NHS Application Essay

Why, indeed, would one wish to join the National Honors Society? The restrictions, limitations, expectations and requirements of being in such a prestigious society are numerous and often stressful, but perhaps the allure of this revered brotherhood of young scholars is the weight it has on defining the character of the perspective member, or perhaps it is because of the impressiveness of this title, the “NHS Inductee,” on the résumé and college application. Whatever the case, it is a powerful title to hold.

One can always assume that the NHS student is operating on a higher level than the common high school student in their classes, thus the person is an outstanding individual, at least in the concept of work ethic. The grade point average alone proves this quality. But the real definition of character comes from the long history of the NHS in the United States, operating in high schools since the 1920’s. The NHS has set a standard for the ideal student since then, and the NHS member becomes a sort of role model for peers and posterity. This weighty distinction, in anyone’s conception of success, is highly desirable.

This distinction’s effect on the way a college admissions dean (or any other admissions faculty member who reads the application) is overwhelmingly positive. It is a bright flag in the application that states “this student is responsible, intelligent, and resolute.” These are three qualities which colleges expect and respect in the transcript and résumé of the student in question. The admissions staff will most likely know that the NHS requires a heightened ethical standard as well; it helps single out the people with the most potential in cosmopolitan affairs; i.e., the person has the civil service experience to become a “citizen of the universe.” These scholars would be representative of the ideal students to the faculty of the college and, of course, every college wishes to have the ideal student studying within its campus. Even from the layman's perspective, being a member of the NHS seems to be something amazing and powerful - the academic elite, the intellectuals of our future, the cosmopolitans of the new generation.

In considering the merits of and motives for joining the NHS, one must consider this question: What would a resume look like without this distinctive honor in comparison to one that sports it? Sure, it seems to be all pomp and circumstance, but the NHS inductee is intended to be the role model for the scholarly individual. The respect earned will, in turn, earn one a higher chance of acceptance from the colleges to which one applies, and eventually will earn one a better impression in later years when one develops a job résumé. So, the faculty, I ask you this: Why, indeed, would one wish to join the National Honors Society?