dzleprechaun

I'm not a telemarketer and I'm not making money hand over fist with each membership check. A significant part of the NSCS experience depends on how active the chapter at your university is. That is something that is largely up to the students themselves who run it, rather than the national office, although we do try to provide direction, guidance, etc.

As for the "good deal of $$$," the lifetime membership fee is $75, which is less than the cost of the average textbook. If you really want to know where that money goes, our finances are public record as a 501 (c) 3 non-profit organization. If you are unable to pay the membership fee due to pressing financial circumstances, you can contact our office and we are willing to waive the fee.

The point of NSCS is not to be a self-sufficient line on your resume or transfer application. If you are active in the chapter and accomplish various projects, you will have something to show for your membership that will, in fact, be worth pointing out. It is like any other student organization in that regard - what you get out of it is based on what you put it. By way of example, I would point to Sara Bright at Northern Illinois University, who started an initiative to help build a home for a family in New Orleans. That drive has now spread to other chapters and is making real headway.

On top of that, there are numerous scholarship opportunities, as well as programming and other benefits, available through the national office. When I arrived at Georgetown as a freshman, I was a bit suspicious as well, but then I found out that an RA in my building had applied for and received a $1,000 scholarship from NSCS. You actually do have to apply, though - again, the burden is on the member to maximize the rewards of their experience.

If anyone has any specific questions, I'd be more than happy to answer them in whatever way I can.

P.S. As for someone receiving an invitation with a 2.4... First of all, do you really know his GPA for a fact? I'm not suggesting that you're lying, just noting that a lot of people try to play down their level of academic success. Secondly, there are a number of schools that do not release the names of their students to us - we essentially have to trust them to send our invitation letters to qualified people. If they make a mistake, not only is that not our fault but we would have no way of ever knowing about it.