Last night I was inducted into the NHS, and I was just thinking about it…
For those mentors that were inducted into the NHS when they were in HS, how has it affected your life? Has it provided more opportunities, got you into the college of your choice, etc?
I’m just kind of wondering if it’s just another thing for the resumé, or if it is an active, living, breathing organization.
Wasn’t quite sure where to put this, so I picked Chit-Chat. Mods can move it around if appropriate.
Jacob
Well, I’m going to say this as kindly as I can. I was turned down for NHS because I lacked leadership skills. Yeah…
Pretty much, I have found that none of my friends who were in NHS had any residual effects sans great/fun memories from participation. It will help you get into college if you’re borderline, and it’s a great place to make friends and have fun while helping. Past that, there’s no like, special thing in college for NHS’ers. You can put it on your resume, but past college, the advisers suggest you leave off the HS stuff unless it’s directly related to your major. (ex. I was in FIRST in HS so I’ve been working engineering for 8 years now)
Good luck and congratulations!
I can’t say its a really big thing besides in terms of college applications and if you’re looking for a job or seeking a position (say school team) that requires leadership skills. Also, NHS ‘perks’ vary from school to school. We get an off campus lunch every Friday (for ONLY NHS members), however, we are getting shorter lunches next year. Rumor is we are getting preferred parking spots closest to the school (not as cool, but hey…it’s a perk).
NHS is essentially a wannabe cult at my school. They do nothing, although they do sacrifice a goat once a year. Delicious.
I’m not sure wether I’m involved or not. Might having something to do with skipping a semester of public school for online classes and a cross-country bike trip.:rolleyes:
I was denied induction because a week before the mandatory service hours were due, the place I was supposed to volunteer at cancelled on me and rescheduled. Then they cancelled the new date, and by this point it was too late to find somewhere else. I was 2 hours short, and honestly, membership in something like that shouldn’t be based on something silly like a set number of service hours.
I have the leadership qualities, the good school qualities, etc. I also put in WAY more than the required amount due to FIRST activities (helping with FLL, river cleanups, etc), but for some odd reason they only allow 4 hours per activity if it’s not “NHS sponsored.”
I’ve talked to college friends, one of which actually deals directly with the admissions department at CalTech. They all say that NHS involvement plays little to no role in your application consideration. In my case, I can still consider the hours I did accomplish as general “community service.”
Jacob,
Congratulations! I think it is spectacular to be in the National Honor Society. Keep up the good work. I think it will open doors for you but it is a badge of honor. It is like other outward signs that an individual is judged by. Young people have very little to be judged by, no history or accomplishments so it helps to make you stand out from the crowd.
That does not mean that being an NHS member insures your success. If you ask some of the mentors here, I think you will find that many did not achieve this level of success. I, for one, did not come close to NHS status in high school. I was just an average student, right in the middle of my graduating class. I think that any student involved in FIRST has the ability to achieve whatever they want, be that bettering their grades, going on to college, receiving entrance to NHS, or becoming Eagle Scouts. I think each and every one is special enough to change the planet in some way.
I was one of the first students in my class [of 2007] to be inducted into the National Honor Society at my high school. Since then, if being a member of the NHS has any impact on getting into college or finding a job, it has been minimal. (Although part of this could be due to the fact that people in the NHS probably already have crowded resumes, so any single club or achievement would be weighted less than a sparse resume.)
But mostly, National Honor Society is like receiving a Key to the City award. Something cool to tell other people about, but don’t expect privileges and favors, left and right because of it.
That’s a good point. I agree that being in FIRST will help you more than any cult-like society (it is at our school too), not just in terms of putting it on the applications, but also the work ethic and skills you obtain.
Example: Right now I am interning at FANUC Robotics as part of our school’s MST curriculum (think of it like a co-op program, except unpaid). They won’t take people who weren’t on the FIRST team, simply because they don’t work as hard as someone who has that type of experience.
Thanks for the wonderful responses!
I kind of thought that it was just a title/honor/something to put on a resumé. I was just wondering if there were any other experiences out there. So far, I haven’t really seen any. Thanks for the feedback.
Jacob
I thought about this for a while and decided to enter a nostalgic reply.
This is what Wikipedia has to say:
Its purpose was important for many years. I graduated from high school in 1969 during a time of change in the United States. Change had been coming for a while and with that, turbulence in society and in high schools and universities. The NHS was a place of honor. It represented achievement and respect. The members of NHS were looked up to and admired by their peers, their faculty, and their administration.They wore letter sweaters and it was special. During that time, it was not assumed that everyone would go to college or even apply. The students in NHS were that hope. And there wasn’t FIRST. There were few places to be recognized for leadership, working hard at achieving academic goals and standing, setting the bar. Today, when I meet young people who are members of NHS, I think about that. It is different now, with so many options in education and in achieving goals, but it will mean what you want it to mean and will garner respect from those who understand and appreciate its value. Not everything has to be cashed in or has to have instant recognition. Sometimes being a part of a program of value and opportunity is enough. And, what you put into the program is what you get out of it.
Jane
So true, so true. That’s how most activities work, and most of them are usually fun. It’s other things like the NHS that actually awards people who they see. Not everyone needs to see what you do, it’s those who it affects that it truly matters to. A simple service project shouldn’t be to get attention or inducted into orginizations such as the NHS, but to help others, and do what’s right. I am not trying to make NHS sound like it’s for those who are snoby, it is a great thing to be a part of and shows that you have done great things, I’m just saying that you don’t need it to feel great or noticed. NHS is just to show a FEW things that everyone has done. It shows a small part of something big. Don’t ever feel like you need to be in those programs, and don’t feel so let down if you don’t get inducted in. Keep up helping people, and never feel discouraged.
I got into NHS this year… and as far as I’m concerned it isn’t a big deal. About 10-20% of the kids in my grade get in (and seeing that just the class of '08 has 1039 kids in it…)
The only perk we get is that we get to wear a gold tassle at graduation.
At my daughters’ school, I don’t think there are any special privileges attached to NHS other than the cool blue collar/hood they wear at graduation. However, the service hour requirement is a good one because as the girls got busier and busier with upper class activities and AP’s, they had less time to volunteer. With the 50 hr. per year requirement for jr. and sr. year, they did manage to squeeze in a few service projects with MOE 365 and Girl Scouts and drama productions. Their school has a 3.4 GPA requirement which helped slightly with senioritis.
I think NHS is a way of recognizing those kids who work hard at school and in the community and I’m sad for those of you who are told you can’t be a part because of the leadership requirement. Leadership comes in so many forms.
For many schools, NHS will be an entirely different organization. It may be highly active at some and simply an honorary society at others. For this reason, I think that each person needs to take a look at what it means to them. I have seen many highly qualified students passed by at our school for silly reasons. We have students who have completed over 500 to 1000 hours of community service and are not selected, simply because they weren’t worried about filling out all of the paper work. This doesn’t make them less deserving. Take the honor for what it is worth. Keep giving of yourselves to help others and remember that you are the only person who really has the right to judge what you are accomplishing with your efforts. 