Is the National Society of High School Scholars valid/would membership appeal to admissions officers or colleges?
I (an incoming sophomore) recently received an email from the NSHSS scholarship directors, informing me that I had "been selected to receive scholarship information" for my 'hard work' and 'outstanding academic achievement.' I was rather intrigued by this, seeing as financial aid will prove necessary following my graduation, but I decided to a bit of digging beyond their FAQ page. As a result, I read a fair share of unfavorable information (i.e. memberships require a fee, false exclusivity, being mediocre at best, etc), which leads me to my question: how valid is the NSHSS as a resource and how helpful would it prove in being accepted into prestigious schools (e.g. Brown Uni)?
Note:
- I use valid in the sense of how factual and/or legitimate their claims are; I am aware that they are an actual business
- I have experience with NJAHS (National Junior Art Honor Society), and, at this point, might just join the honor societies provided by my high school; though an honor society that grants scholarships would be extremely helpful.
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4 answers
NOT AT ALL.
This is a very successful marketing business that sells memberships to unsuspecting students and families. Those that typically sign up think this is some sort of prestigious boost to their awards/honors section of their application but in reality it's the opposite.
Personally, if I were an admissions officer, I would "ding" the application if they had this as one of their 5 awards or honors because I would know they they didn't have the ability to acquire a legitimate award/honor and were desperate to impress the audience.
Maybe some novice admissions officers at small private schools will be fooled but certainly not Top 100 to Top 300 schools. I think this is a complete waste of money.
Sorry for giving a brutal but honest answer.
Hi @historyhope,
I just got this email as well (also as a rising sophomore), and my mom and I did some research about NSHSS. It turns out that it's not as selective as it sounds, and that being a member doesn't really do much for your acceptance chances. It might be helpful with scholarships, however, there are plenty of other free scholarship websites that you can use (e.g. Bold.org, Going Merry, Raise Me, Cappex, Niche, etc.).
Here's an explanation from another collegevine user that goes into more detail about why membership for NSHSS isn't really helpful:
Hope that helps! :)
It won't significantly boost your application, from what I've heard as well. I've also gotten the same email in the past, but it's apparent that it's just a way of garnering fees from students seeking to pad their list of honors societies. This is something I confirmed with my counselors after asking them, so it's not just my word. You should ask your counselor as well.
Hi! I just want to share with you that there is a lot information out there regarding the Honor Societies. For instance, for NHS you have to paid a fee this is the web you can verify the information https://www.nhs.us/renew/ it is not true that is free. I found an article at college vine which claim that NHS is free https://blog.collegevine.com/nhs-vs-nshss-whats-the-difference/. For those that received an email for the NSHSS it maybe be a scam. The NSHSS actually send letters. It is true that you paid a lifetime fee which in my opinion, it is not bad. Here is the website where you can find out more information https://www.nshss.org/blog/is-nhs-better-than-nshss/
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