<p>Decisions, decisions… <em>sigh</em></p>
<p>The common app only lets me list 10 activities. I’m debating whether I should use NHS as an activity or rather the fact that I’ve tutored kids in elementary, middle, and high school levels for all four years of high school in the following areas: reading, geometry, precalculus, anatomy, physics, and French. I feel like almost anyone can get into NHS and it’s just such a commonality, so it would not really stand out. I think my commitment to being an after-school tutor is much more valuable. However, if a top-tier school like Brown sees that I didn’t list NHS as one of my qualifications, would that raise some eyebrows? Would they be like “You’ve done all this, but you weren’t in NHS?” I’m in French National Honors Society as well, but I think that’s a lot more valuable than the regular ol’ NHS. What do you guys think I should? Should I use the tutoring over NHS? Or vice versa?</p>
<p>Thanks!!</p>
<p>Put your honor societies in Education > Honors, not activities. This is the correct place even though there are service hours and meeting attendance requirements. The entry can say something like: Honor Societies: National (11, 12), French (10,11,12) (select School level honor).</p>
<p>Right, that makes sense. I was just wondering because the NHS at my school is practically useless and corrupt…</p>
<p>That is true about NHS at practically every high school. </p>
<p>NHS itself is a useless “honor”. Colleges don’t take it seriously. It’s what you do to get in NHS that’s useful.</p>
<p>I was going to ask this question. I didn’t make NHS previously because of dumb stuff like tardies and dress code violations - too many demerits. I’ve always been up for it because of grades and am again this year. I also committed to a college for sports and had NHS in there but deleted it because I didn’t think I would make it. (Again, just too many demerits for regular school stuff which they say is strict.)</p>
<p>So my application is in. My dean now wants to meet with me to discuss my eligibility for NHS but I’m thinking I don’t even know if it matters. I feel like I should probably just be the first student in history to go in and say I don’t feel like I deserve it, other kids worked harder than I did and did not have as many disciplinary infractions as I did, I feel like I should let those kids get the honors, I want to go out on my honor.</p>
<p>I want to see how that goes.</p>
<p>You wouldn’t be the first to turn them down because I and many others have taken them on over the years. They gave it to me anyway, but The Establishment at my high school really worked to contain my campaign that pointed out what a joke it was. (This was 35 years ago. My complaint was few got in before senior year, then everyone who was eligible got in a month before graduation, which was no honor and no use, since it was too late for it to be used on college applications.)</p>
<p>If you want to stand up for your principles, I applaud you, but don’t be surprised when pressure comes from above. In the end, it just might be easier to take the award, but do nothing to get it or participate.</p>
<p>Wow, really? Because that’s what they did to me. Always an excuse and then “maybe next year.” Now they tell me like 2 weeks before the ED deadline.</p>
<p>I am glad it’s not just my imagination, because honestly there is no way I am suddenly “more eligible” than I was last year or the year before.</p>