size and may not view membership as a distinguishing factor.

Instead, they look for unique experiences and personal achievements that set applicants apart from the crowd.

Quality of engagement In order to have an effective application, you should strive to create a unique personal brand and have strong extracurricular activities and academic qualifications.

With the NHS’s focus on quantity over quality, students may find themselves participating in activities for the sake of fulfilling requirements rather than engaging in meaningful service.

My school requires that I participate in 25 hours of community service, but they really don't care what impact the service has.

This approach can lead to a checklist mentality, where the emphasis is on meeting the minimum standards rather than pursuing impactful and passionate involvement in community service.

This not only sends you a damaging message where service only exists as a means to an end, but it also means that NHS likely won't cause anyone at the admissions office to advocate for you.

Alternative routes for recognition Doing well in school feels great, and achieving academic honors can be a fantastic way to recognize your hard work and dedication.

This means that wanting recognition is completely understandable.

Here's how to get recognition that is more prestigious.

Challenge Yourself Academically: Take rigorous courses: Look into Advanced Placement (AP), International Baccalaureate (IB), or dual enrollment classes that offer college credit while you're still in high school.

This will lead to a record with high levels of academic rigor, as well as opportunities for scholarships later down the line.

Explore academic competitions: Participate in subject-specific events like mathletes, science fairs, or history bowls.

These can be a fun way to test your knowledge and delve deeper into your interests.

Winning challenging competitions such as national olympiads will stand out a lot to admissions committees.

Independent research projects: Many schools allow students to pursue independent research projects.

This is a great way to showcase your passion for a particular subject and develop research and writing skills.

Cold-emailing is an effective way to find these opportunities.

Conclusions If you are looking for more meaningful opportunities that will make a difference, I would recommend that you check out Rishab's STEM student guide, which is available completely for free.