Good Afternoon! Does anyone know anything about The National Society of High School Scholars? Is it worth joining? I am not sure if it is worth the money to join? Thank you. Hope everyone enjoys the week-end!
If it costs a single penny, decline it.
I got invitations to "Who's Who in American High School Students" when I was in high school, but thought it was ridiculous to pay a fee to be honored. My suspicions were right when the book came out and I saw it in the guidance counselor's office. Several mediocre (at best) students in my class were on in the book. Guess they paid the fee.
No. What you want is to get into the National Honor Society (NHS). Typically high schools have a chapter of this organization and you must meet certain criteria in terms of your grades and your voluteerism and leadership activities. This is what looks good on your resume when you apply to colleges, not these "societies" that are really just a club with a membership fee. NHS is free and it looks good because you must meet set criteria to be a member. Don't get sucked into things that you have to pay for.
Mindy is right. National Honor Society is what they need to join if they are invited.
What kind of colleges are they applying to? Do they need this to give them an edge? If trying for Ivy League or they don't have a strong high school resume, it might be worth it. Once college is over, it really won't mean anything. Employers don't care about high school.
It is a way to add to the students academic resume.
But it also depends on the type of college they are applying to,
I think it is a scam. My son accidentally paid for it thinking it was from the NHS.
What you should do is ask the guidance counselor if this is really something good, or if it's just a scam for getting you to buy the book. The guidance counselors know about these things.
Dawn
I teach AP Language at a high school, and students ask about this all the time. We (the counselors and I) advise our students not to join this because the organization is asking for money. The National Honor Society is much more impressive on applications and resumes because it is something they earn, not something they pay for.
We received this for my daughter and I asked her counselor. She told me to contact the company and ask if they would be willing to scholarship the fee to join. I didn't actually follow through with the advice and do that, but maybe that could work for you.
I'm not really sure either. I have two college students. They were both invited to join. I left it up to them. They declined. Apparently they have to write something and attend meetings?
They both have very substantial academic scholarships to the schools of their choice anyway.
However, they did not go Ivy League.
My daughter IS aiming for Ivy League. She's a sophomore this coming year, so I will probably look more into that and groups like it this time around. Lots of kids have HUGE GPAs, that might be another thing to set her apart, or it could be a joke.
I plan to ask her guidance counselor this very question in September. Maybe you should do the same?
:)
