^Wow, that sounds more like what schools do for Student of the Month here–focus on kids who need a boost.
I wonder why NHS is implemented so arbitrarily by each school. Are there state-level honor societies that are different? In California, there is the California Scholarship Federation (CSF). I think their GPA requirement with class-based weighting is standardized. At least, I think so. Maybe not.
I certainly hope our school doesn’t decide to start requiring teacher recs too! Every few years they’ve upped the ante on what materials are needed. It has gotten beyond ridiculous.
The consensus of many CCers on previous threads about this topic seems to be that the presence of NHS listed on an application does nothing, but its absence might matter. If all else about the applicant seems NHS-worthy, then there’s a fear that adcoms might wonder if there was a disciplinary or integrity violation that disqualified the student for acceptance. That would be my only concern about blowing it off: causing a suspicion of dishonor.
We are sorely tempted, though, especially because the applications for the subject-area honor societies are as bad or worse. For them you need the expected qualifications of grades and level, plus proof of a related EC, or “significant subject area-related involvement.” So I guess for the English Honor Society if you write for the school newspaper that might count, but then again it might not because the newspaper is run from a journalism class so that would not be an EC. I suppose tutoring would count, but the kids already have to tutor for NHS… Ugh, the hoops they make the kids jump through.
Looks like there’s a range of requirements depending on the school. At my D’s HS, it’s pretty laughable. A good portion of the class gets it (probably 40%) - one page honor code document to sign, $30 check, and you must agree to be a tutor. That’s it. No essay, no list of ECs, no recommendation letters.
I don’t remember any charge for my kid to be in NHS.
S had no application–just a GPA requirement and some type of approval by the teachers. Only requirements after that are a few hours of tutoring in the after-school program.
I heard about all these extra requirements. My D’s high school did not have honor society and she did quite fine. Your kid will have to decide if all that effort is worth it. I am sure the Adcoms at the top tier schools know what is going on with the process now so they may be looking at being a member in a different way.
The $30 ‘charge’ at my school goes to annual dues/membership fees and honor cords at graduation.
Lets see I just got accepted so it’s all fresh in my mind. All jr’s w/ a 90 cumulative average were invited to apply. The application included 100 service hours and an short essay about your character and leadership. The actual process is 5 teachers ranking the applicants based on their application and teacher comments. You have to get a 3.6 on their scale to get in.
I know this is somewhat of an old thread, but I my school NHS is kind of political because the teachers vote on it, so it is influenced A LOT by if they know your parents or not, or How well like you are. For me I thought I was well liked and had a solid application but was rejected. (I am applying again as a senior, but less Senior’s get in than Juniors). Does this hurt with competitive colleges
My chapter requires above a 3.75 GPA, at least 2 honors/AP/DE courses, leadership positions, and extracurriculars.
@jman457 one student at my kids’ school didn’t get into NHS because of the attendance requirement–too many absences was one factor that could disqualify applicants. But the same student still got into very competitive schools including UC Berkeley, UCLA, UNC-Chapel Hill and Duke. (We are OOS for all those schools)
Other parts of the application were essays, rec letters and 60 service hours, 20 hours a year for 9th 10th and 11th grades.
Ours was essentially the top 10% of the class by GPA with induction near the end of junior year, with a few more invited senior year (but near the end.so sort of meaningless) Once in, there were required service hours and volunteer experiences. I think they had changed the entrance requirements at some point to limit the number of kids invited. By the way, I definitely noticed the group included about 2/3 girls and 1/3 boys.
So many kids invited to join at my kids school… Some with less than stellar records. Do colleges even care these days?
On a side note I ran across my high school yearbook and it appears I was not in HS in high school! I guess time erases the sting. Finished two degrees and grad school with a 4.0 and I don’t recall anyone asking about HS.
My D’s school requires an UW 3.75, essay, teacher recommendation, clean disciplinary record and demonstrated leadership. Since those finishing their freshman year are eligible and club officer positions at her school are pretty much reserved for seniors, the demonstrated leadership could be fulfilled by being active in multiple clubs or ECs.
Her NHS uses a point system to stay active with point requirements in different types of activities (meetings, school activities, community service). A good number of kids who are not active are kicked out when they do not meet the point requirement. There was on student at my daughter’s induction that had been kicked out for not making points after his sophomore but was re-inducted for senior year.
My D’s NHS officers are the typical high achievers who are already leaders of other clubs. Honestly, these kids already have enough achievements they don’t need NHS. My D enjoys NHS because while they do require a commitment, they do not take themselves too seriously. They tend to have activates that she is interested in and it is made up of the group kids she already hangs out with, so it is really more of a social club for her.
Our school requires multiple essays, demonstrated leadership, clean disciplinary record (or a really good explanation), teacher recommendations (and every teacher gets a say, so if you’ve annoyed even one teacher, you may have a problem) and at least 30 community service hours at the time of application. You have to be a junior or senior to be admitted. NHS at our school is pretty much a community service organization. A lot of the top kids at our HS don’t even bother applying for NHS. I can’t imagine colleges care about it.
They give two applications…the one that is reviewed is anonymous.
A. Candidates must have at least a 3.50 cumulative G.P.A. to be nominated.
B. Candidates must have a minimum of 100 community service hours completed, of which up to 30 can be obtained through in school service projects and/or activities. All 100 hours can be obtained outside of school.
C. Candidates must complete an application designed to highlight the student’s qualifications, experiences, achievements, and special interests. Students should focus solely on their accomplishments during high school. Candidates must demonstrate their commitment to the four cornerstones of the National Honor Society; scholarship, leadership, character, and community service. Student disciplinary records will be reviewed as an aspect of character.
For colleges, I think the community service/GPA is the main thing, but it nice for the student to have the HS recognize all the hard work (volunteering and schoolwork)
It’s not automatic at our high school. First you have to have a minimum 3.75 GPA to be invited to apply. Then a student needs to have:
50 documented service hours (and 20 additional hours once selected in order to maintain good standing)
4 different areas of leadership roles
Character
Short essay.
A committee votes on your application.
DD’s high school sounds pretty typical.
Rising junior +, weighted gpa of 3.9/4.0, 20+ leadership hours, 20+ service hours, survive a faculty survey on character (veto power I assume).
To stay in, you must sign a no-use contract, attend the meetings, maintain GPA, and accumulate service hours.
They do have great events during the year where they raise money, provide holiday gifts to over 200 families, stock a food pantry for 1/2 the year and a homeless shelter with personal items for 1/2 the year.
Wow, our requirements are low:
Our requirements is to have an 87.5 avg. Then you have to fill out an application saying your community service hours/sports/extra curricular ect.