How valuable are honors societies like the National Honor Society or the National Technical Honor Society in college apps? Are they worth the time and effort or just 'resume fillers'? Trying to decide if I should focus on them or dedicate more time to my personal projects.
It's really about the depth of your involvement rather than just membership. Honors societies such as NHS or NTHS can be seen as valuable, but they tend to fall into Tier 3 of the 4 Tiers of Extracurriculars. This means that while they show a level of academic commitment, they're quite common on applications. Leadership roles within these organizations can add more weight, as they indicate a higher level of engagement and responsibility.
Rather than just being a member, if you have the opportunity to lead a significant project or initiative through these societies that aligns with your academic or career interests, it can indeed strengthen your application. However, if your personal projects are unique, demonstrate deep intellectual curiosity, or involve significant achievements, they will likely stand out more to admissions committees.
These projects could potentially fall into Tier 1 or Tier 2 activities, depending on their scope and impact, and therefore might make a bigger impression than honors society involvement. For more on the 4 Tiers of Extracurricular Activities, check out this CollegeVine article: https://blog.collegevine.com/breaking-down-the-4-tiers-of-extracurricular-activities/
Remember, it's essential that your extracurriculars reflect genuine interests and show a pattern of commitment and accomplishment. If you have a strong personal project that you're passionate about, it could be worth dedicating more time to that, as it can help create a 'spike' in your application.
CollegeVine’s Q&A seeks to offer informed perspectives on commonly asked admissions questions. Every answer is refined and validated by our team of admissions experts to ensure it resonates with trusted knowledge in the field.