The National Honor Society, A.K.A. the most elite high school students in the nation. You've got to be kidding me.
Dear NHS, these days, there's nothing special about you. Your 'exclusive' club of the best students has grown into a disorganized mass of high school students who simply obtained the title without much effort. NHS states that they have about one million students as part of their organization. In total, there are roughly seven million high school juniors and seniors in the U.S. That means that one in every seven junior or senior is part of NHS. Is that recognizing the best in the nation, or just adding numbers to the organization?
The National Honor Society stresses that they look for excellence in each and every student, especially in the fields of scholarship, excellence, leadership, and character. I'm not sure about your high school, but the majority of students in mine who are members are at best, slightly above average. Average or slightly better grades, not the sharpest leadership skills if any, and some even have terrible character, but that might just be my school, maybe. It's become so simple to become a member of NHS that I think signing up for a Facebook account would be more challenging. Simply submit your grades (as long as they're above honor roll) and a quick essay on how you're such a kind, caring young individual and you're in. Good job.
Now since these are the best of the best high schoolers, wouldn't that mean receiving college scholarships as a reward for all of the effort put in by these students? Of course! Of all one million members, 400 receive scholarships every year. That's 0.04% of members. Wait! Doesn't NHS membership look good on college applications? Yes, fractionally. NHS membership has become so saturated in college applications that it gets overlooked often and only gives slight advantage over a non-member, if at all. For the members who don't receive scholarships, don't worry. On graduation day you get to wear gold rope over your gown, that's pretty exciting and worth the trouble, right? When it comes to post-college schools or the workforce, NHS status means nothing on those applications. Besides, high school doesn't matter at the end of the day.
Colleges and potential places of work look for the quality of the person who gave them the application, not the application itself. The National Honor Society proudly declares the hours and hours of volunteer work that their members have done. Do they know how many of those hours were done out of the kindness and character of a person or because they had to squeeze some hours in so that they could remain in the 'club'? These forced hours don't mean anything about the true character of a person, they likely weren't fond of volunteering their time and energy, but hey, they had to get these NHS hours done.
Now I know for a fact there are students worthy of the title to be a member of NHS out there. Good for you guys, you keep doing what you do, you belong there. Your effort and talent is amazing and myself, along with plenty of others, are proud of you. This post isn't a knock on members but on the organization itself.
So bottom line? Don't stress about NHS, it's not that special. As someone on the outside looking in, it's not some elite society even though it may sound that way. Each and every single person has their own positive traits that will get them success in life. Worrying about not being good enough to wear some gold rope on graduation day only holds you back. This club isn't the key to success, it's all in what you actually stand for, your character, and your ethics. Look at the big picture, a two or three-year membership in the National Honor Society versus the rest of your life, it's practically meaningless. Take it from an incoming college freshman who's proud to not be an NHS member, I got into college just fine, so will you.
