Daiana

I've received a letter from them saying they have chose me based on my high school academic excellence and that they have my information from collegeboard. Has anybody had any prior experience with this organization?

Murphy600

My impression is its a commercial operation. Why else would you have to pay. Don't do it

Sikorsky

Use College Confidential's SEARCH function to find one of the dozen or so recent threads on this topic.

Long story short: they will deliver what they promise you when you pay to join, but what they promise (and deliver) isn't really worth much.

Daiana

does it at least look good on your app? I see that you can request a fee waiver.

Sikorsky

Read the threads. Make up your own mind.

Sent from my DROIDX using CC

Daiana

Having in view that they "accept" ( it says by invitation only) students that have 1750+ sat score seems pretty strange. Since that is quite a low score for a scholar.. true they do specify other qualities but still. I've read the other threads before and seems that the general opinion is that it doesn't really do much but that you could get scholarships ( they have scholarships that provide full tuition?!). I would really like to get more opinions of students/ parents/educators that have received such a letter. Thank you... btw I'm an international students so the surprise was even bigger when i got this

Sikorsky

Most of the scholarships available through NSHSS are far from full. They're more like a $1500 or so--enough money that if you dropped it in the street, you'd go back and look for it, but not enough money to make a serious dent in the cost of a college education. And many of them are one-time awards, not awards that are renewable for four years.

As you have learned, the inclusion criteria aren't very selective. You're not the only one who knows this; American colleges and universities know it too. So, no, it doesn't impress colleges when they see NSHSS on your application.

If you read the list of benefits on NSHSS's web site, there isn't a lot there that you couldn't get on your own just by using online resources. I think it's an empty honor and a pretty poor value.

musicmama

First of all, saying that 1750 or higher score isn't selective shows more than a bit of elitism. Some very smart students score in that range... maybe their parents didn't tutor them to death or pay for lots of SAT prep classes? And not everyone tests the same.

Secondly, saying that $1500 doesn't make a dent in the cost of college education also surprises me. No, it's not a full scholarship to Harvard, but when added to other smaller scholarships, or when applied to a less expensive school, it would make a difference.

Thirdly, go to the website to investigate: there are apparently some full scholarships to Cambridge University summer study in England and other cool looking opportunities.

Direct experience: my NY friend said yes, join, as this organization was very good to both her sons. OK, they are prodigies who started international foundations... but still. And a local, but very young, private school apparently takes the other view of them-- not worth it. I am in the process of soliciting opinions from various counselors and will report back.

I hope that smart, creative non-prodigies have a crack at some of that scholarship money!

musicmama

You pay because that's where the money from their scholarship awards come from. It's probably like buying an expensive lottery ticket, but with higher odds, one would hope, and some skills involved, not just random drawing. And they have a lot more winners per year than the lottery does.

lookingforward

If you are a top performer, applying to highly competitive colleges, it doesn't make sense to list an organization that asks for money in return for "invitation-only" selectivity, but sets the bar at 1750. That's not even an average of 600 per test. Go win a state math contest or better. Ferpa prevents the hs from releasing your transcripts at random- so how do they know you are a worthy target? It's rumored they get your info via the PSAT.

If you are not that competitive for that top school, this won't fool them.