The National Society of High School Scholars - is it worth it to join this organization?

Question

My daughter was asked to participate in this membership, and I am not sure if makes sense to join. thank you.

Answer 1

Does it cost anything to join? Some of those organizations are just out to make money. If it costs to join, that's a big red flag. I've never heard of the National Society of High School Scholars.

Are you sure it isn't National Honor Society? NHS is a very good organization and is very legitimate. It costs nothing to join NHS, but most schools have a pretty difficult selection process to weed out all but the top students.

Answer 2

Two things come to mind: one is the National Honor Society. I was a member and it's run like a club. It looks good on college applications and IMO, that's the only benefit. I disliked the snooty kids.

The other thing is those "Who's Who in High School" or "Universities" things that you sign up for with a small fee. Those require nothing but the minimal fee and you DO NOT have to buy a copy of the book. Just have your daughter listed and then she can claim it also on college apps.

I was a member of 5 clubs and had a high GPA so, it probably wasn't necessary but I covered all my bases (put myself through college) to be sure I got the academic scholarships to help pay for school. If you know that she isn't going to need the help, leave it up to her to decide if it's something she wants to claim.

By the way, there are minimal fees to be in NHS and you are required to fullfil the credo: Scholarship (grades), Citizenship (think charity fund-raising), Leadership (running for school offices or heading committees to fund raise), and Service (community service like helping the elderly or tutoring other students for no charge). So, it's a lot of work and is not only not "free" but takes much time and effort.

Answer 3

I have not heard of this specific honor, but many of the solicitations that students receive are close to worthless.
If they offer to sell you a book with the names of all the honorees, including your daughter's, it is probably not worth much.

There are legitimate honor societies. Selection for one of these is both a recognition of your daughter's academic achievement and a good way to tout her achievement on college applications.

Your daughter's guidance counselor should know if this particular society is worthwhile. Unless there is an active chapter of a society on her campus, the main benefit of these types of honors, other than the recognition of a job well done, is on a resume or application. A knowledgeable application reader will know which societies are worthwhile and which ones are well-disguised scams.

Answer 4

I actually dont really have an answer, but I too was invited, and I just wanted to know that when they said that I was nominated, who exactly nominated me?

Answer 5

I was nominated, too. I'm going to check it out and I'll try to get back to you. I did check out their website, but it's inconclusive.